Recruiting 2020: 5 Things That Matter After National Signing Day

5 observations and things that matter after the 2020 recruiting season and National Signing Day are over.

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5 observations and things that matter after the 2020 recruiting season and National Signing Day are over.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

2020 Recruiting Analysis, Team Rankings, Top Players 
AAC | ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC

There are still a few storylines in the 2020 recruiting season – like RB Zachary Evans not deciding on a school yet – even though National Signing Day came and went, but for the most part, it’s on to 2021.

Here are five observations and things that matter now that it’s over.

5. National Signing Day is Blockbuster …

And the Early Signing Period is Netflix.

I used to hate National Signing Day.

The lead-up required weeks and weeks of research and discussion and speculation all for one silly day when older men made a really big deal about where a bunch of kids were going to college.

The worst part about it all was the lack of a true payoff. It was all speculation about how good the undeveloped talents could be three or more years – for the most part – after they signed.

NSD took on a life of its own outside of the normal college football world. It became an occasionally creepy time with message board threats, genuine anger, and a whole lot of pressure. It was also a celebration.

And I sort of miss it.

The first Wednesday in February used to be the one big day of the college football offseason.

The NBA has its free agency period and trade deadline, the NFL has its draft, and baseball has its hot stove league. National Signing Day was a chance for college football fans to look ahead to what might be happening with their respective programs, and it was a time to talk college football before settling in for a big snooze over the following six months.

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Now, most top players are all but locked in several months, if not years, in advance. The Early Signing Period in late December is when everyone of note signs on – which totally gets blown off nationally because the bowl season is in full gear – and the transfer portal has become more important than either of the two signing days.

Not all that long ago, National Signing Day was wall-to-wall all-day TV coverage on at least two of the all-sports station. Every major web site treated it like Christmas because of all the page views and traffic, and it was a  major, major thing.

This year? It was an hour-long wrap-up show – if that – on one of the ESPN networks or conference-only channels, because nothing really happened.

Anecdotally, I used to be hit up for at least 15 radio appearances across the country on NSD. This year, I was had the same 15+ requests, but the talk was 95% about Mark Dantonio.

National Signing Day just isn’t a thing anymore. The hype and craziness around recruiting has peaked, and now it’s more business-like and subdued.

It’s just another day in the college football offseason.

However, there are parts of this that really do matter, starting with …

NEXT: New coaches get a whole lot of talent to work with

Pac-12 College Football Recruiting: Team Rankings, Top Players, Biggest Strengths, What’s Missing

How did all of the Pac-12 teams do this recruiting season? Here are the recruiting rankings for the conference, along with the stars for each team, top players, and biggest strengths. – Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews – Every Team’s Star Recruit – …

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How did all of the Pac-12 teams do this recruiting season? Here are the recruiting rankings for the conference, along with the stars for each team, top players, and biggest strengths.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews

Every Team’s Star Recruit
Recruiting Class Strengths
What’s Missing From Each Recruiting Class
2020 All-Pac-12 Recruiting Team
Recruiting Team Rankings


Every Pac-12 Team’s Star Recruit

Arizona

QB Will Plummer, 6-2, 205 – He might not be all that big, but he’s a big-time passer with a live arm and the mobility to be what the Kevin Sumlin offense wants.
Key Schools In The Running: Oklahoma State, Colorado, Oregon State

Arizona State

WR Johnny Wilson, 6-6, 230 – An interesting target with the size to grow into a tight end, and the athleticism to be a matchup nightmare as a wideout. Oregon had him, and the Sun Devils flipped him.
Key Schools In The Running: Oregon, USC, Tennessee

Cal

RB Chris Street, 5-9, 195 – Very, very shifty and fast through the hole, he’s a home-run hitter who can be used as a receiver and have plays designed to get the ball in his hands in a variety of ways.
Key Schools In The Running: Arizona State, Utah, USC

Colorado

RB Ashaad Clayton, 6-0, 200 – Really, really fast with the size to bring a little bit of power, he’s more of a home-run hitter than a workhorse. The New Orleans native isn’t just a track guy playing football, though.
Key Schools In The Running: Florida, LSU, Kansas 

Oregon

LB Justin Flowe, 6-3, 225 – And go ahead and add Noah Sewell as the No. 1A star of the Oregon class. Sewell is the big-hitting run-stuffer on the inside, and Flowe is the all-around playmaker on the outside with the hybrid pass-rushing ability to be terror from the start.
Key Schools In The Running: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia

Oregon State

QB Chance Nolan, 6-3, 200 – The JUCO transfer has great size, excellent mobility, and the experience to step in and start right away. However, he has only three years of eligibility.
Key Schools In The Running: Utah, UCLA, Oklahoma State

Stanford

OT Myles Hinton, 6-7, 310 – The son of former NFL star Chris Hinton is going to John Elway’s school – Chris was taken one pick after Elway in the 1983 NFL Draft. Myles is a big-body athlete with the talent and smarts to go along with the frame.
Key Schools In The Running: Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State

UCLA

QB Parker McQuarrie, 6-7, 208 – Is he it? Is he the quarterback who’s going to make the UCLA offense work under Chip Kelly? He’s not a runner, but he’s got the pro-style size and arm.
Key Schools In The Running: Wisconsin, Miami, Minnesota

USC

WR Gary Bryant, 5-11, 165 – A tall, thin target with great hands and the quickness to be used as a runner from time to time. He could be a kick and punt returner if needed, but he’ll mostly be a deep threat receiver.
Key Schools In The Running: Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oregon

Utah

CB Clark Phillips, 5-10, 187 – With a good frame, great quickness, and the ability to attack the ball with the hands to be used as a receiver if needed – he won’t drop picks. After originally choosing Ohio State, Utah plucked him away.
Key Schools In The Running: Ohio State, UCLA, Notre Dame

Washington

DE Sav’ell Smalls, 6-4, 244 – The Huskies landed the superstar. The Washington native has the NFL size to go along with the unstoppable pass rushing ability to instant step in and produce. He’s going to be the main man for the new era of UW football.
Key Schools In The Running: Florida State, Clemson, Georgia

Washington State

QB Jayden De Laura, 6-1, 190 – He signed on when Mike Leach was still the head man, and now the Hawaii native should grow into Nick Rolovich’s quarterback. He might not be all that big, but he’s deadly accurate and can run.
Key Schools In The Running: Ohio State, USC, Hawaii

Recruiting Class Strengths
What’s Missing From Each Recruiting Class
2020 All-Pac-12 Recruiting Team
Recruiting Team Rankings

NEXT: Pac-12 Recruiting Strengths