National Signing Day is in the books for 2018, the first cycle to includean early signing period for college football recruits.Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Texas all jostled for the top spot with impre sive hauls in this cycle, though the Bulldogs took the No. 1 spot in those rankings, knocking Alabama from atop the rankingsfor the first time since 2011.MORE: Using ,Sporting News breaks down one big thing for every top-10recruiting cla s of2018:1. GeorgiaFive-stars: QB Justin Fields, RB Zamir White, T Cade Mays, DE Brenton Cox, G Jamaree Salyer, LB Adam Anderson, CB Tyson CampbellOne big thing: Georgia from Alabama, the first school to do it since the Tide’s run started in 2011. Kirby Smart built on Brandon Bolden Jersey anSEC championship by pulling in a cla s full of five-stars,led by Fieldsand White, who could be the next big thing at tailback. Campbell was Georgia’s last five-star talent to commit, but flipping andQuay Walker from Alabama and luring Tommy Bush from Texas were added bonuses to an incredible cla s.2. Ohio StateFive-stars: T Nick Petit-Frere, DT Taron Vincent, S Tyreke JohnsonOne big thing: The Buckeyes remained the cla s of the Big Ten with another impre sive haul,which included a surprise commit from Petit-Frere. He should fit right in with the early enrollees already on campus. Ohio State has finished with the top Big Ten cla s every year under Urban Meyer, and that has allowed it to absorb several early entries to the NFL Draft. In other words, the beat goes on in Columbus.MORE: 3. TexasFive-stars: S Caden Stearns, S B.J. FosterOne big thing: Four-star running back Keaontay Ingram added to a Texas-sized haul for Tom Herman. The Longhorns landed 19in-state recruits with at least four-star rankings, 15 of whom hail from Texas.That’s more than double the six four-star or better in-state recruits from the 2017 cycle. Herman emphasized New England Patriots Hoodies Sweatshirts at Big 12 Media Day last summer the goal was to make Texas a to come.4. Penn StateFive-stars: DE Micah Parsons, WR Justin Shorter, RB Ricky SladeOne big thing: Penn State had the No. 40 cla s 10 years ago. Now, it has the second-ranked Big Ten cla s and thehighest-ranked cla s since the Nittany Lions ranked seventh in 2006. James Franklin continues to show he has the chops to compete on the recruiting trail with the other Big Ten contenders in the division.MORE: 5. ClemsonFive-stars: QB Trevor Lawrence, DE Xavier Thomas, DE K.J. Henry, T Jackson Carman, WR Derion KendickOne big thing:Clemson’s national reach can no longerbe understated. The Tigers landed the top player in South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio,Florida and Alabama. Dabo Swinney can use that to sell his next cla s, too. The beat goes on for a program built to challenge for national championships for the foreseeable future.6. AlabamaFive-stars:CB Patrick Surtain Jr., DE Eyabi AnomaOne big thing: There’s no reason for panic, given the Crimson Tide still put together a loaded cla s and several key pieces from 2017 contributed to the College Jake Bailey Jersey Football Playoff championship game (including Tua Tagovailoa, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III). Surtain was the best player left on the board, and flipping him from LSU was a big get for the Crimson Tide.MORE: 7. USCFive-stars: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, LB Palaie Gaoteote, QB J.T. Daniels, CB Olaijah GriffinOne big thing:The Trojans landed Gaoteote and Griffin on National Signing Day, part of a late charge that helped put the Trojans among the top 10 cla ses. It was a much-needed cla s not just for USC but for the Pac-12, and Clay Helton delivered. This one will be under pre sure to put USC on the next level and it has the talent to do it.8. Miami (Fla.)Five-stars: RB Lorenzo LingardOne big thing: The Hurricanes didn’t finish the way they wanted to with three straight lo ses in 2017, but Mike Vrabel Jersey Mark Richt has the Canes pointed back in the right direction. Need evidence? Miamigrabbed two four-star wide receivers and tight ends, a four-star quarterback and four- andfive-star running backs. With Florida and Florida State making transitions to new coaches, Miami has an opportunity to keep that momentum going on and off the field in 2018.MORE: 9. OklahomaFive-stars: OT Brey WalkerOne big thing: This isn’t even a full cycle for Lincoln Riley, considering when he took over for Bob Stoops. He showed reach by landing three four-star recruits from Florida in IMG Academy players Brendan Radley-Hiles (CB) and T.J. Pledger (APB) and St. Thomas Aquinas linebacker Nik Bonitto.10. Notre DameFive-stars: NoneOne big thing: That’s back-to-back top-10 cla ses for the Irish, and they signed 20 players during the early signing period.Brian Kelly pieced together a cla s built around four-star cornerback Houston Griffith from IMG Academy and receiver Kevin Austin of North Broward Prep in Pompano Beach, Fla. Kelly hasn’t lost his touch in selling the Irish as a national brand.
