National Signing Day 2025: Your Live Guide to the Madness

Alright, strap yourselves in, folks, because the most wonderful time of the year for college football die-hards is officially upon us. No, not the bowl games, not the playoff—it’s National Signing Day for the Class of 2026. This is the day when dreams are either made or mercilessly crushed, all with the stroke of a pen.

For the next few days, high school phenoms who’ve been courted like royalty will finally put an end to the madness and sign on the dotted line. This isn’t just about scholarships; it’s about programs reloading for championship runs and coaches trying to prove their nine-figure contracts were worth it. Over the years, we’ve learned this early signing period is where the real action happens. Forget the old-school February drama; a huge chunk of the nation’s top talent will have their college allegiance locked down by the time we all go to bed tonight.

So, grab your coffee, refresh your Twitter feed until your thumb goes numb, and settle in. We’ll be your guides through all the commitments, the shocking flips, and the last-minute drama that makes this day better than any reality TV show.

Has NIL Leveled the Playing Field, Or Just Made It Weirder?

Remember when only a handful of blue-blood programs could hoard all the five-star recruits? Well, welcome to the NIL and revenue-sharing era, where things have gotten delightfully weird. This year, a record-breaking 21 different schools have landed a five-star prospect. We’re living in a world where Houston has the No. 1 overall player, Vanderbilt snags a top-3 QB, and Syracuse landing a five-star doesn’t even feel like a typo. It’s beautiful chaos.

The old guard of Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State is still throwing haymakers, but now they’ve got programs like Texas Tech and USC swinging right back. Parity, or just pure, unadulterated chaos? You decide.

The Big Storylines To Watch

Every Signing Day has its share of soap opera-level drama, and this year is no exception. Here’s what we’re keeping a close eye on as the day unfolds.

The Race For the #1 Recruiting Class

For what feels like the first time since the invention of the forward pass, an SEC team might not finish with the top recruiting class. USC entered the day in the driver’s seat, poised to make history. The Trojans have been on a recruiting tear, and they didn’t slow down, flipping four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt from Ohio State. That’s a huge blow to the Buckeyes and a major win for Lincoln Riley’s squad as they try to lock up that top spot.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s hopes took a nosedive when they lost five-star Quarterback Jared Curtis to… Vanderbilt? Yes, you read that right. In one of the most stunning moves of the cycle, the Commodores pulled off a heist that sent shockwaves through the SEC. With Curtis officially signing with Vandy, the path for Georgia to catch USC just got a whole lot tougher.

The Lane Kiffin Effect At LSU

You didn’t think Lane Kiffin would quietly settle into his new job at LSU, did you? The self-proclaimed “Portal King” has been a whirlwind of activity, working the phones to build his first class in Baton Rouge. He already snagged a big win by flipping four-star wideout Corey Barber, who decommitted from Kiffin’s old stomping grounds at Ole Miss to follow him to LSU.

The Tigers are also in a high-stakes battle for five-star commits Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson, whose agents were reportedly in marathon meetings with Kiffin and his staff. Will the allure of playing for one of football’s biggest personalities be enough to get them signed? It’s a cliffhanger worth watching.

Flip Watch: Where the Drama Unfolds

It wouldn’t be Signing Day without some good old-fashioned betrayal. Several top prospects are keeping fans and coaches on the edge of their seats. Michigan is in a dogfight to hold onto elite EDGE rusher Julian Walker, who has deep family ties to the South Carolina program. Will he stick with the Wolverines or stay home?

And then there’s Chris Henry Jr., the five-star receiver who has been committed to Ohio State for what feels like an eternity. Programs like Oregon and USC have been relentlessly trying to pry him away. A flip from a player of his caliber could single-handedly alter the top of the recruiting rankings. No commitment is safe until that letter of intent comes through the fax machine (or, you know, the 2025 equivalent).

It’s a day of chaos, celebration, and heartbreak. Welcome to National Signing Day. Let the games begin.