National Signing Day is one of the most anticipated events on the college football offseason calendar as a handful of top recruits finally reveal their commitments. No player is required to sign a national letter of intent but it’s the first day that non-December graduates are allowed to pen their decisions and that creates a ton of buzz.
This year, there were four prime players who entered the day as uncommitted recruits. Of course, none of them were going to shock the world and sign with Tulane, but it was still critical to watch to see how the cookie crumbled for the power programs. These four players will be on the radar for the coming years as they could very well shape the races for the College Football Playoff.
Marvin Wilson, Defensive Tackle
Decision: Florida State Seminoles
The 6’4’’, 329-pound tackle has owned the headlines heading in to the National Signing Day process and he has made it clear he is ready to sign his letter of intent. Wilson isn’t the fastest defensive tackle, but he has incredible power and his size makes him difficult to move at the point of attack. Wilson’s final five included Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and South Florida. Clearly, there was a little bit of an urge to go to Florida with two programs on the table, but he ended up choosing Florida State. The Seminoles are coming off a down season but adding a guy like Wilson should speed up their return to the power ranks.
Aubrey Solomon, Defensive Tackle
Decision: Michigan Wolverines
Solomon backed off his pledge to commit to Michigan in June but the Wolverines worked very diligently to change his mind once again. They had some stiff competition from Alabama, Georgia and USC, but managed to fend them off. The 6’3’’, 304-pound defensive tackle is considered an absolute wrecking ball with excellent speed and size. His ability to blow up the middle of the line is something that college teams have coveted while pushing hard for his services. Michigan is still in the mix but it won’t be a surprise if Solomon signs elsewhere after backing out of his commitment to the Wolverines. This was a big win for the Wolverines.
Joseph Lewis, Wide Receiver
Decision: USC Trojans
The Trojans pushed hard for Lewis as a potential replacement for JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has declared for the NFL Draft, and they have managed to land him. Lewis might be the perfect fit and head coach Clay Helton should be in an excellent position to land the local five-star prospect. Arizona State and Oregon were both in the mix as well but Lewis has reportedly zeroed in on the Trojans. It likely had something to do with the air show that they put on during the Rose Bowl when the entire nation got to see just how prolific that offense can be.
The 6’2’’ burner has incredible speed, size and hands as well as a maturity level that indicates he could make an immediate impact as a freshman with his new team.
Devonta Smith, Wide Receiver
Decision: Alabama Crimson Tide
The five-star receiver Smith isn’t imposing at 6’1’’ and 167 pounds. There is no doubt that he will have to put on some size if he is going to make a tremendous impact at the next level. However, he has incredible speed and hands with the type of precise route running that college football teams love to see from top prospects at the position. Alabama and Miami were both expected to be in the mix but LSU and Georgia made it clear they would love to add Smith to their roster. However, he ended up choosing the Crimson Tide.
Smith isn’t as ready to dominate as Lewis at his position but there is no doubt the upside is there. He’ll have the opportunity to work with Jalen Hurts this coming season and could make a strong impact on a Crimson Tide team that isn’t always great at the wide receiver position. We’ll see what new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian can get out of Smith and the Tide’s offense in 2017.
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