For as a lot focus as is positioned on the switch portal within the present-day school soccer panorama, constructing rosters primarily round internally developed expertise stays essential for fulfillment.
The December early signing interval nearly instantly from its inception supplanted the standard, first week of February signing day because the marquee date on the recruiting calendar. Heading into the postseason and offseason with the incoming class finalized permits teaching staffs to get a bounce on each fall, and filling wants within the spring portal window.
Maybe unsurprisingly, a few of the large winners from Wednesday’s signing day are additionally applications positioned to compete for convention and the Faculty Soccer Playoff title this yr. Nationwide signing day’s losers simply as unsurprisingly embrace applications steeped in tumult.
All rankings and scores are courtesy of 247Sports composite rankings.
Winners
Texas Tech
The primary week of December 2025 may nicely be the most effective in Texas Tech soccer historical past. The Pink Raiders locked up coach Joey McGuire with a seven-year contract extension, days earlier than enjoying for this system’s first Massive 12 Convention championship and a berth within the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
McGuire and his employees are additionally making severe inroads to establishing Texas Tech as a yearly title contender, evident within the traditionally robust recruiting class coming to Lubbock.
A pair of 5-star prospects headline a category, with offensive deal with Felix Ojo and edge rusher LaDamion Guyton ranked the No. 3 and No. 4 highest-graded signees in Tech historical past. The duo lead a category with a mean rating of 89.42, in league with fellow Playoff hopefuls like Oklahoma and Miami.
Vanderbilt
Alcorn State Braves linebacker Lannen Moore (23) tries to convey down Vanderbilt Commodores security CJ Taylor (1) throughout their Southeastern Athletic Convention recreation at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. For indication that Clark Lea’s Vanderbilt is a complete new program from the longtime SEC doormat, look no additional than its signing day eve flip of 5-star quarterback prospect Jared Curtis.
Initially a verbal decide to Vanderbilt’s convention counterpart Georgia, the native prospect Curtis modified his pledge to the Commodores. Curtis is now probably the most extremely graded signee in Vanderbilt historical past.
Virginia Tech
Nov 19, 2025; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin speaks on the press convention at Cassell Coliseum. Necessary Credit score: Brian Bishop-Imagn Photographs Floundering because the retirement of Corridor of Fame coach Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech might lastly have its successor a decade later with James Franklin. Fired from Penn State in October after a disappointing begin to the 2025 season, Virginia Tech swooped in a bit of greater than a month later to rent Franklin.
The fast motion is paying quick dividends, as Virginia Tech collected 22 letters of intent on Wednesday that included three excessive 4-star recruits — two from the Keystone State. Linebacker Terry Wiggins and working again Messiah Mickens, as soon as in-state commits to Franklin at Penn State, modified course and are headed for Blacksburg.
Franklin additionally landed big-time native signings from offensive deal with Thomas Wilder (Virginia Seashore), vast receiver Davion Brown (Richmond) and cornerback Zaevion Cleveland (Virginia Seashore).
Losers
Penn State
Dec 21, 2024; College Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive finish Dani Dennis-Sutton (33) reacts following a sack on Southern Methodist Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings (not pictured) throughout the second quarter within the first spherical of the Faculty Soccer Playoff at Beaver Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Photographs The flipside of Virginia Tech’s nationwide signing day success is Penn State’s astoundingly small class. Whereas Franklin’s early-season firing was meant to offer Nittany Lions brace a bounce on the teaching market, the alternative has been true as Penn State approaches two months with no head coach in place for 2026.
As hypothesis flies, and reported targets like BYU’s Kalani Sitake signal extensions, Penn State obtained simply two letters of intent.
The excellent news for the subsequent Lions teaching employees is that the 2 signees — edge rusher Jackson Ford and quarterback Peyton Falzone — include spectacular prep credentials. The unhealthy information is there’s a ton of labor to do discovering expertise to construct round them within the coming weeks.
Nebraska
Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) fingers the ball off to vast receiver Jacory Barney Jr. (17) towards the Colorado Buffaloes throughout the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Dylan Widger-Imagn Photographs Whereas Penn State’s paltry early signing day class will be attributed to the dearth of a training employees in place for 2026, the Nittany Lions’ Massive Ten Convention counterpart Nebraska ending with a light-weight crop of newcomers is extra perplexing.
Matt Rhule and his employees signed a 4-star deal with in Claude Mpouma and 5-star cornerback Danny Odem, however the Huskers add simply 10 prospects in whole.
Maybe probably the most regarding half for Nebraska is that it went with out signing a quarterback following the stunning decommitment of Dayton Raiola — youthful brother of present Huskers quarterback Dylan Raiola.
Colorado
Sep 14, 2024; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sidelines within the first quarter at Sonny Lubick Discipline at Canvas Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Michael Madrid-Imagn Photographs It’s troublesome gauging what precisely Deion Sanders’ plan for Colorado soccer was after Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders moved onto the NFL.
The Sanders model has been touted as extra significant than in-game technique, and it did certainly web outcomes at Jackson State and in Colorado’s preliminary switch portal hauls. Nevertheless, having a meager 11-player signing class coming right into a program tormented by depth points does little to encourage confidence on the heels of a 3-9 marketing campaign.
The Buffs had been unhealthy in 2025, and never in a manner that gives hope of a turnaround akin to the 2024 marketing campaign’s bounce from 4 wins the yr previous to 9. Colorado misplaced video games in November by 25, 35 and 46 factors as a part of a five-game skid, coinciding with extremely regarded defensive lineman Emanuel Ruffin’s decommitment.
