Nationwide Signing Day is the fruits of a months- and years-long course of of faculty soccer recruiting in a three-day span throughout this week’s early signing interval.
The largest information of the week got here Tuesday evening, when Jared Curtis, the No. 1 total participant within the 2026 class in accordance with the 247Sports composite rankings, flipped his dedication from Georgia to signal with the hometown Vanderbilt Commodores in a historic transfer.
He is the primary five-star signee in program historical past.
A neon signal Vanderbilt has a distinct popularity after turning it round on the sector the final two years with Diego Pavia on the helm.
Not an SEC afterthought with revenue-sharing in play, the Commodores additionally flipped three-star receiver Owen Cabell from Alabama on Wednesday.
At No. 30 within the 247 composite class rankings (eleventh of 16 Southeastern Convention groups) as of Wednesday afternoon, it isn’t just like the Commodores are contending for each high recruit. However with a quarterback that every one the highest packages chased now within the fold, they appear poised to stay frisky within the SEC going ahead.
Listed below are another winners and losers from the primary day of the early signing interval:
–Winners
USC
Lincoln Riley hasn’t but introduced the extent of success anticipated of him in his first 4 seasons at USC.
It is doable this 12 months’s signing class is the second you look again at that altering. The Trojans clinched the No. 1 ranked 2026 class with a flip of four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt from Ohio State on Wednesday.
USC is the primary non-SEC crew since Miami in 2008 to high the recruiting class rankings, per 247Sports.
With five-star offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe and 21 four-star signees — together with 4 vast receivers, three offensive linemen, three defensive linemen and quarterback Jonas Williams — the Trojans constructed their 2026 class for long-term success.
LSU
After he was introduced as LSU’s new coach on Sunday, Lane Kiffin had lower than 72 hours on the job earlier than NSD started.
Given these parameters, it is fairly spectacular what he has managed to tug off.
The Tigers’ signing class of 16 is smaller than a few of LSU’s upper-tier friends.
However the class certain is mighty.
Kiffin inherited two five-star commits in defensive linemen Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson. Anderson signed on Wednesday whereas Brown nonetheless hasn’t however he is reportedly trending that method.
Kiffin additionally introduced aboard just a few gamers that have been previously dedicated to him at Ole Miss and is trending in the direction of flipping South Carolina four-star QB commit Landon Duckworth in accordance with a number of recruiting consultants.
4-star cornerback Havon Finney initially mentioned he was planning to delay his signing earlier than finally selecting to go to Baton Rouge. However Kiffin’s work is not finished. Defensive lineman Deuce Geralds introduced Wednesday his signing was on maintain.
As of Wednesday night, LSU’s common commit ranking of 93.61 is the perfect nationally in 247Sports’ rankings.
Losers
Penn State
When Penn State was among the many first job openings this 12 months, it could actually’t have imagined issues would play out like this.
The Nittany Lions are nonetheless with out a new head coach, most just lately failing to tug Kalani Sitake away from BYU. In the meantime, their 2026 class which had been assembled by former coach James Franklin has crumbled.
Franklin has flipped 10 of their former commits, together with four-star working again Messiah Mickens and four-star linebacker Terry Wiggins, to affix him at Virginia Tech.
Total, Penn State has misplaced 23 commits and has simply two left. It ranks one hundred and fiftieth nationally in 247’s rankings, surrounded by a bunch of FCS groups.
The one saving grace Wednesday was that former four-star QB commit Peyton Falzone rejoined the category and signed with Penn State.
Syracuse
Fran Brown has introduced some severe recruiting juice to Syracuse in his two seasons on the job.
Nowhere is that extra evident than touchdown a dedication from Miami (Fla.) four-star receiver Calvin Russell, a top-100 recruit and top-10 receiver within the class, in July.
Russell by no means appeared to waver in his pledge, even whereas the Orange floundered their strategy to a 3-9 file this season.
Till Wednesday afternoon. Russell introduced at his signing ceremony that he could be delaying his signing.
Michigan and Miami are nonetheless pushing laborious for Russell. The longer he holds out on his choice, the much less probably it appears he’ll play at Syracuse.
–Curt Weiler, Discipline Stage Media
