Oregon made waves on the first day of the early signing period when five-star safety Peyton Bowen flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to the Ducks — but that wasn’t the only big splash Oregon had on Wednesday, as coach Dan Lanning and his staff moved from outside the top 10 in the class rankings to No. 6 overall.
The week did not start on the right foot, when five-star quarterback Dante Moore flipped his commitment from Oregon to UCLA.
The Ducks staff quickly adjusted and flipped ESPN 300 quarterback Austin Novosad from Baylor. The Ducks were also in a recruiting battle with USC and Ohio State for ESPN 300 defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei, younger brother of former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and the No. 65 prospect overall. Oregon won that fight as well.
The Ducks also flipped four-star running back Jayden Limar from Washington and ESPN 300 cornerback Daylen Austin from LSU. In total, Oregon now has 12 ESPN 300 commitments.
The Ducks may have moved up in the class rankings with all of the movement from the day, but it’s the Alabama Crimson Tide who will finish at the top of the class rankings.
Alabama finished behind Texas A&M in the last cycle, and coach Nick Saban ensured his program came out on top in the 2023 cycle. He flipped five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor from Iowa before the early signing period began.
Alabama then gained commitments from five-star teammates Jaquavious Russaw and James Smith on Wednesday. Russaw is the No. 7 prospect overall and Smith is ranked No. 10. Those two commitments, in addition to Proctor, gives the Crimson Tide four five-star commitments in this class, the most of any program.
Saban was able to land these highly sought after recruits and also hold onto the recruits already committed to Alabama. ESPN 300 safety Tony Mitchell and five-star safety Caleb Downs both had other programs try to pull them away from Alabama, but both signed with the Crimson Tide.
Georgia started the day at No. 2 in the rankings behind Alabama, and while it was a good day for the Dawgs, the Tide couldn’t be caught at the top.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart made it interesting, though, getting a commitment from ESPN 300 cornerback Daniel Harris and ESPN 300 defensive end Damon Wilson on Wednesday.
Miami also tried to move up in the rankings from its spot at No. 3 by adding ESPN 300 cornerback Damari Brown, who chose the Hurricanes over Alabama.
Michigan added two top-300 commitments on Wednesday in receiver Karmello English and cornerback Jyaire Hill. The Wolverines have been active in the transfer portal, as well, and have gotten commitments from Stanford offensive linemen Myles Hinton and Drake Nugent, Arizona State offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson and Nebraska true freshman linebacker Ernest Hausmann, among others.
Rival Ohio State was able to get a commitment from ESPN 300 defensive end Joshua Mickens, the No. 205 prospect and a position of need for the Buckeyes.
The Wolverines and Buckeyes have established coaches who were entrenched in this recruiting class, but some of the newer coaches at various programs were trying to navigate the early signing period with only a few weeks of prep.
New Auburn coach Hugh Freeze was able to flip ESPN 300 cornerback Kayin Lee from Ohio State, defensive end Keldric Faulk from Florida State, and moved up in the rankings from outside the top 40 to No. 29 overall.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders, who in the 2022 cycle shocked the college football world in his first signing day as Jackson State‘s coach by flipping five-star corner Travis Hunter from Florida State, was trying to have another big day with the 2023 class.
He was able to add some big pieces — including his son, Shedeur Sanders, the Jackson State quarterback who on Wednesday officially committed to play for his dad at Colorado.
Sanders was able to flip ESPN 300 running back Dylan Edwards from Notre Dame before the early signing period started and he also added ESPN 300 receiver Adam Hopkins on Wednesday.