No matter when the NCAA sets its early signing window for college football recruiting, battles for coveted signatures will always exist.
This week has reinforced that.
“It’s always been difficult,” Tennessee fourth-year coach Josh Heupel said in a news conference Wednesday, the start of the three-day early period. “There is no time period in recruiting when it hasn’t been difficult getting to the finish line because of how competitive it’s always been and just the nature of it. Signing day to me has always been about who you get and whether they fit the profile of what you wanted at those positions.
“We’re really excited about the guys we’ve got. Some of these guys have been with us for a long time. Some of them are more recent, but we’ve been in communication with the recent guys for a long time and have great relationships with them.”
Tennessee announced 24 signees on Wednesday, including three late additions who had been committed elsewhere during this recruiting cycle. Two of those three, cornerback Timothy Merritt and linebacker Jadon Perlotte, were considered committed to Miami and Southern California, respectively, right up until Wednesday morning.
The Volunteers added a 25th signee Thursday afternoon, when the nation’s top offensive tackle prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings, 6-foot-6, 290-pound David Sanders Jr. of Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina, followed through on his previous commitment.
The Vols had two commitments swiped late in the process when Auburn landed defensive lineman Darrion Brown and Florida snagged safety Lagonza Hayward, one of 12 players the Gators flipped during the past two weeks.
“There was the thought that by getting signing day out of the way that there wouldn’t be as much drama,” 247Sports.com recruiting analyst Ryan Callahan said, “but we saw some drama down the stretch and had more flips this year.”
Tennessee commitment Onis Konanbanny, a four-star cornerback from Columbia, South Carolina, is apparently waiting until Wednesday, Feb. 5, before signing. Konanbanny has also considered Florida as a potential destination.
The NCAA announced the early signing period in April 2017 and implemented it for the 2017-18 school year. It instantly replaced early February as the primary signing date, as 71% of the prospects in that 2018 cycle signed early with Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
This early period is unique in that it is taking place two weeks earlier than last year and before this weekend’s conference championship games, which only happened previously during the COVID-altered 2020 season. It is also before the opening of the NCAA transfer portal, which starts Monday.
“The sense is that this is going to help coaches navigate what has been a chaotic, out of control month of December,” Callahan said. “These past few years, it’s just been a lot happening all at once, and recruiting has kind of taken the back seat to the transfer portal. The hope is that coaches have some certainty in this recruiting class and knowing what they have, putting it behind them and moving on to the transfer portal.
“There is no perfect way to do it, because there will always be chaos on both of those fronts.”
Especially within the Southeastern Conference, which has accounted for eight of the top 11 spots in the 247Sports team rankings for this 2025 signing cycle.
“It’s the most competitive league in America in all facets of what goes on in college football,” Heupel said. “It ultimately shows up on Saturdays when we’re competing against each other, but it starts with the recruiting process. It’s highly competitive.”
Webb entering portal
Redshirt sophomore receiver Kaleb Webb will be entering the transfer portal. The 6-3, 240-pounder from the Atlanta suburb of Powder Springs has played in seven games this season, collecting six catches for 48 yards.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.