With the advent of social media allowing for increasingly inventive commitment videos, National Signing Day has delivered some of the greatest college football moments of recent years. Be prepared for chaos, carnage, calamities, and comedy value, as we dive into the top National Signing Day commitments of all time.
Top 10 Moments From National Signing Day Commitments of All Time
Trying to whittle down thousands of National Signing Day commitments to capture the top moments is like Nick Cannon trying to decide which is his favorite child. Impossible.
While these rank among my top National Signing Day commitments of all time, there are probably thousands more that I might have missed, and I’d love to hear these stories. Find me on social media at @ojhodgkinson, and let’s share in the madness together.
10) Kingsley Feinman Announces Cooper Dawson’s Commitment
The top National Signing Day commitments have become lavish, grand affairs that combine the flashy swagger that oft-defines college athletes, with each individual trying to find a way to outdo the moments that have come before.
Yet, one of my top National Signing Day commitments taps into something more pure, something that reflects the humanity which is so often overlooked during the coverage of college sports.
When it came time for Hanahan High School defensive end Cooper Dawson to announce his commitment on National Signing Day, there was only one way he wanted to do it. Joining him at a table adorned with hats from Clemson, Syracuse, and UCF, was close friend Kingsley Feinman.
Feinman, a paraplegic born with cerebral palsy, had captured Dawson’s heart with his never-ending smile and his outlook on life, summed up by the motto, “the only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
Dawson wanted his close friend to be the first to know his destination on National Signing Day, whispering the college to Kingsley, who announced, “he’s going to Syracuse” to rapturous applause while both young men donned Syracuse caps.
9) Aerial Adventures on National Signing Day
When it comes to the top National Signing Day commitments, the sky is the limit for some prospects. Literally. Over the years, we’ve seen some incredible aerial adventures amongst the top National Signing Day moments, but these two caught my attention and captured my imagination as being particularly unique in their approach.
Let’s start with Chaz Ah You, a four-star safety turned linebacker in the 2017 recruiting class. In one of the top National Signing Day commitments of recent times, Ah You requisitioned a helicopter to fly him to his college of choice. With four options on the flight plan — UCLA, Washington, Stanford, or BYU, — the video showed a picturesque flight before landing at the 50-yard line of LaVell Edwards Stadium, home of the Cougars.
Meanwhile, Deontay Anderson hurled himself out of a plane and parachuted back down to Earth to make his commitment on National Signing Day. As he barrelled towards Earth, the four-star safety collected the names of three college programs like you’d collect rings in Sonic The Hedgehog before revealing a “Hot Toddy” t-shirt, signaling his intention to sign for the Ole Miss Rebels.
8) Brent Calloway Takes Flipping to Another Level
Flipping commitments on National Signing Day has become one of the top moments to watch out for every year. However, early in 2011, four-star outside linebacker Brent Calloway took the art of flipping to another level.
A top-100 player, Calloway was the No. 2 recruit in the state of Alabama, per 247Sports, and was caught in a tug-of-love between the two teams at the height of the state’s sporting success.
Calloway had originally committed to Alabama midway through 2009, a long-time commitment that was seen as signed, sealed, and awaiting delivery. Just before the start of the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, however, he rescinded his commitment to Alabama.
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Despite having several weeks to think through his decision, Calloway needed just three quarters of the prestigious game, committing to Auburn during the fourth quarter. But Calloway wasn’t done yet.
As we’ll discover, the top National Signing Day commitments don’t always come without family disapproval, and the Auburn commitment caused considerable consternation within Calloway’s family. The Russellville High School star even skipped town before returning and becoming one of Alabama’s National Signing Day commitments.
7) Jimmy Clausen Sparks National Outrage With Commitment
The college-bound kids of this year’s recruiting class don’t hold the monopoly over swagger. Some 15 years ago, Jimmy Clausen was the epitome of the word while creating one of the top National Signing Day commitments of all time.
But Clausen’s outlandish commitment to Notre Dame in the 2007 cycle didn’t meet with approval from a large section of the college football community. But, what did Clausen conjure up to earn the ire of fans?
Maybe it was the stretch Hummer that Clausen arrived in. Maybe it was the choice of the College Football Hall of Fame as the location for his commitment announcement. Perhaps it was the three championship rings adorning his fingers and a speech that pledged four national championships for the Fighting Irish. Or maybe the medallion around his neck rubbed people the wrong way.
Personally, I love how it encapsulated the pageantry of college football. Clausen would have been a hero with his commitment in the social media era.
6) A Tale of Two Letters of Intent
As the top National Signing Day commitments go, none was quite as wild as Markish Jones. The four-star wide receiver out of Spartanburg, South Carolina, held offers from some of the top programs in the country.
Narrowing it down to two as National Signing Day approached, the pass catcher was torn between Clemson and Florida State. So torn was he about his life-changing decision, that Jones signed a letter of intent for both programs.
Firstly, he put pen to paper on his LOI to Clemson. Having suffered a change of heart, he then inked his FSU LOI and faxed it to the program.
Depending on which version of events you choose to believe, Clemson became aware of the original signature, or Jones was duped into sending it to the Tigers’ administration. Either way, it was declared that having signed his Clemson LOI first, the wide receiver was legally obligated to become a Tiger.
5) Cyrus Kouandjio Caught Between Two Iron Bowl Teams
While some of the top commitments are done in high school gymnasiums or via flashy social media videos, elite prospects often have a national stage from which to make their announcement. Such was the case for Cyrus Kouandjio, a five-star offensive tackle who was not only the top player in the state of Alabama and top OT but the second-ranked player nationally by 247Sports.
Kouandjio appeared on ESPN to make his announcement, committing to the Auburn Tigers live on national television. Hours afterward, however, his national letter of intent remained unsigned. That letter would never make its way to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Days later, the prize piece of Auburn’s recruiting puzzle made his way to bitter rival Alabama, forming the offensive line cornerstone of a two-time national title-winning Crimson Tide team.
4) Mom Knows Best for Jacob Copeland, Alex Collins, Landon Collins?
Is there a worse feeling in the world than knowing your parents’ disdain for your decision-making process? How about that disgust playing out in front of a national audience?
Some of the top National Signing Day commitments have featured scenes of parental dissent, ranging from a simple bemused look, to outward scenes of outrage, and actual theft.
Jacob Copeland’s commitment was televised on ESPNU, and his mom turned up to support her son wearing a Tennessee Volunteers hat and an Alabama sweater. When the four-star wide receiver committed to Florida, Copeland’s mom picked up her bag and stormed off-screen. While she returned minutes later, the studio crew did not hold back on their comments about her shenanigans.
Landon Collins felt the stern grimace of motherly disapproval when he committed to Alabama in 2012. The five-star DB chose the Crimson Tide over LSU, causing his mom — clad in Fighting Tigers purple — to shake her head and declare that “LSU is a better place to be.” It was later reported that she’d felt disrespected by Alabama head coach Nick Saban during a visit to the family home.
While Collins and Copeland met with verbal disapproval over their National Signing Day commitments, at least their moms didn’t physically try and alter the path of their football journey.
When Alex Collins attempted to commit to Arkansas over the Miami Hurricanes, his mom did a runner with the paperwork and even hired a lawyer to “protect her son’s best interest.” Sadly for her, a duplicate was created, his father signed it, and Collins went on to have three consecutive 1,000+ yards for the Razorbacks.
3) Derric Evans’ Hot Tub Signing Shenanigans
Some of the top National Signing Day commitments take their place in folklore, passed down from generation to generation while gathering additional elements and embellishments.
When Derric Evans committed to Tennessee in 1989, I was just a five-year-old boy in the UK and wouldn’t have had a clue what half of the words you’re about to read would have meant. Now, it sounds like, without a doubt, the greatest scene in college athletics.
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Evans, an all-American defensive back on the legendary 1988 Dallas Carter team, signed his national letter of intent “all bling-blinged out, with a glass of wine in one hand and a ballpoint pen in the other,” while taking a soak in a hot tub. While it undoubtedly belongs amongst the top National Signing Day moments, Evans ultimately was sentenced to 20 years in prison following four counts of armed robbery and never suited up for the Vols.
2) Kevin Hart Commits to Cal Over Oregon, Without Offer From Either
If you believe it, you can achieve it. It’s a well-known cliche that pits mind against matter in the race to achieve your dreams. When it comes to National Signing Day commitments, Kevin Hart certainly believed he could achieve it.
As the 2008 signing day approached, Hart was expected to be the first player from Fernley, Nevada, to commit to playing Division I football. His story was a big deal for a small, local community.
In a ceremony in the high school gymnasium, Hart committed to the University of California over an offer from the Oregon Ducks. Jubilant scenes followed, but something didn’t add up. Cal confirmed that there was no offer to Hart. He’d been to a camp at Oregon, but the Ducks had deemed he lacked the talent to play top-level college football.
Eventually, Hart was forced to admit that he’d made the whole bizarre scene up, but not before he told police that he’d been duped. In fact, it was Hart who’d done the duping, convincing everyone from his friends, to his high school coaches, to local media and national recruiting bloggers, that he was on a fast track to footballing stardom. Incredible.
1) Travis Hunter Flips From FSU to Jackson State
Deion Sanders tried to set the scene for the most outrageous of all National Signing Day commitments.
“Signing day is tomorrow. I’m going on record to tell you guys we’re going to shock the country. I’m telling you right now. You’ve heard it from me. We’re going to shock the country.”
Sanders tried to warn the college football world. Yet, when the announcement came that Travis Hunter was flipping his commitment to Jackson State from Florida State, it was still a shock that sent ripples across the CFB landscape.
After all, the Georgia native wasn’t any high school recruit. He was the high school recruit in the 2021 class. A five-star recruit, the top cornerback in the nation, the top player in Georgia, the top player in the entire nation. A player so skilled that he was projected to play both sides of the ball wherever he ended up.
For the longest time, that looked like it would be Florida State. Hunter had been committed to the Seminoles since early in 2020, spending over 18 months as an FSU commit before flipping to Sanders and Jackson State in one of the most incredible moments in National Signing Day history.
