The NCAA doesn’t actually call it National Signing Day anymore because it isn’t just one day. College football’s modern version of this annual rite of passage, conducted mostly by fax machine not long ago, is the early signing period. And it begins Wednesday.
This is when most of the best high school football recruits in the country will make their college choice official.
The dynamic, of course, changed in recent years with the huge emphasis placed on the transfer portal and the introduction of name, image and likeness benefits for players. But there’s an excitement to the end of another recruiting cycle, with commitments and recruiting flips serving as another method to take stock of where programs stand as the College Football Playoff and college football’s offseason calendar collide.
There’s a slew of top prospects set to announce decisions on Wednesday, as well as potential movement by top prospects who re-opened their recruitment late this year. Here’s what to know about the start of the early signing period in college football:
When is early national signing day?
There is not a singular National Signing Day in college football anymore. The three-day early signing period will run from Wednesday, Dec. 4 through Friday, Dec. 6, one day before the Power Four conferences hold their league championship games.
It’s more than two weeks earlier this year when compared to 2023. There had been widespread criticism from college coaches about how condensed the sport’s calendar had become with the early signing period, the opening of the transfer portal, and bowl prep occurring simultaneously in December.
College football recruiting dates 2024-25
Here’s a look at the key college football recruiting dates for the 2024-2025 offseason:
Early Signing Period: Wednesday, Dec. 4 through Friday, Dec. 6
Transfer Portal: Opens Monday, Dec. 9, closes Saturday, Dec. 28
Traditional Signing Period: Wednesday, Feb. 5 through Tuesday, April 1.
Top 2025 football recruits: Undecided players
Here’s a look at some of the top 2025 uncommitted football prospects planning to announce their college plans during the early signing period, according to 247 Sports and Rivals.
*Star ratings based on 247 Sports Composite rankings
5-star DL Justus Terry (Manchester, Georgia): Georgia, Alabama and Auburn are among top choices.
5-star DL Jahkeem Stewart (New Orleans): USC, Oregon, LSU and Ohio State are among top choices.
4-star LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (Manassas, Virginia): Michigan and Colorado are among top choices.
4-star LB Madden Faraimo (San Juan Capistrano, California): Considering USC, Notre Dame, Texas, Washington and Ohio State
4-star DL Isaiah Campbell (Durham, North Carolina): Tennessee and North Carolina are among top choices
4-star DL Javion Hilson (Cocoa, Florida): Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, Syracuse and Pitt among top choices
4-star ATH Michael Terry III (San Antonio): Texas, Oregon and Nebraska are among top choices.
4-star RB Anthony Rogers (Montgomery, Alabama): Georgia, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Auburn among top choices
4-star WR Donovan Murph (Columbia, South Carolina): South Carolina and Clemson are among top choices
Top recruits who could flip
*Star ratings based on 247 Sports Composite rankings
5-star OL Michael Carroll (Doylestown, Pennsylvania): Alabama commit. Also considering Colorado.
5-star OL David Sanders (Charlotte, North Carolina): Tennessee commit. Also considering Ohio State.
5-star OL Solomon Thomas (Jacksonville, Florida): Florida State commit. Also considering LSU and Florida.
4-star TE Linkon Cure (Goodland, Kansas): Kansas State commit. Also considering Oregon.
4-star LB Tavion Wallace (Baxley, Georgia): Arkansas commit. Also considering Georgia and Florida State.
College football recruiting rankings
*247 Sports’ 2025 team rankings as of Dec. 3
Georgia
Alabama
Ohio State
Texas
Auburn
Oregon
Michigan
LSU
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Florida
Notre Dame
Miami
Oklahoma
Mississippi