A few significant names came off the board and are headed to opposite coasts after fifth hour of signing day.
USC picked up two huge pieces of its 2017 recruiting class just a few minutes apart, as ESPN 300 offensive tackle Austin Jackson and ESPN 300 defensive tackle Jay Tufele announced their commitments. Jackson is the nation’s No. 54 overall prospect and selected USC over hometown Arizona State and Washington. Tufele is the No. 1 prospect in Utah and the nation’s No. 119 overall recruit. He will team with recent USC signee Marlon Tuipulotu, the No. 1 prospect in Oregon, to give USC an immediate influx of talent at defensive tackle, where there is immediate playing time available.
Florida continued its strong signing day as the Gators landed former Miami commitment and ESPN 300 athlete Christopher Henderson. The nation’s No. 131 prospect joined ESPN 300 offensive tackle Tedarrell Slaton in selecting the Gators on Wednesday, and that duo now makes up two of the top three prospects in this Florida class. Henderson selected Florida over offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Tennessee.
LSU landed its third ESPN 300 prospect of the day, but this was the biggest one, as the Tigers went into Texas and pulled No. 34 overall prospect and No. 4 defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson away from the hometown Longhorns. Chaisson is the lone ESPN 300 defensive end in the class for LSU now and gives the Tigers ESPN 300 commitments at all three levels of the defense on Wednesday, with linebacker Tyler Taylor and safety Todd Harris announcing their commitments earlier in the day.
Line help for Irish: Notre Dame needed additions along the defensive line in this class and found an intriguing prospect in three-star defensive tackle Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa. The high three-star prospect is a big get for the Fighting Irish, which entered the day with just two commitments along the defensive line in tackle Kurt Hinish and end Jonathon MacCollister.
Running backs finding homes: Three of the highest-ranked running backs left on the board landed with teams on signing day. Recent Auburn decommitment Octavius Matthews, the nation’s No. 1 junior college running back, signed with Kansas, while Bentavious Thompson signed with UCF and Michael Warren is headed to Cincinnati. Thompson and Warren are three-star prospects.
Ole Miss continues to add prospects: The Rebels added several prospects to their class on Wednesday, including four-star wide receiver Kam'ron White. The former Iowa State commit is a big in-state addition for the Rebels, which will add White to ESPN 300 wide receiver D.D. Bowie, another in-state pickup.