CFB: National Signing Day Report
National Signing Day was on February 8th, and has came and went. With the addition of the early signing period, there isn't as much excitement surrounding NSD, but it's still a big day for the future of college football. At the end of the day, the Alabama Crimson Tide are at the top of the 247 Sports team rankings, followed by the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns. There are five SEC teams in the top 10 with Texas A&M (4th), LSU (5th), and Florida (9th), following Alabama and Georgia. Other notable programs at the top of the rankings are Oklahoma, Oregon, Michigan, and Clemson. The Wolverines finished the winter with two five-star and 14 four-star recruits. Some of the players heading to Ann Arbor include Daxton Hill, Chris Hinton, Cornelius Johnson, Jordan Castleberry, and Caden Kolesar.
Castleberry explained why he chose the Maize and Blue: "Michigan has always been my dream school considering the great tradition it holds. I was attracted to the many great running backs that came through Michigan. When I was younger I viewed myself as them. And it is truly the best feeling knowing I will be continuing that dream." Castleberry is a 5'8" running back out of St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. He would later go on to add that he feels his best on-field attributes are his great vision, fast cuts, and explosion through holes. "In the future I hope to look back at a very productive piece in the Michigan football program. To benefit the team in any way shape or form, I want to say to myself that I gave it my all," he said.
Kolesar spoke on the ups and downs of the recruiting process: "My favorite thing about the recruiting process was meeting players and coaches and making relationships. There are a lot of great people out there in the college football world. The tough part about recruiting is that if you're not a four or five-star, then sometimes you get forgotten about or treated as lesser." Kolesar continued by saying he chose Michigan because they are the best of both worlds, in terms of academics and athletics. "I want the team to be successful and I want the class of 2023 to really leave a mark and be remembered in Michigan football history. I want to look back and know that we either achieved all of our goals, or gave it everything in order to achieve them," he explained.
As for other programs, like Eastern Michigan, there is still a lot of intrigue regarding National Signing Day. The Eagles finished with the 11th best recruiting class in the MAC, according to 247 Sports, but a trio of recruits believe the team has the potential to earn a second consecutive trip to a bowl game. Eastern Michigan was much improved last year, as they finished tied for second place in the division and upset Purdue, 20-19, on the road on September 8th. "I want to be a key contributor in bringing this program to its highest level," Noah Cameron said. Meanwhile, Tommy Wright-Hodges, a defensive lineman, explained: "I feel that we need to just keep working to get at a conference title. Last season was a good season and I feel it can only get better if we keep working with everyone we have."
Unfortunately, it's not always easy to be a recruit. Kolesar, an athlete from Ohio, said "My recruiting process took really long, it ended in December of my senior year, so it was a lot of anxiety. My tip to any future recruits is to just know that you can only control what you can control and that is how you work and how you play." It's often a tough decision for recruits to choose the school they'll be attending, and it's one of the biggest of their lives. Christopher Kaminski, who is heading to Eastern Michigan as a quarterback out of South Lyon, Michigan, put it all into perspective: "After my experience at EMU is over I want to look back and see growth. From freshman to senior year I want to say that I’ve grown and become a better man that is prepared for life ahead."
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.
