Signing Day Grades: Colorado, Oregon, Alabama, Texas shine bright

Twice each year, college football finds a need to dust off the fax machines as recruits across the country send their signatures in to programs with high hopes of making a big impact. Some exceed such expectations, others fail to come close to them.

On National Signing Day, however, every single one of them represents another dose of excitement, as pen meets paper and the next wave of players officially land with one school or another. As the traditional date to sign on the first Wednesday in February wraps up, which schools did the best with their incoming crop of recruits, and which still left a little out on the table?

Here are a few grades for key teams around FBS as the Class of 2023 comes to a close:

[National Signing Day Tracker]

Oregon: A+

Dan Lanning was brought to Eugene in part because of the emphasis he places on recruiting, and his first full class as head coach confirms what a job he’s done on the trail. In the early signing period, the Ducks beat out USC/Ohio State for five-star pass rusher Matayo Uiagalelei, brought in Bo Nix’s successor in four-star QB Austin Novosad out of Texas and inked five-star pass-catcher Jurrion Dickey, among others. They continued cleaning up on Wednesday with the signature of CB Rodrick Pleasant, capping off a top-10 class that infuses tons of talented players onto an already good roster for next year.

Colorado: A+

The Coach Prime era is off to a fantastic start with a roster overhaul that appears unlike anything we’ve seen. Over 40 players are set to arrive in Boulder before the start of next season and the signing of five-star CB Cormani McClain to pair with recent No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter is a coup in itself. The staff didn’t stop there, though, getting four-star RB Dylan Edwards to flip from Notre Dame in the early window before landing impact transfers like ex-Alabama LB Demouy Kennedy in February.

Alabama: A+

After suffering through a disappointing 2022 campaign and complaining about the state of recruiting in the NIL era, all Nick Saban did was go out and reaffirm that he is the greatest, signing the No. 1 class with a whopping nine five-stars (nearly as many as Georgia and Texas combined). That includes a pair of edge rushers in Qua Russaw and Keon Keeley, a much-needed impact receiver in Jalen Hale and two quarterbacks to be a part of the Bryce Young succession plan. The majority of the group is already on campus after enrolling early, but the Crimson Tide still went out on Wednesday to confirm their death grip on the top spot in the team rankings for the 10th time in 13 years.

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Texas: A+

This was shaping up to be a tenure-defining class for Steve Sarkisian, and he wound up delivering in a big way. The headliner is obviously No. 1 overall player Arch Manning, who has already settled into life in Austin, but he’s joined by other five-stars like tailback Cedric Baxter Jr. and wideout Johntay Cook II. Throw in key transfers like Georgia WR Adonai Mitchell, outbattling fellow recruiting powers for edge rusher Tausili Akana and local four-star athlete Jelani McDonald, and the Longhorns have a chance to ascend to the top of the Big 12 one more time before the exit to the SEC becomes official.

Georgia: A

The back-to-back national champs had, all things considered, a quiet set of signing days. Still, Kirby Smart continued to keep things going in Athens with a consensus No. 2 class that fills a lot of needs for a roster that returns tons of production as they aim for a three-peat in 2023. Five-star defenders like Damon Wilson out of Florida and Raylen Wilson should be the next in line on the NFL assembly line that is the Dawgs’ defense, while a number of talented offensive linemen like Bo Hughley and Monroe Feeling will help protect whoever takes over for Stetson Bennett under center. They added five-star CB Ellis Robinson IV out of IMG Academy on Wednesday, but it was otherwise ho-hum for the gold standard in the sport.

Penn State: B+

James Franklin is bringing back a ton for 2023 and has the Nittany Lions' sights set on another Big Ten title. That may have limited the team a little bit when it comes to sheer numbers, but they still landed a top-15 class with incredible geographic diversity. That includes four-star OL Alex Birchmeier out of Virginia, Florida safety Elliott Washington, four-star corner Zion Tracy out of Connecticut, and four-star safety DaKarri Nelson out of Alabama. Throw in the top in-state player (offensive tackle J’Ven Williams) and it was a very good bounce-back effort for PSU on the recruiting trail this cycle.

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Nebraska: B+

Matt Rhule has a tall task in turning around the Cornhuskers, but he seems to be wasting no time in turning over a flawed roster. Just shy of half the scholarship roster is set to arrive in Lincoln out of this class between nearly 30 high school signees and a dozen transfers. QB Jeff Sims from Georgia Tech is an excellent building block to start with, but the diversity of four- and three-stars from states like Colorado, California, Florida, New Jersey and Texas is quite impressive for a new staff that has spent much of the past few years in the NFL.

Arizona State: B+

Kenny Dillingham has brought much-needed energy to the Valley and to the recruiting trail, bringing in basically a normal full class of transfers (approaching 25) and a full class of high school signees (moving past 20). The biggest get was undoubtedly the most talked-about recruit of the past six weeks in QB Jaden Rashada. The four-star not only gives the team a QB of the future but a lot of momentum, too. Seventeen players arriving from other Power 5 programs should also help the turnaround after bottoming out last season.

USC: B+

While it’s not quite the top-five class that everybody thought it would be, Lincoln Riley’s first full recruiting effort is still a top-10 group with a number of impressive playmakers (as it turns out, playing with the Heisman Trophy winner is attractive). Five-star Zachariah Branch is considered by most to be the top prep receiver in the country, and Malachai Nelson seems to be Caleb Williams’ heir apparent. In addition to notching some key transfers like Texas A&M defensive lineman Anthony Lucas, Riley signed highly regarded TE Walker Lyons and four-star WR Ja’Kobi Lane on Wednesday, adding to a deep group for the Trojans.

TCU: B

Despite a tough ending to the season a few weeks ago, the Horned Frogs seem to be doing well on the trail, with a slight bounce from their run to the national title game. Sonny Dykes has assembled top-25 classes in both the high school ranks and via the transfer portal, highlighted by the likes of four-star wideout Cordale Russell, the top JUCO player in the country in corner Channing Canada, plus former five-stars from Alabama in RB Trey Sanders and OT Tommy Brockermeyer. Given that you typically don’t really see the fruits of a great season until the following year, TCU is off to a pretty impressive start in elevating its recruiting ceiling.

Ohio State: B

It speaks to expectations in Columbus that a top-five class is considered rather pedestrian and slightly below what was hoped for with the class of 2023. Though the Buckeyes did miss out on a handful of their top targets, they still landed five-star Brandon Inniss as the latest addition to WRU, plus two other top-10 prospects at the position. The defense got reloaded with a pair of top corners like Jermaine Matthews and Calvin Simpson-Hunt, plus a much-needed reinforcement in the trenches in four-star offensive lineman Luke Montgomery. It’s not quite the flashy group of past years, but something says Ryan Day & Co. will be thrilled with the production once everybody gets on campus and contributing.

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UCLA: B-

Chip Kelly marches to a different beat when it comes to recruiting, with one of the bigger dichotomies in terms of what he values compared to what analysts might think. Still, the ability to flip five-star QB Dante Moore from Oregon was a massive move as the team transitions into the Big Ten, and four-star receivers like Jeremiah McClure and Grant Gray help fill out a speedy group on the outside. The transfer portal was used liberally, too, with star MAC tailback Carson Steele heading west and underrated receiver J. Michael Sturdivant going from Berkeley to Westwood.

Michigan: B-

Jim Harbaugh’s second straight offseason flirting with the NFL seems to have once again hampered the Wolverines’ recruiting ever so slightly. That’s not to say things are bad by any stretch, just that things could have been significantly better had there been more clarity around the program's leadership. Four-star offensive lineman Amir Herring and defensive lineman Enow Etta highlight the additions out of the high school class, while ex-Indiana TE AJ Barner, Stanford OL Drake Nugent and Coastal Carolina edge rusher Josaiah Stewart are among the transfers who could have an immediate impact for a still-loaded group aiming for a third straight Big Ten title.

Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.

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