College football’s early signing period opened Wednesday with a flurry of commitments, flips and other notable recruiting developments. None were bigger than No. 1 overall prospect Jeremiah Smith re-affirming his pledge to Ohio State and cementing his status as the Buckeyes’ class headliner as one of the most highly-touted players to ever emerge from the state of Florida.
While Smith stole the show, he was just one of countless high-upside prospects to emerge from the recruiting hotbed that is the Sunshine State during the 2024 cycle. Florida boasts 27 prospects ranked inside the Top247, including a quartet of five-star standouts. Many of them committed to or signed with in-state schools, but as extremely highly sought-after players, hordes of other recruits are set to join College Football Playoff-contending rosters across the country.
National Signing Day is not the only opportunity to sign a National Letter of Intent, though, and many prospects will make their college destinations official later in the signing period (through Friday) or during February’s window.
Miami bolstered its defensive front with a pair of top-25 in-state standouts in Artavius Jones and Adarius Hayes. The Hurricanes ranked inside the national top 20 in sacks and tackles for loss this season and appear to be getting even stronger up front as each year of the Mario Cristobal era passes. Adding more Top247 talent to that unit could go a long way in keeping Miami poised for a potential breakthrough season.
Most of Florida’s top talent remained in-state, but one promising defensive back is set for a move up the coast to Penn State. Jon Mitchell is a speedy cornerback who could play all over the Nittany Lions’ secondary and picked James Franklin’s squad over offers from a handful of premier Southeast destinations including Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Miami and others. He could eventually become a solid replacement for likely NFL-bound corner Kalen King.
The Florida State secondary is about to receive a major influx of talent. Jamari Howard is one of three highly touted in-state cornerbacks to sign with the Seminoles, who had the nation’s No. 7 pass defense during the regular season, allowing just 170.4 yards per game. Howard is a lengthy corner with a tremendous ability to get hands in the passing lanes, exemplified by the 44 pass breakups he logged during the 2021 season.
Jerrick Gibson became the first signee of Texas’ 2024 class Wednesday morning, and his addition continues the Longhorns’ tradition of landing the nation’s top ballcarriers. One year after securing the No. 1 running back in the country in CJ Baxter, Texas signed this cycle’s No. 2 prospect in Gibson. The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout boasts a supreme combination of power and speed and could thrive as a workhorse back at Texas over the years to come.
Charles Lester III wrapped up his recruitment over the summer, committing to Mike Norvell and the Seminoles July 28 over a group of finalists that also included Alabama, Colorado and Georgia. The defensive back told Noles247 during the season that he plans to arrive in Tallahassee in January as an early enrollee. Across 14 games upon transferring to Venice (Fla.) High, Lester intercepted three passes, broke up seven more, blocked a field goal and made 50 total tackles. He also caught three touchdown passes in a limited wide receiver role.
During his senior season at Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep, Zaquan Patterson finished with 49 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, seven interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a forced fumble. Over the course of his high school career, Patterson also blocked two field goals and seven punts, making him one of the most dangerous special team players in the country. The hard-hitting safety has playmaking ability in every level of the defense and could make an early impact for the Hurricanes after joining the program ahead of spring practices.
The nation’s top interior lineman is set to move from the East Coast to the West Coast and join Lincoln Riley at USC. Jason Zandamela is the No. 1 player in the Trojans’ 2024 haul and committed to the program in June, giving them a potential early-impact player in the middle of their offensive line. The Mozambique native, who was a longtime rugby player before moving to Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International for football, never wavered from his USC pledge and told USCFootball.com earlier this month he fully intends on winning the starting center job.
