No Buzz for Oregon on National Signing Day

Like many of my OG’s that have followed me for the last decade plus, I woke up nearly forgetting today was actually signing day. Now with the adoption of the early signing period in December, today is nearly an afterthought for most.

There once was a time, not that long ago however that setting an early alarm for today was required. The anticipation of the days leading up to today. Sources creeping out of the woodworks with hearing the latest on top targets and potential flips from uncles and cousins that suddenly knew someone that knew someone.

National signing day led to some of the biggest moments in Oregon recruiting history. Nobody forgets the time Oregon pulled off one of the biggest recruiting stunners ever flipping long-time USC commit DeAnthony Thomas. It remains one of the biggest recruiting wins in Oregon history and really was a signal of things to come. That move opened the door for Oregon to begin chipping away at the top talent in Southern California Pete Carroll had dominated at USC with. Prior to that flip, Carroll offered and picked who he wanted out of not only California but the Western region.

What might end up being one of the last real big signing day surprises for Oregon will be Lanning’s first class at Oregon. The Ducks hired Dan Lanning in December of 2021 after Mario Cristobal left for the Miami job. The timing left a lot of Oregon’s commits in flux and ultimately forced Lanning’s hand. Yes the transfer portal was open for business but in its infancy. And most not knowing exactly how to utilize the portal effectively.

Our first glimpse into what Lanning could do on the recruiting trail was in that 2022 class with Oregon landing highly coveted offensive lineman Josh Conerly. Once again Oregon found themselves battling USC whom many thought was the heavy favorite. However Lanning and his staff were able to close this deal. Albeit, it was after the February signing day, it was still a landmark win and gave Duck fans some buzz late in the cycle.

The reality in today’s college football is, if you are counting on the February signing day, you are likely in trouble. You either failed miserably at recruiting or you experienced a late cycle coaching change. But if that’s the case and you need to find recruits for your program in January, you will be largely living in the transfer portal as most of the top talent will have already signed elsewhere.

Like the fax machine used to send in letters of intent, the February signing day has ultimately come and gone. It’s not being aired on ESPN, it’s not dominating social media or the message boards. I didn’t have to spend 2 days prepping stories for today knowing I was in for a marathon of news. We aren’t even all prepping to be at signing day events all over the state with coaches and players in attendance as the lone event is the Portland event at Nike.

No, instead we are barely acknowledging its existence and moving on with our days as usual. No need to take the day off from work or fake being sick so you can stay home and watch the chaos. Just a day for some of us old (er) generation folk to remember some of the best and worst moments of what used to be a banner day in college football.

RIP (February) National Signing Day