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National signing day winners and losers

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OT Wright picks Tennessee (1:20)

Darnell Wright, the No. 5 player in the ESPN 300 rankings, announces his decision to play for the Volunteers. (1:20)

The February signing day has come and gone. With only 40 unsigned ESPN 300 prospects coming into the day, there wasn't going to be a lot of movement, but the few decisions that were made carried weight.

We saw ESPN 300 prospects flip, five-stars sign and a few decommitments along the way.

While most programs had the majority of their classes wrapped up from the early signing period, some were active on Wednesday. Here is a look at the winners from this signing day and a few teams that didn't fare as well.

Winners

Alabama

The Crimson Tide finished signing day with 24 ESPN 300 commitments, which is a record for ESPN 300 commits in one class. It's incredible to think Nick Saban is recruiting at an even higher level than he has in the past.

The Tide lost two commitments on signing day in ESPN 300 defensive end Khris Bogle and ESPN 300 defensive back Christian Williams, but the staff made up for it by landing ESPN 300 defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher. Alabama was able to pull Sopsher, the No. 39-ranked recruit, away from LSU and now has eight ESPN 300 defensive line commits in the class.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, the top two commits in the class are offensive tackles Evan Neal and Pierce Quick, both five-star recruits. It was a little up and down for the Tide on signing day, but in terms of the overall class, this is not just the No. 1-ranked class. This is one of the best we've ever seen.

Tennessee

The Vols had an outstanding day on Wednesday, pulling in commitments from ESPN 300 linebacker Henry To'oto'o and five-star offensive lineman Darnell Wright. Both prospects had Alabama on their top lists but chose the Vols.

It says a lot about where this program is headed that coach Jeremy Pruitt could pull recruits away from the Crimson Tide. Wright's commitment, along with that of five-star offensive line signee Wanya Morris, means Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama are the only three programs to have signed multiple five-star commitments in this class.

Pruitt and his coaches now have 11 ESPN 300 commitments and addressed some major needs in the class.

Florida

From where Florida finished the early signing period to where the Gators finished February signing day is a complete difference. Florida was ranked No. 16 overall after December signing day and had questions about who would fill in the rest of the class.

On Wednesday, Florida landed Bogle and ESPN 300 athlete Kaiir Elam, which allowed the Gators to move up to No. 9 overall.

Elam, at No. 59 overall, is the highest ranked recruit in the class, followed by tight end Keon Zipperer and wide receiver Arjei Henderson.

January and February were good to Florida, and there is a sense of optimism about what could happen in the 2020 recruiting class and beyond.

Ole Miss

The Rebels were able to secure a commitment from ESPN 300 running back Jerrion Ealy, the No. 19 prospect overall, on signing day. Ealy decommitted from Ole Miss in the beginning of January, only to recommit on Wednesday.

The staff also landed ESPN 300 quarterback John Rhys Plumlee earlier in the week, pushing its signee list to six ESPN 300 commitments and five ESPN JC 50 commitments, including the No. 1 ranked juco linebacker, Lakia Henry.

Coming off sanctions and moving forward from the past has been a big part of Ole Miss' success, and it showed in the 2019 class.

Nebraska

The Cornhuskers moved all the way up to the No. 18 class in the country and have put together another excellent recruiting class to add to what coach Scott Frost brought in last cycle.

Wide receiver Demariyon Houston, a four-star prospect from Oklahoma, jumped on board Wednesday. He joins ESPN 300 all-purpose back Wandale Robinson, four-star running backs Rahmir Johnson and Ronald Thompkins, and ESPN 300 quarterback Luke McCaffrey. All of these skill players should only add to an offense that already has shown flashes of speed and athleticism.

This signing day for Frost and his staff could be a catalyst for future recruiting success.


Losers

Florida State

The Seminoles have the 19th-ranked class, which is down from No. 17 the day before signing day. Those numbers might not tell the whole picture, though, as Florida State did not land a quarterback recruit for the second year in a row.

Willie Taggart and his staff had ESPN 300 quarterback Sam Howell committed, but Howell flipped to North Carolina in the early signing period.

Florida State targeted a few other quarterbacks, including John Rhys Plumlee and Lance Legendre, but didn't come up with any of them. Plumlee signed with Ole Miss and Legendre with Maryland, which left Florida State without a quarterback signee two years in a row.

Couple that with the fact that starter Deondre Francois was recently dismissed from the team, and depth is thin at quarterback going forward.

UCLA

The Bruins started the day ranked outside the top 50 in the Class Rankings, and they finished the day outside the top 50. The staff has 19 prospects signed, and only one is ranked in the ESPN 300, offensive lineman Sean Rhyan. In fact, Rhyan is the only four-star committed in the class.

The number of highly sought after prospects from the state of California who signed with schools outside California is astonishing. Of the 33 ESPN 300 recruits in California, 24 signed with schools outside the state.

The Bruins need to add talent to compete, and the jury is out on whether this class will do it.