There were only 14 uncommitted ESPN 300 recruits coming into the February signing period, but there was still a lot that happened on Wednesday.
Three five-star college football recruits announced their commitments, and flips and surprise commitments were all part of the first day of the signing period. Even with a smaller quantity of recruits on the board, there was still plenty of intrigue throughout the day.
Here is a look at the winners, who added to their recruiting classes to finish off the 2022 cycle and some of the best moments from the day. This list is taking into consideration just the movement from Wednesday, not the totality of the recruiting classes overall.
Texas A&M
The Aggies' defensive line haul was already incredible with two five-star defensive tackles, an ESPN 300 defensive tackle and two ESPN 300 defensive ends. The staff added to that on Wednesday when five-star defensive end Shemar Stewart committed to the Aggies.
He's the No. 6 prospect overall and gave Texas A&M four five-star commitments in the class. Jimbo Fisher and his staff now have three defensive linemen joining his roster ranked in the top six overall and some instant-impact recruits to help their defense.
Stewart chose Texas A&M over Georgia and Miami, adding to the Aggies' No. 1-ranked class. He also brought cupcakes that were frosted together to form one cake, which is a classy touch to any commitment ceremony.
Texas A&M also added ESPN 300 safety Jacoby Mathews, who chose the Aggies over LSU and Florida. He's the No. 51 prospect and the No. 3 safety overall, which means Texas A&M has the Nos. 2 and 3 safeties in the class with Mathews and Bryce Anderson.
There wasn't enough left on the table for any other program to catch the Aggies as the coaches easily took the top spot in this cycle.
'Sliced Bread' leading to coaching beef
This gets a separate category from the Texas A&M section, because Fisher went off at his news conference about the allegations his staff has been throwing around money at recruits.
The allegations are strange in itself, because name, image and likeness deals are legal and teams are using them across the country to get players paid. NIL deals aren't supposed to be used to entice recruits during the process, but telling an 18-year-old kid he can make money is naturally going to be a recruiting pitch.
That's our coach. 😤#GigEm pic.twitter.com/xF8HeMHnSV
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) February 2, 2022
In his news conference, Fisher said the rumors about millions in NIL deals started on BroBible by someone named Sliced Bread.
That an anonymous BroBible user named Sliced Bread was mentioned at a news conference is reason to celebrate enough. But Fisher went off about coaches in the league using it against the Aggies and complaining how NIL deals are factoring in, referring to Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin among other coaches, that have tweeted about Texas A&M and the reports of enormous deals for its recruits.
Fisher called the coaches and Kiffin "clown acts" and said the hypocrisy is ridiculous. He then moved into a quasi-threat, saying he knows how other coaches recruit and they don't want to go down that avenue with him.
In bolstering the No. 1-ranked recruiting class with another five-star on signing day, Fisher gets the last laugh calling people clowns and completely taking away all the credibility Sliced Bread had in its report.
LSU
The Tigers missed on a few prospects early on in the day, but Brian Kelly and his staff closed strong by adding five-star linebacker Harold Perkins. He's the No. 4 prospect overall and the No. 1 outside linebacker in the class.
Perkins committed to Texas A&M in the beginning of January, only to decommit on Jan. 24, then took visits to Florida and LSU. The Tigers got the last visit and made a big impression, ultimately winning out in his recruitment.
Kelly and his staff also got a commitment from three-star cornerback Jaelyn Davis-Robinson on Wednesday, adding to the secondary that has been restocked through the portal.
While LSU didn't get targets Danny Lewis or TreVonte' Citizen, it's a big feat for a new coach to get the No. 4 prospect overall.
Not having to dance to win over recruits
Three-star Danny Lewis made noise this past week when he tweeted out a video of Kelly and himself dancing in a photo op while on a visit to LSU.
Lewis is positioned in LSU's video studio for recruits with a rotating camera that revolves 360 degrees around the prospect to create a unique video. Kelly decided to jump into the photo shoot with Lewis and the two danced while the camera rolled.
Danced is a term we'll use loosely here, as Kelly channeled his inner John Travolta in "Pulp Fiction."
"the intro"@LSUfootball 🐯 @MikeDenbrock @iRecruitDaBoot @CoachJoeSloan pic.twitter.com/arBdKMnIqO
— Danny Lewis Jr. (@DannyLewis2022) January 28, 2022
The video got 8.8 million views and went viral quickly for the stunt. If it was going to help LSU land a recruit, then maybe it was worth it.
Another video then went viral of Kelly learning how to do the "Griddy," the touchdown celebration dance made popular by former LSU receiver Justin Jefferson.
The dance was a bold move, but it didn't pay off, as Lewis committed to Alabama on Wednesday. He posted a commitment video in Alabama's video studio, but Nick Saban was not featured.
Texas
The Longhorns had already put together an excellent offensive line class heading into Wednesday, with tackle Kelvin Banks (the No. 32 recruit overall), Neto Umeozulu (No. 53) and Cameron Williams (No. 283).
The staff added to that haul with five-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell. He chose Texas over Oklahoma and gives the coaches four ESPN 300 offensive line commits.
Campbell is the No. 9 prospect overall and could make an impact early on for the Longhorns.
Georgia
The Dawgs started the day with the No. 3 class and only a few spots remaining to finish out the cycle. Georgia was listed in the final group for Stewart, and though Kirby Smart and his staff didn't land him, they put together a haul of four ESPN 300 defensive line commits.
They got a commitment from ESPN 300 defensive tackle Christen Miller, the No. 139 recruit, out of Ellenwood, Georgia. The coaches also added three-star linebacker E.J. Lightsey to the defensive side.
In addition to those two commitments, Georgia added to the offense, as well, with four-star running back Andrew Paul. He chose Georgia over Clemson and Michigan and was a needed addition after ESPN 300 running back Jordan James flipped from the Dawgs to Oregon.
Oregon
Speaking of the Ducks, James flipped to Dan Lanning and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham on Wednesday. James is a 5-foot-10, 200-pound back from Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and is the No. 202 prospect overall.
He is the only running back in the class and a welcomed addition after the staff saw Travis Dye transfer to USC. Dye led the team in rushing with 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns, and quarterback Anthony Brown was second on the team in rush yards and rush touchdowns.
Brown has graduated and departed the team, as well, so James will have an opportunity to play early.
In addition to James, Oregon added ESPN 300 offensive lineman Dave Iuli to the class. He's the No. 163 prospect overall and the No. 4 guard in the class.
The coaches were also able to get a commitment from four-star linebacker Emar'rion Winston out of Portland, Oregon. He's a 6-foot-3, 235-pound outside linebacker and joins ESPN 300 linebackers Devon Jackson and Harrison Taggart in the class.
Miami
The Hurricanes have a new staff with Mario Cristobal as the head coach and only announced a new defensive coordinator this week. But that didn't stop the coaches from finishing out the recruiting cycle on a high note.
ESPN 300 running back TreVonte' Citizen was considering Auburn, Florida, LSU and Miami, and announced his commitment to the Hurricanes on Wednesday. Out of Lake Charles, Louisiana, he's the No. 144 prospect overall and the No. 11 running back.
That in itself was a big get for Cristobal and his staff, and they also added three-star defensive lineman Ahmad Moten out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and three-star offensive lineman Anez Cooper out of Alabama.
Cristobal finishes the recruiting cycle with 10 ESPN 300 commitments, with cornerback Khamauri Rogers leading the way.
Oklahoma
The Sooners have added quite a few pieces in the transfer portal to help fill voids, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel, defensive lineman Jonah Laulu and a few others.
The new staff, led by Brent Venables, has done a nice job in recruiting, as well, with the limited time they have been given. On Wednesday, Venables landed a commitment from four-star wide receiver Jamarrien Burt, who had been committed to Florida at one point in the process.
The Sooners also got a commitment from ESPN 300 defensive lineman Gracen Halton, the No. 264 prospect overall. In addition to Halton, Oklahoma got three-star defensive end R. Mason Thomas to commit as well.
Venables was able to keep ESPN 300 athlete Gentry Williams in the class after other programs recruited him down the stretch.
Clemson
The Tigers closed out their class by adding ESPN 300 defensive end Caden Story out of Lanett, Alabama. Story is the No. 257 prospect overall.
Surprisingly, Story is the only ESPN 300 defensive line commit in the class for Clemson, in what ended up being a smaller class overall. The staff has good quality, however, especially in quarterback Cade Klubnik, who is the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the class.
In addition to Story, Clemson added four-star linebacker T.J. Dudley from Montgomery, Alabama, and unranked running back Keith Adams Jr. It wasn't a huge day, but considering what was left, the Tigers closed strong.
In addition to the commitments the staff added, Clemson also used some, well, unique graphics to announce the signings. Whether or not the Tigers intended to look like 1980s glamour shots isn't known, but they are missing some wolves, cats, moons and stars.
Another Clemson kid joining the family! @batt_griffin pic.twitter.com/TiM3URgmZb
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) February 2, 2022
Nebraska
The Huskers have done a good job filling voids in the transfer portal, but there were still some holes on the roster. The staff needs playmakers on offense and got a few on Wednesday.
Four-star wide receiver Janiran Bonner flipped his commitment from Georgia Tech to the Huskers. He's a 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver who missed most of his junior season to injury. Despite missing that time, he still had some big offers and is now adding to the competition in the receiver room.
The Nebraska staff flipped another recruit on Wednesday with three-star running back Ajay Allen, who had been committed to TCU. With Bonner and Allen in the class, the staff now has three receivers and three running backs to help bolster the roster.