Florida high school football recruiting: Biggest winners from the early signing period

The first and busiest day of the early signing period is in the books.

In typical signing day fashion, Wednesday had a little bit of everything.

It had drama, primarily in the form of Jeremiah Smith waiting almost 10 hours to send his signed paperwork to Ohio State and Mainland defensive lineman/edge rusher LJ McCray not signing with Florida during his school's ceremony but delaying until later in the day.

It had twists and turns with players such as Armondo Blount, Adarius Hayes and Izaiah Williams flipping from their commitments on signing day.

It also had an all-time troll job by Venice cornerback Charles Lester faking he would delay his signing only for Florida State to announce his signing a few minutes later with the words, "Never a doubt."

Florida signing day live updates: Jeremiah Smith sends NLI to Ohio State

Florida high school football: Drafting dream teams from the state's top senior recruits

USA Today Top 100: Who are the top rising senior football recruits in Florida?

State of Florida Recruiting H.Q. hosts Jon Santucci and Chris Boyle discussed what schools had the best day and some of their favorite moments from Wednesday.

Which in-state school had the best day?

Boyle: It has to be Miami. They flipped Armondo Blount and Adarius Hayes. They didn't do it today, but they flipped Jordan Lyle, too. I don't think there was anyone more active for upper-echelon talent. Miami was far and away best team today. USF finalizing a Rodney Hill flip from Tulane was pretty impressive, too.

Santucci: Miami had the best close of the in-state schools, which is interesting considering they lost Kendall Jackson and Kevin Riley down the stretch. But when you flip one of the state's premier edge rushers and one of the two elite linebackers in Florida, you had a good day. And, as always, some of this is perception and the perception is that Miami is trending the right way while a program like Florida may not be.

Which out-of-state school had the best day?

Boyle: Texas A&M. They flipped Izaiah Williams from Florida and got one of the best available players in Solomon Williams. Kendall Jackson is a player they got Tuesday. They had the best close and Sean Spencer, I think, had a big role to play in getting Kendall Jackson away From Miami. Georgia Tech with Anthony Carrie, Nebraska and West Virginia flipping DayDay Farmer was big, too.

Santucci: I'm going to go with Nebraska. I think for them to come out of Wednesday with five guys from South Florida is really, really good. I really like Larry Tarver, who the Huskers flipped from Maryland. I think he could make an early impact. Vincent Shavers was a longtime Miami commit. Jacory Barney and Willis McGahee were guys Nebraska held on to. This was a good day for them. Ohio State has to get a mention, too. It took a while, but they landed Smith. He's the best recruit I've seen. That's a win.

Which Group of Five school had the best day?

Boyle: USF. I love the Rodney Hill move. Not only do they get a player I think is one of the best linebackers in the state, but they do it at the expense of one of their biggest rivals in Tulane. The way they were able to stack players late in the cycle was pretty impressive. Jonathan Echols, Arkese Parks. They did more on the high school front this year than they had in the last handful of years combined.

Santucci: You took USF, so I'll say Western Michigan. They closed really well, especially getting Carlos Mitchell and Jameson Young from Lakeland. Mitchell is a guy who I feel will make plays on either side of the ball at the next level — and could at both if Western Michigan's coaching staff has a little imagination. I also love Oregon State going and getting Shamar Meikle from Miramar.

Who had the toughest day?

Boyle: Florida is an easy answer, but Colorado comes to mind. Jordan Seaton hasn't signed yet. Carl Lewis Jr. was committed but didn't sign. If they don't close on Jordan Seaton, that will be tough. That was the one player who solidified the class for them, and it was a position of critical need on the roster.

Santucci: Florida. It's low-hanging fruit, but this just wasn't a great day for the Gators. The odd thing is they landed one of the best quarterbacks and one of the best defensive linemen in the nation. You can probably live with that. But unless Billy Napier can really change the narrative, this one is going to sting for a little.

What was the favorite storyline you followed?

Boyle: UCF getting all its signings, with one exception being DayDay Farmer. The other guys were all done by mid-morning. That show a lot of cohesion and they were done with their most successful class ever. They had 18 guys in by like 10 a.m. They had a lot of guys they held on to for a long time. They won their battles in the summer and went mostly unopposed from there out.

Santucci: Jeremiah Smith had most of my attention once I realized Ohio State wasn't putting anything out. But I'll go with Charles Lester because at some point FSU was in on it and I love that. Lester trolled the college football world by doing his best Cormani McClain impression. But the part I like the most is that it all was seemingly done with Florida State's blessing and that makes it even better.

Who was your favorite flip?

Boyle: Izaiah Williams. For A&M, they get a dynamic playmaker. There isn't any doubt about his ability to stretch the field. Not only that but you take him away from a conference rival and take advantage of a situation that may not have been there before this unrest at Florida.

Santucci: Adarius Hayes. Honestly, this has less to do with where he wound up than where he didn't go. Hayes is an elite linebacker, but on most rankings, he was the third-best linebacker in the Gators class. I think Hayes played this really well. These are the kind of decisions that could be the difference between a player finding a home or a player getting frustrated and being in the portal in a year.

Who was your favorite under-the-radar signing?

Boyle: Devonte Lyons to FIU. FIU scouted him during the state championship game. He had legitimate Power 5 interest in the spring and all he did was have an ever better senior season with 27 touchdowns. He's proven he can shoulder a load. He was a three-year starter. He can make one cut and score from anywhere on the field.

Santucci: I have two: JP Pickles to UTEP and Shamar Meikle to Oregon State. Pickles initially committed to Scotty Walden at Austin Peay and then followed the coach to UTEP. He's an electric dual-threat player who has a lot of tools to work with. Meikle is a guy I loved from the first time I saw him. Long, can bend, quick off the snap and is an absolute game changer off the edge.

Which school had your favorite graphic on social media?

Boyle: Rutgers. Scott Hansen from the NFL RedZone channel introducing all of Rutgers signees. Which begs the question, where was Syracuse since he's Syracuse grad? I thought that was really cool. It was unique, it was special. Years from now, they're always going to have that moment.

Santucci: Georgia. The combination of the black and white sketch going into the commit bursting through the screen in full color caught my attention right away. It was different and it stood out. That was a win in my opinion.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida's biggest recruiting winners from the early signing period