National Signing Day

National Signing Day is the first day a high school senior can sign a letter of intent to attend an academic institution and participate in collegiate athletics. The college football event is broadcast on ESPNU annually and heavily covered by sports media, who also analyze the teams that will be receiving these new players.

In 2010, National Signing Day was on February 3. Notable surprises included:

• Demar Dorsey signed with Michigan over Florida
• Ricky Heimuli signed with Oregon
• Josh Shirley signed with UCLA over USC and Miami
• Ivan McCartney signed with Virginia over Miami
• Brandon Gainer signed with Central Florida over Kentucky
• Corey Cooper signed with Nebraska over Illinois
• Ladarius Phillips signed with Auburn
• Christian Jones signed with Florida State over Florida, Notre Dame and others
• Brion Carnes signed with Nebraska over Western Kentucky
• J.C. Copeland signed with LSU over Tennesseehttp://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/espnu150?season=2010&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fespnu150%3fseason%3d2010

Many anxiously await the day to determine which teams will be able to fill holes left by seniors and other team members who have departed. National Signing Day always provides plenty of surprises, especially when players change their mind for one reason or another, often due to off-season coaching changes.

On National Signing Day in 2008, offensive lineman Kevin Hart, from Fernley High School in Nevada, announced in a press conference that he was signing with the California Golden Bears . The Golden Bears however, had never spoke with Hart, nor offered him a scholarship. Hart first claimed that he was duped by an agent, but later admitted that he had made up the offer, as an attempt to lure teams to offer him a scholarship.The New York Times: Lineman Made Up Recruiting Story