2026 College football recruiting early signing day takeaways - ESPN

College football's early signing period opened Wednesday with much of the 2026 recruiting class committed. That added some extra drama for those teams chasing last-minute additions and flips.

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Coaching changes weighed heavily on the end of this cycle. Virginia Tech saw its class skyrocket with new coach James Franklin bringing 11 former Penn State commits to his new school. Meanwhile Lane Kiffin and LSU's class are a bit on hold. Lamar Brown, the No. 1 overall player, has delayed his signing to wait on further LSU staff anouncements.

As some College Football Playoff regulars reloaded their rosters, there are a few up-and-comers and CFP hopefuls whose 2026 classes became big storylines of the cycle.

Here's a look at the winners, the programs that missed out Wednesday and the questions that still loom over the 2026 cycle:

Jump to: Franklin's big moves | Parity arrives | Texas' haul
CFP boost | Who has overachieved | Impact QBs

Still without a head coach after missing out on BYU's Kalani Sitake, Penn State fans watched the program's tattered 2026 recruiting class limp to the finish line Tuesday.

The commitment of four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone, who had previously flipped from the Nittany Lions to Auburn Tigers, was a bright spot. The signature of defensive end Jackson Ford — the last man standing from a class that ranked 17th nationally in mid-October — marked another admirable win. But there's no getting around it: the Nittany Lions' two-man signing class, the result of 24 decommitments since Oct. 12, is disastrous for whomever gets the Penn State job.

Worse yet for the folks in Happy Valley, the primary