Signing Day viewer's guide: Battle for No. 1, flip drama and final moves to track

The finish line ribbon is within reach.

Signing Day looms. It is one of the biggest checkpoints in the talent acquisition calendar, with high school recruits in the 2026 class set to make things official with their respective college football programs.

Here is a quick-hit user guide to get you ready for the start of the Early Signing Period (Dec. 3-5). 

Watch our National Signing Day show LIVE starting at 10 a.m. ET on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube page for commitments, analysis and reactions. 

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Why will Signing Day be so quiet? 

More than 95% of the recruits in the Top247 rankings had made their college commitments ahead of the college season, a trend that has become more prevalent in the Name, Image and Likeness era as prospects secure agreements early in the process.

Signing Day has lost the theatrics. College coaches no longer jostle for the final in-home meeting with a prospect's family, instead handing off most of the responsibility to the program's talent acquisition group.

Live announcements, and their accompanying drama, now take place in the spring and summer when recruits are busy wrapping up official visits to schools. Flips and decommitments ramped up the level of activity toward the end of October -- a byproduct of a constantly spinning coaching carousel -- yet it's still expected to be a calm Signing Day.

Perhaps no statistic is more indicative of how sewn-up recruiting has become than this: the top 13 teams in the Composite Team Recruiting Rankings on the eve of Signing Day were all within the top 13 at the start of the season.

Any wiggle room in race for No. 1?

With five-star Jared Curtis flipping his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt, it's a matter of when, not if, USC signs the nation's top-ranked class.

The Bulldogs needed to hang onto Curtis, whom they initially beat out Oregon for, and a few other things to go their way on the flip front for them to chase down the Trojans from behind but now that scenario is out the window.

Alabama now sits in the No. 2 spot entering the final hours before signatures begin trickling in. A few prospects remain in play for the Tide, including four-star offensive tackle Bryson Cooley, an LSU commit from the state of Mississippi that Lane Kiffin would surely love to hang onto.

But any addition from the Tide would theoretically be for naught from a rankings standpoint given that USC appears to be in prime position to land a flip of its own. Blue-chip wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, who has been committed to Ohio State since May, could be leaning toward staying out West to play for the Trojans.

If USC finishes in first place, it would be the first time since 2008 that a non-SEC program secured the top spot in the recruiting rankings.

Three players to keep an eye on Wednesday 

Chris Henry Jr., WR, Ohio State commit

Will the five-star prospect from powerhouse Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei follow through with his longstanding commitment to Ohio State or flip to Oregon? Henry, the son of the late Chris Henry, has continued to be a top priority for Dan Lanning and his staff, despite being on the Buckeyes' list of commits since July 2023. When asked about his status after Mater Dei's final game this season, Henry fanned the flames even further by declining to discuss his recruitment. Could this be a leverage play, which are commonplace in the age of NIL? The Buckeyes continue to feel good about Henry inking his paperwork.

Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, WR, Ohio State commit

The nation's No. 6-rated receiver looks much likelier to flip from the Buckeyes than Henry, his high school teammate. Sources out West have suggested that USC has done a terrific job of sustaining the relationship. Considering the success of pass-catchers like Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane, on top of the production from true freshman Tanook Hines this season, sources close to the recruitment acknowledge that the opportunity to feature in a Lincoln Riley offense might be too good to decline.

Carter Gooden, EDGE, UCLA

A commit to UCLA since the summer, Gooden has remained in the Bruins' class despite the firing of DeShaun Foster and subsequent coaching search. But it's always an eye-popping development when a committed prospect has an announcement to make, and that's what the nation's No. 90 overall player plans to do live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel on Wednesday. Vanderbilt and Tennessee have continued to lurk, and the high-upside Gooden would be a coup for both SEC programs. The Commodores could be in line for a huge day after the flip of Curtis, while the Volunteers would also be an enticing destination for Gooden whose projectable frame aligns with how they have built their depth in the trenches.

Which new coach is being the most active?

With just eight names on the Virginia Tech commitment list when James Franklin took the helm on Nov. 17, things were looking bleak on the doorstep of the Early Signing Period.

The Hokies ranked 124th overall in the Composite recruiting standings, and were in danger of finishing outside the top 50 for just the second time in the modern recruiting era.

Fast forward to this week and it's been flip after flip for Franklin, who needed only two weeks on the job to essentially raid Penn State's class and help Virginia Tech ascend to No. 32 overall.

Franklin and Co. might not be done -- four-star safety Matt Sieg, a longtime commit to Penn State, is another player who plans to announce a final decision Wednesday on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel. The Hokies are battling hometown Pitt for Sieg at the finish line.

A large group of visitors that made it to Blacksburg for the Miami game on Nov. 22 set the table for the impressive turnaround, providing a glimpse of what Franklin aspires to accomplish on the recruiting trail.

The Hokies haven't signed a top-20 class since 2008, but if the buzz around the program is any indication the Hokies could be a team to monitor closely next cycle.