National Signing Day winners: Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Tennessee close cycle strong

Another busy National Signing Day is mostly in the books and there are several programs that emerged as the biggest winners. Rivals’ Greg Smith takes a look at the programs that won the day.

Tennessee 

Don’t look now but Tennessee quietly has the No. 5 class in the country right now. The class is led by a pair of five-stars with quarterback Faizon Brandon and wide receiver Tristen Keyes. Both signed on Wednesday. 

But the Vols also got electric running back Legend Bey back in the class, flipping him from Ohio State. The team also flipped four-star Carter Gooden from UCLA and held onto four-star Joel Wyatt. It’s a good day to be coach Josh Heupel. 

Virginia Tech

When James Franklin was hired by Virginia Tech, the Hokies’ class was ranked No. 121 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. The Hokies are now at No. 25. Four-star running back Messiah Mickens was the first to lock in on Nov. 25, about one week ago. 

Fifteen more have done the same since. Four-star tight end Pierce Petersohn, four-star wide receiver Davion Brown, four-star edge rusher Tyson Harley, four-star quarterback Troy Huhn and four-star offensive tackle Thomas Wilder have all joined the class. 

Franklin has the program rolling on the trail already as the Hokies now turn their attention to the transfer portal. 

Vanderbilt

One of the biggest stories in college football recruiting this cycle was Vanderbilt‘s pursuit of flipping five-star quarterback Jared Curtis away from Georgia. Not only did the Commodores pull the flip off, they got him to announce it ahead of National Signing Day. 

This is a huge coup for coach Clark Lea and company who are looking to sustain the program’s success after the departure of star quarterback Diego Pavia. The recruiting win over Georgia here represents a huge shift in the recruiting landscape. It’s also proof of concept that Lea and Vandy are here to stay.

Mississippi State 

The Bulldogs finished the cycle very strong. The team flipped four-star safety Bralan Womack from Auburn despite many thinking he was Texas A&M bound if he moved off his Auburn pledge. Coach Jeff Lebby also flipped three-star edge rusher Micah Nickerson from Missouri and added Georgia native Tico Crittendon.

Mississippi State is closing in on a top-30 class based off some strong work to close the cycle after National Signing Day.

West Virginia

Coach Rich Rodriguez has had a good finish to the 2026 cycle. The biggest news came when the program flipped four-star safety Matt Sieg away from Penn State on National Signing Day. It’s not so much about Penn State as it is winning the battle against Virginia Tech and Indiana. Both schools made hard pushes for Sieg. 

West Virginia also added some high upside pieces with JUCO offensive lineman Deshawn Woods and Indiana high schooler Jonas Muya. Also, 6-foot-4, 200 cornerback Da’Mun Allen joined the fold. West Virginia now has the No. 24 class in the country. The arrow is pointing up in Morgantown after National Signing Day.