When is National Signing Day? Date, rankings for college football's regular signing period

When is National Signing Day? Date, rankings for college football’s regular signing period

Posted by author February 3, 2025 Football

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The college football season may have come to a close with Ohio State defeating Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff championship game, but that doesn’t mean the coaching staffs for the 134 FBS team in the country are on vacation.

The next 48 hours leading into Wednesday’s National Signing Day are a reminder of that, as coaches across the country look to further bolster their 2025 recruiting class following December’s early signing period, which has become college football’s de facto signing day.

As things currently stand, Texas has the top-ranked 2025 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings. Headlining the Longhorns is five-star safety Jonah Williams, the No. 6-ranked player in the class per 247Sports’ Composite.

Newly crowned national champion Ohio State has the No. 3 ranked 2025 recruiting class, which currently consists of two five-star signees in quarterback Tavien St. Clair and cornerback Devin Sanchez.

Here’s what to know when National Signing Day is, including a look at who has the top ranked recruiting class heading into it:

When college football’s National Signing Day?

National Signing Day is somewhat of a misnomer in that it is not a single day. Instead, it represents the first day of college football’s regular signing period in which players can sign with their teams.

That date begins on Wednesday, Feb. 5, and will close on Thursday, April 1.

National Signing Day is so named because, prior to the advent of the early signing period, it was the day in which most athletes signed with their respective teams. It now is the second opportunity in the recruiting calendar for recruits to sign: Most recruits for the 2025 recruiting class signed during the early signing period back in December — a common trend in college football in recent years.

Do college football recruits still sign NLIs on national signing day?

No. As previously reported by USA TODAY, this is the first year recruits no longer need to sign a Letter of Intent. This change to the recruiting process, which was considered the binding agreement between a recruit and a program, was announced by the NCAA Division I Council in October.

College football recruiting rankings 2025

Steve Sarkisian and Texas head into Wednesday’s National Signing Day with the No. 1-ranked 2025 recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings.

The SEC currently owns seven of the top 10 classes on 247Sports’ Composite rankings, with only Ohio State (No. 3), Oregon (No. 5) and Michigan (No. 9) breaking into the top 10.

Here’s a look at the top 10 recruiting classes for 2025 according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings:

Rankings are based on 247Sports’ Composite rankings.