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Early Signing Day: Many Class of 2018 college football recruits set to sign


Hayfield’s Brian Cobbs has signed to play college football for the University of Maryland. (Photo by Pete Marovich For The Washington Post)

The NCAA in May authorized a 72-hour window for high school athletes to sign their National Letters of Intent — binding pledges of attendance to a university — a month and a half early.

For years, graduating seniors waited until National Signing Day the first Wednesday in February to sign those letters and officially end a years-long process of choosing a college destination. The early signing period decreed last spring was designed to give student athletes who have made up their minds an early opt-out from the attention shoved at teenagers making a decision fraught with irregularities and a whole lot of stress.

But the early signing window has often forced prospects to expedite their recruitment process and make college choices based on the availability of roster spots, players and coaches have told The Washington Post.

Here are the top recruits in the Washington area who signed NLIs on Wednesday — or are expected to sign — and where they’ll be headed to college:

Donta Anthony Jr., TE, Potomac (Md.)

Signed to Old Dominion

The Monarchs were drawn to Anthony for his size: 6-foot-6, 215 pounds. With soft hands, he emerged his senior season as a reliable pass-catcher and mid-major recruiting target. He also had scholarship offers from Bowling Green and Stony Brook, among others.

Doc Bonner, QB, Quince Orchard

Signed to Dartmouth

Bonner led the Cougars to a second straight Maryland 4A championship game and won All-Met first team honors in the process. He threw for 2,259 yards and 26 touchdowns while completing 65 percent of his passes. He also ran for 789 yards and 15 more scores. Bonner is accurate from the pocket and does well extending plays with his legs. He has a strong arm and can throw on the run. Larger Division I schools were wary of his frame, just 5-foot-11, 185 pounds.

[A coach, a quarterback, a community and a run to the high school football state title game]

Raymond Boone, DB, Eleanor Roosevelt

Signed to Maryland

Boone is a hard-hitting safety who anchored the Raiders’ defense and led the team to a Maryland 4A South final. The first-team All-Met selection is an explosive athlete with top-line speed and a fundamental tackler. He’s physical with receivers down the field and received interest from Alabama and Virginia Tech. Scouts point to Boone as the kind of prospect who can help physically transform the Terrapins’ roster to compete in the Big Ten.

Ryan Carroll, DB, Potomac (Md.)

Signed to Connecticut

Carroll led an inconsistent Wolverine team that leaned on its defense for turnovers and late-game stops. Even on defense, he has a burst with the ball in his hands, and made an impact on Potomac’s special teams as a kick-blocking specialist. He also had recruiting interest from Maryland.

Brian Cobbs, WR, Hayfield

Signed to Maryland

Cobbs, a first-team All-Met honoree, led the Hawks in receiving, rushing and passing, after Coach Eric Henderson made him the starter with four games left on the schedule. He caught 39 passes for 507 yards and nine touchdowns. He ran for 766 yards and 10 scores. He threw for 1,095 yards and 11 touchdowns. Maryland coaches have told him he can play both in the slot or out wide at receiver. North Carolina State and Maryland fought over Cobbs all through the summer, and Maryland won out thanks to the receiver’s relationship with Terps’ quarterback Caleb Henderson, the Hayfield coach’s son. Cobbs held out for an offer from Penn State, but when Nittany Lions coaches hesitated, he broke for Maryland.

Vincent Flythe III, CB, H.D. Woodson

Signed to Maryland

Many scouts considered Flythe, a second-team All-Met selection, the top cover cornerback in the District his senior season. It helped that H.D. Woodson coaches were fond of leaving Flythe in single-coverage situations, where he continued to impress college coaches. He drew offers from Maryland, Kentucky, Georgia, Wisconsin, Louisville and Temple. He chose the Terrapins and will enroll in courses in College Park for the spring semester.

Read more: H.D. Woodson’s Vincent Flythe III makes up his mind, commits to Maryland

Daniel George, WR, Oxon Hill

Signed to Penn State

A strong performance at “The Opening” regional skills combine in April shot George, a two-time first-team All-Met wide receiver, up the recruiting rankings. At 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, his physical style, powerful presence downfield and speed made him a favorite of quarterbacks and evaluators alike. He caught 61 passes for 888 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2017. He also considered offers from Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Louisville and Maryland, among others.

Read more: For Daniel George and top college football prospects, a decision looms: Sign now or later?

Jesus Gibbs, OL, Potomac (Va.)

Signed to South Carolina

Gibbs, an All-Met honorable mention selection, has a frame fit for a Southeastern Conference offensive line: 6-foot-4, 265 pounds. He also entertained scholarship offers from Virginia, Vanderbilt and Syracuse.

Michael Jurgens, OL, Damascus

Signed to Wake Forest

Jurgens, a first-team All-Met honoree, and Damascus’s nasty offensive line led the Hornets to their third straight Maryland state title. Damascus won a pair of 3A titles in 2015 and 2016, then dropped down to 2A and won that championship in dominant fashion in 2017. Jurgens at right tackle helped the Hornets’ rushing attack score 31 touchdowns on the ground.

Jeffrey Keene, DE, Potomac (Md.)

Signed to Hawaii

Keene spent a year at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, but will sign with the Potomac (Md.) class, where he’s remained close to the program even after graduation. Keene also entertained an offer from Old Dominion.

Grant Misch, LB, Potomac Falls

Signed to Virginia

The All-Met honorable mention honoree was part of a duo of standout linebackers that helped Potomac Falls to a fifth-straight playoff appearance. Misch also entertained interest from West Virginia, Virginia Tech and the United States service academies.

Johnnie Pitman, CB, Potomac (Md.)

Signed to UNC-Charlotte

Pitman is a sure tackler in run support and has a nose for the football. Wolverines coaches were not shy in 2017 about using him in man coverage against a team’s top wideout. He shows excellent physicality and great break at the top of routes. He also considered Army, Navy and Ohio.

Aidan Rafferty, OL, Gonzaga

Signed to Indiana

A powerful run-blocker and first-team All-Met honoree, Rafferty helped stabilize Gonzaga’s offense and provide good pass protection. Rafferty also had strong interest from other Big Ten and Ivy League schools.

Ricky Slade, RB, Hylton

Signed to Penn State

Arguably the nation’s top back and an All-Met first team selection, Slade verbally committed to Penn State on National Signing Day 2017 and spent his senior season tearing up defenses and helping Nittany Lions coaches swing other potential recruits. He gobbled up 12.3 yards per carry and scored 30 touchdowns rushing.

Dillon Spalding, WR, South County

Signed to West Virginia

Spalding, a two-time All-Met first teamer, chose between West Virginia and Michigan, which entered his recruitment well into the middle of his senior season. Wolverines Coach Jim Harbaugh saw Spalding, at 6-foot-2, 216 pounds, fitting all around his offense, in the slot, in the backfield, even as a blocking tight end. Mountaineers Coach Dana Holgorsen saw Spalding, who caught 43 passes for 916 yards and 14 scores, as a true wideout in West Virginia’s run and gun offense. Spalding went with the Mountaineers.

Judson Tallendier, CB, DeMatha

Signed to Pittsburgh

DeMatha asks about the same thing of its cornerbacks as Pittsburgh: play up on the line of scrimmage, press receivers into a bad release off the line and make tackles in run support. For a defense that carried the Stags in 2016, Tallendier was a bright spot who helped DeMatha stay organized and press offenses into uncomfortable downs and distances. Tallendier also received recruiting attention from Georgia, Arizona, Kentucky, Maryland, N.C. State, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse and Wake Forest.

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