For some, Wednesday's traditional national signing day for college football was anti-climactic. That's because Football Bowl Subdivision schools added 75 percent of their classes during the early signing period in December.
But for those prospects who waited until now to sign, it only heightened the focus and anticipation.
Coaches and fans waited anxiously Wednesday morning to learn where nationally ranked prospects such as Shelby linebacker Dax Hollifield and Concord defensive tackle Rick Sandidge would land, or who might be added to the in-state FBS classes.
The suspense surrounding Hollifield ended about 11:15 a.m. Before a crowd packed at the school auditorium and more than 3,000 watching via live stream, the nation's eighth-ranked inside linebacker chose Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder had been torn between finalists Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford and the Hokies until Tuesday.
“I'm thankful to my family and to God for the opportunities I've had … This is it,'' Hollifield said before standing and unbuttoning his Shelby High letterman's jacket to reveal a Virginia Tech shirt underneath.
“I just felt comfortable there and I love Coach (Bud) Foster (defensive coordinator),'' Hollifield said about his decision. “I want to go there and be the best player I can.''
Hollifield is one of six in-state prospects signed by the Hokies in the recruiting Class of 2018. He was rated No. 7 in The Fayetteville Observer's preseason list of the state's top 50 college prospects.
Sandidge was No. 6 in the Observer's top 50 list and rated the No. 14 defensive tackle prospect in the country. UNC was also in contention for the 6-5, 288-pounder after making up considerable ground in the last month. But in the end Sandidge chose South Carolina, which means half the top 10 players in the Observer's preseason rankings will play for out-of-state programs.
“Getting to play early and just having a good connection with the coaching staff,'' Standidge said when asked why he chose the Gamecocks. “It was a hard decision, though, because all three schools did a good job recruiting me.''
Some of the disappointment over those losses was offset later in the morning when UNC made three major scores from the state of Florida.
Apopka High offensive tackle William Barnes, ranked fifth nationally, and teammate Ed Montilus, an offensive guard, became a package deal for the Tar Heels.
Barnes, a 6-5, 320-pounder, was courted by a number of major Southeastern Conference schools such as national champion Alabama, national runner-up Georgia and Auburn. Montilus (6-3, 305), whom Barnes calls “his brother,'' was offered scholarships by many of the same programs. But a relationship the two forged with UNC tight ends coach Chad Scott paid off in the end.
“Chad Scott is our primary recruiter down there and he did a great job building a relationship with those guys and their families,'' UNC coach Larry Fedora said. “There was interest in them from a lot of people, and we felt fortunate to finish off by signing them today.''
Scott also assisted in the recruitment of Rockledge, Florida, receiver Antoine Greene, who had committed to Florida State. Greene, rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports.com, backed off the pledge when head coach Jimbo Fisher left for Texas A&M and the Tar Heels were able to take advantage.
Those signing-day additions, along with Alabama defensive end Gavin Lewis, caused UNC's recruiting class to jump from 36th nationally to 22nd in the team rankings produced by 247Sports.com.
N.C. State, which also made several significant additions Wednesday, was at 26th in the 247Sports.com rankings. The Wolfpack signed Southern Cal transfer tight end Cary Angeline, junior college defensive lineman Val Martin, defensive end Derrick Eason from Norfolk, Virginia, and cornerback Taiyon Palmer from Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Eason has been committed to the Wolfpack, but had received overtures from Notre Dame in recent weeks, while Palmer was formerly part of the Duke recruiting class.
“This gives us a class of young men to replace an incredible senior class,'' N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. “We had a lot of needs this year because of how big the senior class was, particularly on defense. We were able to get some junior college help on the defensive side and from a transfer on the offensive side of the ball. We felt like at every position we got some top players, and many of them were local.''
East Carolina missed on several prospects it was pursuing, but landed a major recruit in defensive end Dorian Hardy from Elizabeth, New Jersey. Hardy had been committed to Penn State, but had his scholarship offer rescinded after an off-the-field incident and re-opened his recruitment. The 6-5, 220-pounder — No. 27 among strongside defensive ends in the 247Sports.com ratings — is the second-highest ranked high school prospect in ECU's class behind hometown quarterback Holton Ahlers.
Duke and Wake Forest both closed out their classes by adding cornerbacks. The Blue Devils signed one of the top players from the Tampa, Florida, area in cornerback Ken Torain, while the Deacons made Marquise Alston Jr. from Smyrna, Georgia, the final piece to their class.
Staff writer Sammy Batten can be reached at sbatten@fayobserver.com or 486-3534.