In an era of increasing recruiting transparency, signing day is often unsurprising. However, in their rarity, noteworthy announcements on the day are often eagerly awaited by fans, and many would’ve been pleasantly surprised this year.
New International Announcements
While it was known that Ella Oprea had recently visited Clemson on an official visit, it was unknown that she had committed until Clemson publicly celebrated her signing. The Romanian athlete has only competed on bars this year, scoring a high of 13.100 at the European Championships, but has been a strong all-around contender in the past.
Oprea becomes the sixth Clemson commit in the class of 2026, including two commitment switches from Cal after the Golden Bear head coaches moved to Clemson. This left Cal in a tough position, unable to retain a single class of 2026 recruit. While it had a strong recovery, including gaining two commitment switches with Kee Anne Cura from San Jose State and Adilenne Holt from Penn, there were still concerns about the upcoming season. To the relief of Cal fans, the other surprise of this signing day was the commitment of four-star recruit Maddison Hajjar, who will join in January. Hajjar has substantial international experience competing for Canada and could be an immediate addition to the beam lineup while contending on bars and floor as well.
Joining Early
While Hajjar stands out for being generally unexpected, she was not the only athlete who was announced yesterday to be joining in January. Five-star recruit CaMarah Williams, a Georgia commit who has competed as an elite and level 10 athlete, will be joining Georgia early. She is expected to make an immediate impact on lineups, especially vault and floor.
Other Surprises and Day-of Announcements
Northern Illinois, Southern Connecticut, and Bridgeport each had unexpected commitments of their own. Taylor Chau signed with Northern Illinois; Sierra Buckman (originally class of ‘25) will join Southern Connecticut; and Brooklyn Stephenson, Liberty Kenney, Kayla Algeri, and Ella Pereira will join Bridgeport.
Like Buckman, Mariah Green was a ‘25 recruit who was expected on the Maryland roster this season but instead signed yesterday, indicating she will join the class of 2026.
Rated Recruits Not to Sign
While it is common that some recruits sign later on, it can be also something to keep an eye on. Most notably, 2024 Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera did not sign with LSU. With her substantial elite accolades, this likely indicates a plan to defer for the Olympics. Other rated recruits not to have been announced as signed include Bailee Norris (Eastern Michigan), Zaara Burnett (Ohio State), Maddie Stewart (Stanford), and Jolyn Sicat Valeros (UCLA).
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Article by Gemma Selby
