National Signing Day: NFL draft history for five-star recruits

National Signing Day is Wednesday, and the hoopla surrounding it makes it seem like Christmas in February for college football fans.

Signing lists will be perused, and there will be crowing about the great players each coaching staff reeled in. There will be especially loud crowing about five-star recruits who signed.

But being a five-star recruit is no sure thing when it comes to college stardom, much less NFL stardom. We went back and looked at each Rivals.com five-star recruit from 2002 (when their rankings started) through the 2011 class.

Here’s what we found:

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National Signing Day: NFL draft history for five-star recruits

Bowl viewer"s guide: Previewing Saturday"s slate of CFB action

College bowl season officially kicks off Saturday, and College Football 24/7 is providing a daily glimpse at the best players in each game and predictions from writers Gil Brandt, Bucky Brooks, Daniel Jeremiah, Bryan Fischer, Chase Goodbread and Mike Huguenin.

Site: New Orleans
Date: Dec. 20
Time/TV: 11 a.m. ET, ESPN
Matchup: Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4) vs. Nevada (7-5)
NFL teams attending: Buffalo Bills
Top players to watch: Nevada (QB Cody Fajardo, DE Brock Hekking, WR Hasaan Henderson, DE/LB Ian Seau); Louisiana-Lafayette (RB Alonzo Harris, WR Jamal Robinson).
Why NFL fans should tune in: Why not get your bowl season started out right with an intriguing matchup between an up-and-down Wolf Pack team taking on one of the most impressive Sun Belt teams over the years in ULL? Fajardo has put up comparable numbers to Colin Kaepernick during his time in Reno and is among the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. The team’s pistol offense gets a lot of the press, but it’s the defense you’ll really want to keep an eye out for with Ian Seau (Junior’s nephew) and wild man Brock Hekking, who might have the best hair in college football and is an equally fearsome pass rusher. As for the Ragin Cajuns, they feature a number of playmakers on the offensive side that could wind up being late Day Three selections.
Game predictions:
Brandt: UL-Lafayette, 24-21
Brooks: UL-Lafayette, 33-30
Jeremiah: Nevada, 28-24
Fischer: UL-Lafayette, 33-23
Goodbread: Nevada, 30-21
Huguenin: UL-Lafayette, 27-24

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Bowl viewer"s guide: Previewing Saturday"s slate of CFB action

Like/dislike: How does one pick an MVP?

Everybody at NFL Media has to

He rode a swan in a pool once

ICYMI: he’ll begin this week!

I kind of enjoyed how the Packers supporters began the MVP chants through the last minutes of the Monday Night Football game. After all, Rodgers might be my private MVP right now, and he is not even on my fantasy football team. (You will want to take a look at the Monday Nightmare for more on that.)

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Like/dislike: How does one pick an MVP?

Virginia"s Eli Harold denotes via Twitter he"s turning professional

Virginia junior defensive end Eli Harold, an athletic advantage rusher who had seven sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss this season, announced via Twitter on Wednesday morning that he’s entering the NFL draft.

To all UVA Enthusiasts, my family, and my close friends and teammates it is been a great ride. I decided to enter the NFL Draft.

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Virginia"s Eli Harold denotes via Twitter he"s turning professional

NFL declares Week 15 flex scheduling, Week 16 Saturday slate

As the regular season nears its final month, playoff races continue to heat up across the NFL. As a result of adaptive scheduling, more supporters throughout the nation will have the ability to see these significant competitions.

The league on Sunday declared the finalization of both Week 15’s flex program and Week 16’s Saturday doubleheader. The Week 15 1 p.m. ET competition between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns and the 4:25 p.m. ET match between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions will both be broadcast on FOX.

The reversal of network — a fresh element of the flex scheduling procedure called "cross-bending" — for the Cincinnati-Cleveland game brings an instate competition into a bigger audience as both teams fight for supremacy in a closely contested AFC North.

A classic NFC North matchup between recognizable foes takes the 4:25 p.m. time slot when the Vikings travel to Ford Field to take on the upstart Lions.

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NFL declares Week 15 flex scheduling, Week 16 Saturday slate

Can not-miss Minutes: Top school football plays of Week 14

Saturdays during school football season consistently provide a bevy of "can not-miss Moments." College Football 24/7 is here to remember to have accessibility to all the plays buffs will be raving about.

Georgia’s Damian Swann returned a Justin Thomas fumble 99 yards for a touchdown vs. Georgia Tech.

Georgia’s Marshall Morgan gained 28 yards on this fake field goal.

Clemson’s Artavis Scott revealed some fine footwork close to the conclusion of the 70-yard scoring play.

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Can not-miss Minutes: Top school football plays of Week 14

Can"t-miss Moments: Top college football plays of Week 13

Saturday’s during college football season always deliver a bevy of "Can’t-miss Moments." College Football 24/7 is here to make sure you have access to all of the plays fans will be raving about.

Defensive end Randy Gregory blocked a Gophers field-goal attempt, which Nebraska’s Nate Gerry scooped up and returned 85 yards for a Huskers touchdown.

Northwestern senior Tony Jones fielded a line-drive punt, broke free of an attempted tackle and found open field on this 64-yard return for a touchdown.

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Can"t-miss Moments: Top college football plays of Week 13

Tuesday Tweetbag: Is Mike Gundy a candidate for Florida job?

Week 12’s college football action is in the books, so we decided to fire up the Tuesday Tweetbag to tackle the burning topics on your mind this season, from top pro prospects to the best teams in the sport.

Feel free to submit your questions to @BryanDFischer on Twitter each Monday or early Tuesday morning to get them answered every week. Without further ado, let the smorgasbord of questions commence.

@BryanDFischer Why do my fellow OSU fans seem so eager for Gundy to move on?

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Tuesday Tweetbag: Is Mike Gundy a candidate for Florida job?

Tuesday Tweetbag: Mike Gundy leaving Oklahoma State for Florida?

Week 12’s college football action is in the books, so we decided to fire up the Tuesday Tweetbag to tackle the burning topics on your mind this season, from top pro prospects to the best teams in the sport.

Feel free to submit your questions to @BryanDFischer on Twitter each Monday or early Tuesday morning to get them answered every week. Without further ado, let the smorgasbord of questions commence.

@BryanDFischer Why do my fellow OSU fans seem so eager for Gundy to move on?

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Tuesday Tweetbag: Mike Gundy leaving Oklahoma State for Florida?

CFB Societal: Week 11 in college football through social media

Week 11 of college football is underway and social media is buzzing using the activity. Here will be the top tweets, vines, videos and much more from throughout the united states.

Caption competition with this particular picture from Norman? Supporters are likely much less welcoming as Bob Stoops is.

Welcome to Norman, @CoachArtBriles. pic.twitter.com/2tIrZTPZAK

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CFB Societal: Week 11 in college football through social media

Can not-miss Minutes: Top school football plays of Week 11

Saturdays during school football season consistently provide a bevy of "Can Not-miss Moments." College Football 24/7 is here to make sure you’ve access to all of the plays fans will be raving about.

Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong pulled off an astonishing 360, one-handed touchdown catch against Notre Dame.

Minnesota trounced Iowa, recaptured the Floyd of Rosedale competition prize, and that had Golden Gophers coach Jerry Kill in a great disposition.

Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight showed off his impressive jumping ability by hurdling a standing Baylor defenseman.

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Can not-miss Minutes: Top school football plays of Week 11

Can not-miss Minutes: Top plays of Week 10 in college football

Saturdays during school football season consistently deliver a bevy of "Can Not-miss Moments." College Football 24/7 is here to make sure you’ve access to all of the plays fans will be raving about.

Texas A&M’s Quick Noil somehow could haul in this pass to get a 39-yard touchdown.

In an identical match, Texas A&M’s Tra Carson covered a lot more earth compared to the box score will give him credit for on this five-yard TD run.

Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon could not locate anyplace to run to the left, so he reversed field and ran 51 yards for the score.

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Can not-miss Minutes: Top plays of Week 10 in college football

Can not-miss Minutes: Top plays of Week 9 in college football

Saturdays during the college football season consistently deliver a bevy of "Can Not-miss Moments." College Football 24/7 is here to make sure you’ve access to all of the plays fans will be raving about.

Mississippi State RB Josh Robinson did his greatest pinball impression at Kentucky, breaking seven tackles on this unbelievable run.

Robinson was not the only Bulldogs player making huge plays Saturday. QB Dak Prescott stayed on his feet by performing a fine twist move on his approach to some score from the Wildcats.

Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah scored on this 53-yard run through the Rutgers’ defense.

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Can not-miss Minutes: Top plays of Week 9 in college football

Can"t-miss Moments: Top plays of Week 7 in college football

Saturdays during college football season always deliver a bevy of "Can’t-miss Moments." College Football 24/7 is here to make sure you have access to all of the plays fans will be raving about.

Jameis Winston appears to be as loose as ever, despite some heavy news breaking on Friday.

Georgia running back Brendan Douglas will likely remember this touchdown run (or should we say flip?) for some time to come.

Kentucky senior wide receiver Javess Blue put forth quite the effort to haul in this one-handed grab.

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Can"t-miss Moments: Top plays of Week 7 in college football

Jon Gruden's goal after college was to coach at Michigan

Jon Gruden’s stated goal in life was to be Michigan’s coach.

Unfortunately for Wolverines fans who would love to see the Super Bowl-winning coach in Ann Arbor, he expressed that goal a long time ago, when he was in college at Dayton in 1984.

This is from an old University of Dayton football media guide @mgoblog @AceAnbender @Misopogon pic.twitter.com/si400kQZVs

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Jon Gruden"s goal after college was to coach at Michigan

Browns" long journey back to respectability picking up steam

This is the backstory to one of the great moments of Week 5, the Cleveland Browns pulling off the largest road comeback in the 95-year history of the NFL and the biggest comeback in franchise history. The Browns‘ rally from a 25-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans, as well as the Buffalo Bills‘ last-second road win over the Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints‘ overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are nominees for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the week. Cast your vote for the GMC Never Say Never Moments of Week 5.

Brian Hoyer

The Browns‘ long journey back to respectability is picking up steam. However, it seemed dead in the water at around 2:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, when the Titans took a commanding 28-3 lead. The saying "same old Browns" likely crept into the minds of many a football fan. Another thought that likely permeated the minds of fans was "when will we see Johnny Manziel in at quarterback?" Instead, first-year Browns coach Mike Pettine stuck with his man, veteran signalcaller Brian Hoyer, and the result was a comeback for the ages.

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Browns" long journey back to respectability picking up steam

Can't-miss Moments: Top plays of Week 6 in college football

Saturdays during college football season always deliver a bevy of "Can’t-miss Moments." College Football 24/7 is here to make sure you have access to all of the plays fans will be raving about.

Speedy Noil will certainly make the highlight shows tonight thanks to this athletic touchdown reception.

Ohio State’s Michael Thomas made his uncle Keyshawn Johnson proud with this beautiful touchdown grab against Maryland.

Purdue running back Raheem Mostert made the Illini defenders miss on this 44-yard touchdown run.

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Can"t-miss Moments: Top plays of Week 6 in college football

2015 NFL Draft to be held in Chicago

The 2015 NFL Draft will be held April 30-May 2 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Thursday.

"We are excited to have fans from throughout the midwest experience the NFL Draft," Goodell said in a statement announcing the draft location. "We look forward to returning the event to the city of Chicago and working with the city, Choose Chicago, and the Chicago Sports Commission to create a week-long celebration of football for our fans. Mayor Emanuel and the city of Chicago presented us with numerous ways to enhance the Draft experience for our fans and incoming players."

The Windy City beat out Los Angeles, which was the other finalist in the running to host the league’s marquee event next year. Various sites across the country expressed interest in hosting the affair but couldn’t beat out a strong bid from Chicago that was backed by Emanuel.

"Chicago is pleased to welcome the 2015 NFL Draft to America’s heartland," Emanuel said in a statement. "Next year, NFL fans from across the country will travel here or tune in as the future of their team is decided in Chicago. We look forward to working with the Chicago Bears, the NFL, and our neighborhood partners to make this an event that highlights our world class city and reinvests in our communities."

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2015 NFL Draft to be held in Chicago

Buccaneers rebound from horrific defeat to post epic win

This is the backstory to one of the great moments of Week 4, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ shocking last-minute win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Buccaneers’ epic win, as well as Baltimore Ravens veteran wide receiver Steve Smith‘s performance against the team that released him this offseason and the San Francisco 49ers‘ edge-of-your-seat win over the Philadelphia Eagles are nominees for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the week. Cast your vote for the GMC Never Say Never Moments of Week 4.

Mike Glennon

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a massive thumping in a Thursday night primetime game against the Atlanta Falcons in front of a national television audience. The team spent the next nine days as a laughingstock for an entire nation of football fans. Few gave the Buccaneers much of a chance at sweet redemption when they traveled to Western Pennsylvania to take on the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Buccaneers rebound from horrific defeat to post epic win

Can not-miss Minutes: Top plays of Week 5 in college football

Saturdays during school football season consistently deliver a bevy of "Can Not-miss Moments." College Football 24/7 is here to make sure you’ve access to all the plays fans will be raving about.

Georgia running back Todd Gurley set his hurdling abilities to make use of against Tennessee, jumping over a Volunteers defenseman en route to some huge increase.

Before his high-hurdling trick, Gurley broke this 51-yard run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a tight match vs. Tennessee.

TCU QB Trevone Boykin has rather an experience on an errant snap, picking up the tumbling pigskin and then throw it to the crossbar of the goal post. Fortunate for TCU, an SMU defensive lineman jumped offside prior to the play began; 5-yard penalty and replay the down. Serious disgrace averted.

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Can not-miss Minutes: Top plays of Week 5 in college football