Now in its third year, the early signing period allows recruits to sign their letters of intent to play at various academic institutions just before Christmas and avoid waiting until the traditional National Signing Day held in early February.

While some athletes make verbal commitments to colleges well before they sign their letters of intent, it isn’t uncommon for those same players to de-commit or to announce a different school when it comes time to sign their letter.

Newsweek has compiled some of the most surprising flips on Day 1 of the early signing period.

Rakim Jarrett

A consensus 5-star wide receiver from Washington D.C., Jarrett flipped from LSU to Maryland on Wednesday. Jarrett committed to the Tigers in April but decided to stay closer to his hometown and sign with the Maryland Terps.

“It is home. I grew up here. I’ve been a Maryland fan growing up,” Jarrett said in a video posted by Maryland Football’s Twitter account.

Malcom Green

LSU lost another recruit in 4-star safety/defensive back Malcom Green. Green committed to LSU in October but according to 247Sports, after an official visit to Clemson this past weekend he changed his mind. The flip helped Clemson retain the No. 1 recruiting class in all of college football.

Jermaine Burton

In a third flip from LSU, four-star receiver, Burton decided to commit to Georgia. Burton committed to LSU in April, but an official visit to Georgia this past weekend has swayed his decision.

“For the crib,” Burton tweeted with a picture of him sporting the Georgia uniform.

Romello Height

Height is a 4-star linebacker who was committed to Miami but flipped and signed with Auburn instead. On December 12, Height tweeted “I’m 1000% with the U, signing next week,” but just a week later, he flipped and to the Tigers.

“WAR DAMN EAGLE, signed and done,” Height posted to his Twitter account with pictures of him wearing the Auburn uniform.

“I love the atmosphere (at Auburn),” Height told Auburn Undercover. “It’s nice. A nice fan base. A nice coaching staff.”

Dominique Johnson

Johnson, a 3-star running back, made one of the most shocking flips of the day.

Johnson was committed to Missouri, but on Wednesday flipped to Arkansas. Johnson posted a video to Twitter, unzipping his jacket to reveal an Arkansas football shirt. The video was captioned “it’s a great day to be a razorback.”

Just a few days prior to his announcement, Johnson was tweeting different pictures of himself in a Mizzou football uniform.

Johnson Arkansas coach Barry Odom, who previously worked as the defensive coordinator for Mizzou, for the flip.

“Honestly, it’s because of coach Odom and another coach named Sam Carter,” Johnson told 247Sports. “They both came from Mizzou. When things didn’t work out at Mizzou, I hit up coach Odom and he showed Coach Pittman (Arkansas head coach) my highlights. He loved them and gave me an offer to come to Arkansas.”

Josh Griffis

Griffis flipped not once, but twice during his recruitment. The 3-star defensive end flipped from Florida State to Louisville on December 6, but on Wednesday he went back to FSU.

Griffis initially de-committed from FSU just before the school hired new head coach Mike Norvell. He flipped back to FSU after taking an official visit last weekend and meeting Norvell.

Chubba Purdy

Purdy also flipped from Louisville to Florida State. Purdy had been committed to Louisville since June, but like Griffis, he received new interest from Norvell after he was hired to coach FSU.

“Florida State!! I am a Nole,” the four-star quarterback wrote on his Twitter account.

Johnny Wilson

Wilson, a 4-star wide receiver, flipped from Oregon to Arizona State on Wednesday. He had been committed to Oregon since July but an official visit to the Arizona State campus on November 9, helped to change his decision and make him the top signee for the program.

Jimmy Holiday, Danny Gray

Both Holiday and Gray were committed to TCU but flipped on Wednesday. Holiday, a 3-star recruit signed with Tennessee and wide receiver Gray flipped to SMU.

“I just felt like I had a better chance to develop myself on a bigger stage,” Holiday told GoVols247, regarding his flip to Tennessee.

“Blessed to be Apart of Vol Nation,” Holiday posted to his Twitter account.

“SMU made a big jump in my recruitment because they didn’t sell a dream or show me any flashy things,” Gray told 247Sports. “What I love about SMU is that they made my family feel at home and that was a big part.”