A letter of intent binds a student-athlete to attend a college or university for one academic year. Once a letter of intent is signed, other colleges cannot recruit the student-athlete.

Another signing period for most sports starts in April. The signing period for football, soccer, cross country, men's water polo and track and field begins in February.

Athletes, coaches and parents are asked to e-mail preps@ocregister.com. Wednesday with any signings.

We will be posting all the news from Signing Day here on the OCVarsity blog as we receive it and in Thursday's Register.  We'll have reporters out at some schools' signing ceremonies, but we can't be everywhere.

So please contact us at preps@ocregister.com and dalbano@ocregister.com with your news. Even better, submit photos of the signings and we'll post them here on the Web site.

And be sure to keep up with all the Signing Day action with our constant updates through the day.

Related posts:

• Fab 15: First team, part one
• Fab 15: First team, part two
• Fab 15: First team, part three
• Fab 15: Second team, part one
• Fab 15: Second team, part two
• Fab 15: Second team, part three
• Girls soccer: Santa Margarita duo makes their choices
• Girls soccer: Northwood’s Wing commits

Related recruiting links:
Top 15 football recruits of past 15 years.
Top 20 O.C. football recruits for Class of 2009.
O.C. QB leads Fab 15 selections.
O.C. recruiting insider.
All the latest UCLA Signing Day news.
All the latest USC Signing Day news.

Adam Maya/OCVarsity

1. Ross Williams (Mission Viejo, LB) San Diego State – Anytime a player chooses San Diego State over Ohio State is a major steal. Williams was All-County good in 2006, and would have made the 2007 team had a back injury not forced him to miss half the season.

2. Anthony Laurenzi (El Dorado, DL) Washington State – The Register Defensive Player of the Year seemed like was in on about every play. It took some time, but Washington State finally saw what we were treated to the past two seasons.

3. Ricky Pemasa (Orange Lutheran, LB) Fresno State – It’s not everyday a player chooses Fresno State over Boise State. But this is where Pemasa said he was most comfortable. One of his coaches said he, not Blake Ayles, was the Lancers’ most valuable defensive player.

4. Toa Tuitea (Westminster, TE) Arizona State – I did not get the chance to se him play, but the Sun Devils made their move late in the recruiting season and snagged a player who can play tight end and on the defensive line. How good is he? Tuitea’s brother said Arizona State coaches are split as to what position he’ll play first.

5. Cameron Meredith (Mater Dei, DL) Nebraska – Nebraska was about the last place Meredith wanted to be when initially offered a scholarship. But after a visit to Lincoln, this All-County lineman was sold.

Adam Maya/OCVarsity

1. Andrew Abbott (Mater Dei, DB) unsigned – This Mater Dei athlete can also play a receiver. His size (5-9, 160) might have deterred colleges from paying attention, but Abbott proved himself in the Southern California Bowl and Mater Dei’s biggest games — Who do you think caught that 97-yard touchdown from Matt Barkley against Servite with Matt Kalil hanging on his leg? He also had the game-clinching interception against Centennial of Corona. His plan as of now is to wait for a better offer, and perhaps he will get one. Remember,
Oregon snagged Tustin running back Javes Lewis last year in June.

2. Robbie Boyer (Mater Dei, WR) unsigned – After a meeting with UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, he did not get the scholarship offer. Boyer was both possession receiver and playmaker in the Monarchs offense. He also didn’t shy away from going over the middle, making him the county’s best receiver in 2007. He looks headed toward a walk-on tryout at UCLA or USC, where his cousin, Matt Barkley, is committed to play in 2009.

3. Wes Fletcher (Valencia, RB) Idaho State – Did he not rush for nearly 6,000 yards? Fletcher is not undersized (6-0, 215) nor slow (4.50 40), so I’m surprised bigger schools were not in the picture. I saw both he and UCLA-bound Derrick Coleman (Troy) and didn’t see a great disparity between them. But Fletcher said he is happy with his destination.

4. Ryan Saumur (Cypress, LB/DB) Northern Arizona – There wasn’t anything Saumur couldn’t do. Playing at Cypress kept him out of the recruiting limelight, but he is a gamer. I could see him playing at a bigger school.

5. Blake Hyepock (Orange Lutheran, QB) Wesleyan – By the numbers, he had the second best season of any quarterback in the county. Yes, better than Nick Crissman. He didn’t just manage games for Orange Lutheran, he was a big part of their run to the Pac-5 semifinals. Hyepock (6-0, 180) doesn’t have ideal size, but haven’t we learned that lesson already?

Adam Maya/OCVarsity

(Send your signing information to preps@ocregister.com if you're missing)

Blake Ayles (Orange Lutheran, TE) USC

Jeff Baca (Mission Viejo, C) UCLA

Derrick Coleman (Troy, RB) UCLA

Kyle Cook (Mater Dei, OL) Dartmouth

Nick Crissman (Edison, QB) UCLA

Christian Daniel (Canyon, WR) Columbia

Andrew Douglass (San Clemente, LB) Montana

Patrick Duffy (Mater Dei, K) Harvard

Wes Fletcher (Valencia, RB) Idaho St.

Doug Gebhardt (Orange Lutheran, DB) Amherst

Anthony Hannon (Servite, LB) Wesleyan

Logan Harrell (Santa Margarita, DT) Fresno State

Khaled Holmes (USC, OL) USC

Tim Hodgdon (Tesoro, OL) Washington St.

Evan Huahulu (Servite, DL) SMU

Blake Hyepock (Orange Lutheran, QB) Wesleyan

Matt Kalil (Servite, OL) USC

Darren Koontz (Los Alamitos, DT) Boise St.

Kameron Krebs (Mission Viejo, S) Oregon State

Anthony Laurenzi (El Dorado, DL) Washington St.

Brady Lukas (Esperanza, LB) Air Force

Cameron Meredith (Mater Dei, DL) Nebraska

Kevin Murphy (San Clemente, OL) Harvard

Austin Niklas (Servite, LB) Air Force

Nick O'Niell (Mater Dei, DL) Colorado (preferred walk-on)

Ricky Pemasa (Orange Lutheran, LB) Fresno St.

Warren Reuland (Mission Viejo, WR) Stanford

Ryan Saumur (Cypress, LB/DB) Northern Arizona

Nolan Sheldon (El Dorado, TE) UC Davis

D.J. Shoemate (Servite, ATH) USC

Cody Smith (Orange Lutheran, WR) Washington and Lee

Josh Swaney (Troy, WR) Cal Poly SLO

Ben Tauanuu (Mater Dei, OL) Montana St.

Toa Tuitea (Westminster, TE) Arizona St.

Don Williams (Orange Lutheran, OL) Minnesota St.

Ross Williams (Mission Viejo, LB) San Diego St.

1. Blake Ayles (Orange Lutheran, TE) USC – His combination of size, skills and athleticism made him simply dominating and one of the top three tight ends in the nation.

2. Matt Kalil (Servite, OL) USC – A midseason off-field injury was a setback, but when healthy he was by far the best tackle in the county and one of the best in the country.

3. Khaled Holmes (USC, OL) USC – Think Kalil, but at guard.

4. D.J. Shoemate (Servite, ATH) USC – He has the talent to play a half dozen positions. Which one will he end up at?

5. Nick Crissman (Edison, QB) UCLA – He is good enough to compete for the Bruins’ vacant starting gig in the fall.

Adam Maya/OCVarsity

Kevin Hart, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive lineman, offered a broad apology in a statement he issued Wednesday afternoon through the Lyon County School District. He said he had wanted to play football at a Division I school “more than anything.”

“When I realized that wasn't going to happen, I made up what I wanted to be reality. I am sorry for disappointing and embarrassing my family, coaches, Fernley High School, the involved universities and reporters covering the story,” Hart said.

Lyon County sheriff's detectives had said earlier Wednesday that they had been unable to corroborate Hart's claims that he had been duped by a man he had paid to help promote him in his bid to play college football.

Hart spoke with deputies Saturday, a day after he announced at a school assembly and a press conference that he would sign with University of California, Berkeley.

At the announcement ceremony on Friday, Hart, with Fernley coach Mark Hodges at his side, said he talked Cal head coach Jeff Tedford many times, and that “personal experience” led to his decision to choose the Golden Bears over Oregon, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.

But the announcement was questioned almost immediately, and on Monday officials with California and University of Oregon said Hart was never recruited by their programs.

Lyon County sheriff's Lt. Rob Hall said Wednesday morning that “nothing has been corroborated.”

“There are some things that appear to be inconsistent with how the (recruiting) process works,” he said.

Hall said Hart had claimed the alleged recruiter was named Kevin Riley, and that he believed he was from Las Vegas.

Hart, however, was “unable to provide any phone numbers, addresses,” or other contact information for the purported recruiter, Hall said.

On Tuesday, Lyon County School District administrators said an internal investigation showed that none of the universities once thought to have pursued Hart – including Nevada, Washington and Oklahoma State – were involved.

Superintendent Nat Lommori and Assistant Superintendent Teri White, in issuing the statement the day before recruits across the country sign letters of intent to play for college programs, said they wanted to relieve concerns prospective recruits to those schools might have because of the Hart matter.

RENO, Nev. (AP) – A Fernley High School football player who said he was duped into believing he was recruited to play at Cal admitted today he made up the story.

Kevin Hart, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive lineman, offered a broad apology in a statement he issued Wednesday afternoon through the Lyon County School District. He said he had wanted to play football at a Division I school “more than anything.”

Adam Maya/OCVarsity