Just about anything can happen on National Signing Day, and in the past it has happened. Letters can been signed on the wrong dotted line, or faxed in before the appointed time and been voided. Recruits that have been committed to a school for months can be lost in a matter of minutes when another school puts on a last-minute push to gain that signature.

On Wednesday, a mom reportedly refused to sign a letter of intent for one of the top running backs in the nation because her favored school apparently was not her son's school of choice.

Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter and the Bulldogs football staff all know this -- have heard most of it and lived some of it, from the wild to the wacky. So, yes, there was some trepidation as the clock closed in on 7 a.m., when the documents binding student-athlete to school could start to roll in.

"There are all kinds of crazy stories. You never know what's going to happen on signing day," DeRuyter said. "As you're making phone calls, if a guy doesn't pick up immediately, you're wondering: 'Uh oh. Is somebody else on the phone with them?'"

It doesn't help that prospective student-athletes can continue to be recruited through what used to be a dead period -- coaches are now allowed unlimited phone contact with recruits starting 48 hours out from signing day, and no doubt make use of the extra time.

"When a guy can't get to a fax machine by 7 a.m. for whatever reason, that always worries me," said Phil Earley, the Bulldogs' recruiting coordinator. "Through the years, there was a guy that went sideways in the morning. Somebody called him. They had just lost somebody, and he hadn't sent his stuff in yet."

Just like that, he was gone.

But for DeRuyter and the Bulldogs' staff, it was an eventful uneventful early morning, the day starting at 5 a.m. for Earley and compliance coordinators Ryan Mitchell and David Hall. They had sent letters of intent to 24 recruits -- 17 from high schools and seven from junior colleges -- and by 10:30 a.m. or so all had been signed and sent in to the compliance department.

And the closest they came to a rough spot was not close at all: One player arrived at his high school to have his letter of intent faxed, but no one was yet there to let him in or send in the documents.

A short time later, the letter of intent came through the fax machine. Then another, and then another.

In the slower moments between incoming faxes, the Bulldogs' coaches sat around with varying degrees of patience, bolstered at that hour by coffee, bagels and DeRuyter's fast-food breakfast sandwich of choice -- he came in a little after 6 a.m. with a full bag under his arm.

Conversation ran the gamut from free-range chicken -- apparently, all that is required to be classified as such is access to the outdoors with no requirement for length of time spent outdoors; to the merits of Lake Tahoe as a vacation destination -- oddly, some don't much care for it; to grapes and microwave ovens, as in, "Did you know if you put a grape in a microwave it explodes?"

There also was mention of flat-iron steaks and SAT scores, not that one has much of anything to do with the other. There was some football mixed in there, too.

"I've been around ones that are a little more on edge, but things have gone pretty much to plan and that's what you always hope for on signing day -- that there aren't a whole lot of surprises," DeRuyter said. "I'm really excited about the guys we had committed. We've had some long-term relationships with most of these guys starting from last spring, which was part of our plan last year of not committing to guys after just getting to know them for a couple of weeks.

"To have the relationships that we've had with guys, it only strengthens you when some of the BCS conference teams come in on these guys late. If you don't have those relationships, they might get wowed by a school with a bigger stadium or more exposure. Some guys obviously are going to do that, but we're really happy about the guys that decided to stay here if they're already in the Valley or the guys that are in California, Arizona or Texas want to come here and be a part of something special."

Early and the assistant coaches kept it all moving without a hitch -- the assistant who recruited the player had him on the phone as the fax was being sent and received and once it had been verified by the compliance department the phone was handed to DeRuyter, who at volume congratulated each player, welcomed them to the family and made a point of telling each that there was work ahead.

When done, the Bulldogs' class included a three-star quarterback in Zack Greenlee from Lincoln High-Stockton, a three-star wide out in Da'Mari Scott from Cathedral High-Los Angeles and a three-star cornerback in Treshon Broughton from Murrieta High-Murrieta Vista.

The class was ranked third in the Mountain West Conference by Scout.com behind Boise State and San Diego State.

Said DeRuyter: "I'm just happy we didn't have any of those oddball experiences."