ACC Spotlight: Storylines to follow prior to National Signing Day

The Early Signing Period took some luster off of the National Signing Day in February, but there are still some very talented recruits available. ACC teams still need to fill out their recruiting classes and there is plenty of intrigue to come over the next four weeks. Check out this breakdown of the five biggest ACC storylines as the final signing period approaches.

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There are a handful of recruits across the country that were verbally commitment prior to the early signing period but decided to wait until February to sign their National Letter of Intent. The two headliners from the ACC that fall into this category are four-star Miami defensive line commit Nesta Silvera and three-star Virginia defensive back commit DJ Brown. Silvera could be classified as a solid commit but, after consulting with his coaches, decided to not sign in December and is thinking about taking official visits to Ohio State and Florida.

Brown has picked up offers from five different schools since the Early Signing Period, and two of them are in great shape to receive official visits. The unsigned Virginia commit is planning on taking an official visit to Clemson this weekend and has an official visit to California locked in for next weekend. The Under Armour All-American will have two official visits remaining after his trip to the West Coast, and the two likeliest candidates are Northwestern and South Carolina. Northwestern has been pushing for a visit from Brown for a few months, but an offer has yet to come. If he were to take an official visit to Evanston (which would probably take place the weekend of Jan. 26) that would likely change. South Carolina is one of Brown’s newest offers and the Gamecocks could get him for an official visit the weekend right before Signing Day.

Coaching changes set you back in recruiting. That’s always been the case. With this cycle bringing about the first ever Early Signing Period, however, that rule applied doubly. Florida State signed just seven players in the early period, and Willie Taggart’s staff is just now falling into place. It’s why the dash to the finish will be a furious one for FSU. The Seminoles still do not have a quarterback in the fold, and many viable options are off the board at this juncture. The fact that FSU’s class currently ranks in the 40s is the more pressing issue.

Taggart will have the Noles out of the 40s by the time National Signing Day rolls around, sure, but how high can they conceivably climb? A top 10 class would be nothing short of a miracle, given the circumstances, and even a top 15 or top 20 class is going to require a few breaks. FSU will likely land Rivals100 wide receiver Warren Thompson, an uncommitted prospect, so that will provide a boost.

Taggart will likely be fine in the long run but, because of circumstance, he has an uphill climb to salvage his first class. Keep in mind, however, that Florida State reeled in three top 5 classes in the last three years, so there is talent on campus.

Rivals250 running back Mychale Salahuddin released a final four of USC, Pittsburgh, North Carolina and Syracuse recently, but the former Trojans commit seems to be headed for the ACC. He’s taken official visits to USC and North Carolina already and will be taking his official visits to Syracuse (Jan. 19) and Pittsburgh (Jan. 26) later this month. Syracuse has done a terrific job of pitching Salahuddin all the major keys he is looking for, in addition to the possibility of playing offense with current teammate and Syracuse signee Edward Hendrix. Pittsburgh is right there with Syracuse and it looks like the Panthers will be getting the all-important last official visit. The possibility of early playing time is something that really interests him. Salahuddin will hold off on committing until National Signing Day.

Barring an unforeseen run by Clemson, Miami will likely finish with the top class in the ACC. The question that remains: Where will the Hurricanes finish nationally? Mark Richt has the Hurricanes in the Rivals.com top 5 after a 10-win season and an Orange Bowl appearance, and it looks as though UM could finish in such a spot come National Signing Day. Richt and company are in the mix for Rivals100 defensive back Tyson Campbell and are one of the favorites to land his commitment. The 'Canes are also – to a lesser extent – alive in the race to secure the commitment of five-star Patrick Surtain.

Obviously, there’s more on UM’s the table than Surtain and Campbell, but Richt has made his living in-state and would like to continue to do so down the stretch. Should the Hurricanes hold on to their current spot (or rise higher), it would be the program’s first top 5 class since 2008.

The Tar Heels only have 14 signees and need to fill out their class. North Carolina seems to be playing from behind with the aforementioned Salahuddin. Getting verbal commit DeAndre Hollins to sign on the dotted line is a priority, but the guys at the top of head coach Larry Fedora’s wish list are Rivals100 offensive lineman William Barnes, Rivals250 linebacker Dax Hollifield, three-star offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu, and three-star defensive lineman Jamarcus Chatman. Barnes made some very pro-North Carolina comments last week at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Hollifield is also getting the full-court press from the coaching staff. Ezeudu and Chatman will be taking official visits to Chapel Hill.