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SAN ANTONIO -- With only a few unsigned players remaining, attention on said prospects has ramped up during the All-American Bowl week in San Antonio. Information can be tough to come by, but recruiting analysts Adam Gorney and Woody Wommack are on the ground in Texas and pass along the latest rumblings on five elite unsigned prospects.
Five-star Chris Steele will have five hats on the table for Saturday’s announcement at the All-American Bowl but three programs in particular have the best chance at landing the Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco cornerback.
Florida, Oregon and Oklahoma seem to have the best shot with Steele, who has also looked at USC and South Carolina in recent weeks after his decommitment from the Trojans. He had made a pledge to UCLA really early in his recruitment.
Many believe the Gators will be tough to beat. He loves the idea of being tested in the SEC, playing for a program that produces top-flight defensive backs all the time and getting out on his own and growing as a player. It would be a huge pickup for Florida since Steele is big and physical and ready to compete early on.
Khris Bogle has watched closely the Miami coaching situation in recent days and he said the hiring of Manny Diaz after Mark Richt’s surprising retirement helps the Hurricanes “a lot.” Diaz was one of the first coaches to start recruiting the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons four-star defensive end so Miami has not fallen off one bit since the Richt departure.
Alabama needs to be watched closely though. Bogle said that “you can’t go wrong” with picking the Crimson Tide and he’s especially interested in being tested by the best each day in practice. On Saturday, the four-star defensive end will commit with Miami, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee the final four.
Four-star athlete Asa Turner had been committed to Washington for months and the early signing period looked like a perfect time for him to seal things with the Huskies.
But as that deadline approached, the Carlsbad, Calif., recruit who could play linebacker or safety was starting to have second thoughts and wanted more time to consider Notre Dame. The Irish definitely intrigue Turner, who said as the early period approached, he didn’t know if he was going to show up to his commitment ceremony and which school to pick.
So Turner has taken a step back, will re-evaluate both Washington and Notre Dame in the coming weeks (he wants to revisit both schools but is not certain that will happen) and then come to a decision later on. The Irish have to like their chances since Turner basically delayed his signing so he could get to know Notre Dame even better.
Noa Pola-Gates is a popular man so far this week in San Antonio as other prospects jockey to give their best recruiting pitches the four-star defensive back. One of the most vocal prospects about his efforts is four-star athlete Wandale Robinson, who said that landing Pola-Gates is one of his prime objectives for the week. So far, the early returns appear to be good for the Huskers as there is a growing groundswell among those here that he will indeed pick Nebraska when he announces a commitment in mid-January. After once looking bound for Alabama, Pola-Gates would be a major addition for Scott Frost and company.
Like many of the players announcing in the game, most assume they already know Tyrique Stevenson’s school of choice. Georgia has been the leader in the clubhouse since the summer, and nothing has changed to make people think otherwise. Nevertheless, Miami fans are holding out hope that Manny Diaz’s appointment as head coach can be enough for the Canes to pull a Hail Mary. Stevenson said he hasn’t spoken to Diaz, but is paying attention to which coaches he elects to retain on the staff. Either way, the door is likely shut, even if Stevenson isn’t ready to admit it.
