FOURTH IN A SERIES: The first-ever Early Signing Period has changed the college football recruiting landscape dramatically, with a good portion of the nation’s recruits signing with the colleges of their choice. That has left some programs searching to fill spots, opening new doors for the players who elected to wait and sign in February. With the dead period now over and the month-long race to Feb. 7 now on, we take a look at the best available unsigned prospects at each position. Today we take a look at highest-ranked offensive linemen still on the market.
TOP UNSIGNED PROSPECTS: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers
Schools in the mix: Utah, Oregon, Alabama, USC
The breakdown: Sewell was close to making a decision during the fall but the coaching change at Oregon threw a major wrench in his decision-making process. Sewell has already taken all five of his official visits, so it’s unlikely another program enters the picture and in the end it could come down to what coaches have to say on in-home visits. Most believe it’s a battle between the Ducks and Tide but USC has been in the picture from the early going and Utah presents the option closest to home.
Schools in the mix: Penn State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech
The breakdown: Walker took official visits to State College and Blacksburg prior to the early signing period and there was even some rumblings that he might sign early with the Nittany Lions. But he elected to wait so he could take an official visit to Columbus, which will happen later this month. Can the Buckeyes do enough on that trip to steal him away from Penn State? With two official visits still in play it’s not out of the question that another program could get in the mix as well.
Schools in the mix: Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alabama, Florida
The breakdown: Despite there being less than a month until Petit-Frere makes his decision, there are still several schools who feel like they have a very real shot of landing his commitment. He’s already visited Michigan and Notre Dame and the Buckeyes, Tide and Gators are all expected to have him on campus this month. It will be a race to the finish between several of college football’s bluebloods to add the athletic lineman.
Schools in the mix: Florida, Auburn, Clemson
The breakdown: Gouraige has been committed to Florida since October, but obviously a lot of things have changed since then. Gouraige has been exploring his options open since the Gators changed coaches, with Auburn emerging as the Gators main competition. Gouraige will visit the Tigers this month, while Clemson also appears to be in the mix for an official visit. Gouriage has offers from schools from all over the country, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see another program emerge as well.
Schools in the mix: South Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee
The breakdown: Wonnum has kept a tight lid on his recruitment and despite LSU once appearing like his leader, it looks like the Tigers are now out of the picture. South Carolina has been a consistent presence in Wonnum’s recruitment, and his older brother D.J. has been developed into a star by the Gamecocks' staff. Auburn has also been in the mix for quite some time and will host Wonnum for an official this month. The Gamecocks will also host Wommun, while Tennessee is trying to convince him to schedule a trip as well. It’s shaping up to be an all-SEC battle over the next few weeks.
