National Signing Day is less than a week away, and there are still plenty of critical recruiting storylines that have yet to be concluded. Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith examines the biggest questions in the Big Ten.
NATIONAL SIGNING DAY PREVIEWS: Key ACC storylines | Key SEC storylines | Ten potential flips to watch heading into NSD | Flip candidates who will stick with commitments
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WILL OHIO STATE KEEP THE NO. 1 SPOT?
Ohio State sits at No. 1 in the Rivals Team Rankings as we head into the final week before the Early Signing Period. The program is currently fending off Georgia, which is making a hard charge at the top spot. The Buckeyes have taken some hits to their elite commitment list lately with recent decommitments from four-star defensive linemen Zahir Mathis and London Merritt.
There is also the possibility that five-star defensive back Na’eem Offord will flip next week.
But the Buckeyes are lurking with some flip targets themselves. Most notably with five-star Tennessee offensive tackle commit David Sanders. The Buckeyes are trending to flip the No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation with a strong combination of NIL and development as the center of the pitch. The program is also in prime position to flip defensive athlete Chaz Coleman away from conference foe Penn State.
JUST HOW MUCH DAMAGE WILL MICHIGAN DO?
There isn’t a hotter program in the country right now than Michigan. The program is coming off the heels of the biggest flip of the cycle by getting five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood. The Wolverines now have the top four prospects in the state on their commitment list. Another top 10 in-state prospect, Colorado commit Alex Graham, is trending toward Ann Arbor.
But the key to Michigan continuing to rise up the rankings will lie with big-time prospects from outside the Midwest joining the program.
Michigan has its eyes on flipping five-star offensive lineman Ty Haywood away from Alabama. It’s going to be tough but there is optimism in Ann Arbor that the program can pull it off. There are other high-profile prospects such as Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Javion Hilson, Jayvon Boggs and Jordan Young that the Wolverines are circling back on.
At this point, it feels like Michigan will land some more big fish down the stretch.
FIVE-STAR WATCH
There are several five-star decisions that are ongoing within the Big Ten. These decisions could have a huge impact on the perception of the conference coming out of the Early Signing Period. If Ohio State can pull off the flip of David Sanders away from Tennessee it would put the SEC on notice that Ohio State is serious about addressing its offensive line woes.
We have a Big Ten battle looming for defensive lineman Jakeem Stewart. He’s set to announce on signing day with USC and Oregon rising above LSU in the pecking order. One of the West Coast powers seems destined to land him. Ohio safety Trey McNutt is listening to what Texas A&M has to offer but is expected to stick with his Oregon pledge. After months of Notre Dame being the favorite for Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Michigan has emerged as a dominant favorite for his signature.
The conference could see a nice injection of five-star talent once the dust has settled. But you never know what twists and turns are in store in these big-time recruitments.
