East Coast Spotlight: Commitment predictions for top prospects

Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman makes his predictions for the top uncommitted prospects in the East region.

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It’s just a matter of time until Lambert announces his commitment. A decision has been rumored to be on the horizon for the last couple of months. Now that the season is here it seems like everybody is just waiting for the announcement.

Notre Dame leads Boston College, Harvard, and Ohio State. The Fighting Irish have long been the leader and it still seems like that is still the case.

Prediction: Notre Dame

Willor is really attacking the recruiting process now that he is back home in Maryland. The Terps just hosted him for an unofficial visit last weekend and they’re in line to get an official visit later this season.

Penn State, Ohio State, South Carolina and Auburn are just some of his other contenders for official visits but don't expect a quick decision. Willor will likely take his recruitment deep into December.

Penn State has always been high on Willor's list and it seems like it is in position to capitalize on the early interest that he had. There’s still a long way to go and plenty of twists and turns ahead but the odds favor Penn State at this point.

Prediction: Penn State

Cole was just at USC for a visit this past weekend and the trip seems to be resonating with him. That being said, Georgia has held onto the top spot in his recruitment for months despite continuous pushes from Tennessee and a few other programs. The Trojans already pulled off one upset win in the East earlier in the recruiting process when Deyvid Palepale chose USC over Penn State, but it seems like they still have some work to do before Cole‘s commitment on Sunday.

Georgia will likely take its lead into the weekend but a last-minute change wouldn’t be all that surprising.

Prediction: Georgia

Harvey has also been rumored to be nearing a commitment for months. Penn State has been the leader but USC and Maryland have been hitting all the right buttons to get his attention as well. The Trojans are working hard to pull off another upset on the recruiting trail, but Maryland seems to have an opportunity to move up his list if it is able to get him back on campus and impress him once again. That being said, Penn State is going to be tough to beat here.

Prediction: Penn State

Gray's recruitment has remained fairly quiet despite him possessing a lot of the physical traits college coaches are looking for out of defensive tackles. North Carolina and Maryland have been linked to Gray the most but teams haven't turned up the heat on him yet.

Look for serious contenders to emerge as more defensive linemen around the country come off the board. Depending how things turn out, the local Maryland Terps could be the beneficiary of the slower pace of Gray's recruitment.

Prediction: Maryland

Brown's recruitment has been fairly quiet recently, but Rutgers still seems to be in good position for the New York native. Earlier in the process, it seemed like Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Syracuse were among some of his bigger contenders but the Scarlet Knights appear to have a strong hold on his attention at this point.

A commitment date isn’t set right now but it seems like he’ll eventually end up with Rutgers.

Prediction: Rutgers

White's recruitment hasn’t been full of drama but earlier this month he named a top five that included Florida State, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Coastal Carolina. The North Carolina native has taken closer looks at all of these schools during the recruiting process, but visits lately have not generated much recruiting news.

Florida State is a program to watch down the stretch, but it seems like teams are waiting for some dominoes to fall before turning up the heat on him. If he had to commit today, he would likely end up at Coastal Carolina, but there’s still a lot to figure out in the recruiting process before all is said and done.

Prediction: Coastal Carolina

Virginia Tech, Duke and Georgia State are the final contenders for Walker, who is scheduled to announce his commitment on Sunday. Virginia Tech has been a team to watch in his recruitment but Walker hasn't tipped his hand much throughout the process. The Hokies could be the choice on Sunday but don't rule out Duke and Georgia State.

Walker has had an up-close look at the recruiting process for years thanks to his brother Jalon, a linebacker at Georgia, and his father Curtis Walker, the former head coach at D-II Catawba College.

Prediction: Virginia Tech

A former Northwestern commit, Tate's recruitment has gone slowly since he decided to look at his options once again. Boston College is one team to keep an eye on but he wants to take a visit before a commitment. Appalachian State hosted Tate prior to the season and its persistence could pay off in a big way. Georgia State and James Madison are also in the mix.

Prediction: Appalachian State