MAKING THE CASE: Will it be Auburn or LSU for Ja'Marr Chase?

With National Signing Day right around the corner, several of the nation’s top prospects are nearing final decisions in advance of officially signing their letters-of-intent next Wednesday.

Today, experts from the Rivals.com network examine where five-star Phenix City (Ala.) Central wide receiver Justyn Ross will end up playing his college football. The candidates are Auburn, Alabama and Clemson.

The Situation: Ross has been one of the nation’s most highly sought-after players at any position but has been locked in on his final trio since the summer. Early on it looked like a battle between Auburn and Clemson, and at times both of the Tigers felt confident about their chances. But Alabama has made a recent push and seems to be picking up steam, even after Ross officially visited Auburn over the weekend. With official visits to all three schools in the books, Ross could make a decision any day. So where will he end up? We asked our team experts to state the case for their respective programs and let National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell issue a verdict.

“Alabama has recruited Ross for more than two years. It has been a very close battle between the Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers the last few months. He took an official visit to Alabama two weekends ago. He has a very close relationship with the Crimson Tide coaching staff. It seems like Alabama is slightly ahead of the Tigers heading into his decision next week.” – Andrew Bone, BamaInsider.com

“Ross took an official visit to Auburn and has the Tigers in his final three, but that's probably as close to the top as they will get. Ross might stay in the state to attend college, but it won't be at Auburn.” – Jeffrey Lee, AuburnSports.com

“Clemson has been a leading contender for many months because of reasons that haven’t changed. Its NFL receiver pedigree resonates, and five-star quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s arrival offers strong promise to feed their pass-catching prowess. Co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott and area recruiter Todd Bates have longstanding relationships here and are among the best recruiters on Clemson’s staff, while Dabo Swinney still has his in-home visit this week to make their case why the Tigers would be the superior fit once the perception of validation in playing for the Tide is removed. It’s predictably tough to beat Alabama for an in-state five-star it wants, and it would be foolhardy to ignore the momentum the Tide feel they have with Ross going down the stretch. But it would also probably be premature to discount Clemson’s chances in light of those circumstances.” – Paul Strelow, TigerIllustrated.com

“After months and months of thinking this would be Clemson I’m going to go with Alabama here. They have the momentum it seems after a great official visit and in-home, he has certain members of his family who would really like to see him stay home and this one is trending towards the Tide. Clemson would still not surprise me and it seems Auburn is on the outside looking in.” – Farrell