Mid-South Spotlight: Biggest remaining 2023 storylines
The Early Signing Period is six weeks away and the pressure is building. Highly ranked prospects around the country are closing in on their final decisions and the all important final visits are coming.
Here is a look at the top remaining storylines in the Mid-South as the Early Signing Period looms large on the horizon.
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RELATED: Biggest remaining 2023 storylines on the East Coast
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board
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How strong will TCU finish?
TCU's on-field success has been astonishing in 2022, and that momentum has carried over onto the recruiting trail as the Horned Frogs are closing in with a handful of four-star prospects.
The Horned Frogs have two four-star commitments already in the fold from Avion Carter and Warren Roberson, but could soon add many more to that total as they pursue four-star wide receivers Mikal Harrison-Pilot and Braylon James, four-star all-purpose back Rueben Owens II, four-star safety Randon Fontenette and four-star defensive tackle Markis Deal.
Of that group, I think TCU lands at least two with three being the likely number. But if TCU keeps winning on the field and works its way into the playoff, the sky is the limit for Sonny Dykes in his first year in Cowtown.
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What happens in the recruitment for Peyton Bowen?
Every week it feels like there is a new wrinkle in Bowen's recruitment and, amid it all, he is putting together one of the strongest senior seasons in the entire country.
The longtime Notre Dame commit has flirted with Texas A&M and Oklahoma for most of the fall, and now Texas is beginning to come back around ahead of National Signing Day.
Bowen is coming off of a return visit to Notre Dame this past weekend where most of the Irish commits were able to see Marcus Freeman's bunch take down No. 4 Clemson. Can that momentum sustain the Irish all the way to signing day?
FACT OR FICTION?: Notre Dame has Peyton Bowen locked up
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How many flips happen before National Signing Day?
We could be in for an unprecedented flip season ahead of the Early Signing Period as over a dozen Rivals250 recruits along with a handful of four-stars outside the rankings are at the center of flip rumors here in early November.
To name a few, Colton Vasek, Bowen, Suntarine Perkins, and many more have seemingly been on the verge of flips for weeks while recruits such as Anthony Evans III and Malik Muhammad have taken notable visits to other programs in recent weeks.
Click here for more on what could be a wild ride in regards to flips in the Mid-South region ahead of signing day.
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How does Texas A&M recover down the stretch?
To say this season has been rough on Texas A&M would be an understatement, as the Aggies have crawled their way to a 3-6 record and are reeling on the recruiting trail after losing Denton (Texas) Ryan five-star linebacker Anthony Hill on Monday.
There are many holes still to be filled for Texas A&M in the class including spots at running back, wide receiver, defensive back and now linebacker with a little more than six weeks to signing day.
Fortunately for the Aggies, there is still a lot of untapped talent available in the state of Texas, but they may have to go scraping at the bottom of the barrel to fill what was once a promising 2023 class.
STING FACTOR: Anthony Hill decommits
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Can Texas Tech and Arkansas secure the top classes in their history?
Arkansas and Texas Tech are both flirting with securing their top respective recruiting classes in Rivals history this year, as long as they can maintain their key pieces while adding onto what has already been built.
Texas Tech currently sits with the No. 18 recruiting class in the country which would eclipse the Red Raiders' previous best of having the No. 20 class in the 2011 cycle.
For Arkansas, the Razorbacks sit with the No. 15 class in the country which would be better than their previous best of having the No. 16 class in the 2009 cycle. With the rankings expected to move around, Arkansas will need to add a couple pieces to maintain its high ranking, but it's possible that Sam Pittman can achieve something that hasn't been done in Fayetteville in well over two decades.