RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK: Storylines from updated state rankings
There are just 10 more days left until the first letters of intent from the 2019 class start rolling into college football offices. Several big recruitments expected to be resolved before the December Signing Period ends have yet to get sorted out. We take a look at the five biggest in the Midwest today.
This recruitment has gone on longer than most observers expected, which may shed some light on where it ultimately ends up. Officially Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are the final three. At different points over the last year each have been considered the team to beat, but more recently Michigan and Ohio State have appeared the two most likely destinations.
A fall game visit to Ann Arbor created substantial buzz that Michigan had gained an upper hand in this recruitment. However, the timetable for an expected decision from Harrison continues to get extended. Several more unofficial visits to Ohio State have occurred in the interim, the Buckeyes beat Michigan in the season finale and Urban Meyer announced his retirement, all things that could alter the direction of this recruitment. I forecasted Ohio State in the summer and did not adjust it during Michigan’s surge. Might as well stick to my guns.
Prediction: Ohio State
Last year Indianapolis natives Julius Brents and D.J. Johnson signed their letters of intent during the early signing period, but were able to convince the receiving school, Iowa, to keep those signings quiet so they could take part in a team signing event on the first Wednesday in February. Bell might try and attempt the same feat.
The Rivals100 receiver plans to announce his decision at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 5 and has said he will sign in the February period. He took what is expected to be his final official visit this past weekend to Indiana, though, and when the dead period hits next week, there is very little recruiting that can be done before Bell announces. This recruitment appears to be down to Purdue, Penn State and Indiana. Purdue already appeared to be the team to beat before Jeff Brohm announced his return.
Prediction: Purdue
This is a recruitment we should have closure on this week. Keegan has scheduled his commitment announcement for Friday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. ET. That will wrap one of the more difficult to decipher recruitments of this 2019 cycle.
Keegan rarely talked about his recruitment, but even when he did discuss schools publicly he did not give away much. A top five of Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State emerged as Keegan’s senior season kicked off. All but Clemson were able to host the Chicagoland native for an official visit, with his most recent going to Penn State this past weekend. Ohio State already seemed to be losing steam even before Meyer’s retirement. Michigan and Georgia have been strong throughout, and it’s a little too early to determine how successful Penn State was this weekend. Any of the three would not surprise me, but I’ll take a shot with the Wolverines.
Prediction: Michigan
Williams released a top five of Arizona, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky and Purdue in October, but ultimately will only officially visit two of those schools. The first of those official visits did not happen until just this past weekend, when Williams was in Bloomington with Bell and several other top Indiana targets. The second official visit is planned to go to Purdue this upcoming weekend, with a final decision planned for Dec. 19, which is the opening of the Early Signing Period.
This recruitment appears to be coming down to the two in-state schools since those are the only programs hosting Williams on an official visit. He has been to both schools multiple times previously and has always expressed interest in representing his home state at the next level. At this point, the mutual interest seems highest with the Hoosiers.
Prediction: Indiana
Randolph did not take his first official visit of the process until just this past weekend when he traveled up to Michigan State, and would seem a likely candidate to sign in the late period. However, the downstate Illinois product has said that he could sign in the early period if his two December official visits provide the clarity he is looking for in the recruiting process. That second official visit is expected to go to either Iowa or Illinois and coaches from both schools have been at Randolph’s school multiple times in the past couple weeks. A late-arriving prospect who only started playing the game as a junior, Randolph reacted strongly to a September offer from Michigan State and his interest in the Spartans has risen in the past few months as he has built a relationship with their coaching staff and realized an opportunity for early playing time.
Prediction: Michigan State
