National Signing Day: Five teams in spotlight
The Early Signing Period for the class of 2021 opens on Wednesday, and several schools expect to be involved in the action with several top prospects making their decisions. Once again, the Southeastern Conference is where much of the signing week spotlight is expected to be cast.
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NATIONAL SIGNING DAY: Farrell's predictions | Announcement Guide | Flip Watch
COACHING NEWS: Farrell's thoughts on Auburn decision | Five teams that benefit from Auburn coaching change | Auburn's coaching candidates | How recruiting doomed Lovie Smith at Illinois | Five realistic candidates for Illinois | Arizona recruits react to Sumlin's firing | Five candidates for Arizona job
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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1. GEORGIA
The Georgia Bulldogs will once again be a focus of the recruiting world during the signing period. It looks unlikely that Kirby Smart and his staff can pull off a third straight team recruiting rankings title, but this is already a top five ranked class that has a chance to get even better this week.
The biggest potential prize for the Bulldogs is No. 1 in 2021, defensive tackle Maason Smith. LSU had been considered the team to beat for Smith, but the Georgia momentum has surged recently. The Bulldogs also look good for a pair of Rivals100 prospects – outside linebacker Xavian Sorey and running back Donovan Edwards – who will both announce on Wednesday. They also continue to battle for five-star defensive end Korey Foreman, who will sign this week but not announce until next month.
2. LSU
Few teams need positive news this week as much as LSU. It has been a rough few months for the Tigers, and they need to stop the downward trend. The focus this week is five-star Smith, who has long been considered an LSU lean. However, Georgia is generating a lot of buzz with Smith and could swoop in for the late steal.
The Tigers recently offered four-star in-state safety Jardin Gilbert and look likely to obtain his services, though he may wait to announce his decision publicly even if he does sign this week. Florida cornerback Damarius McGhee will announce his decision Wednesday, and LSU is the FutureCast in that recruitment.
3. OKLAHOMA
There are several recruitments that involve multiple schools on this list, and one of those is five-star offensive lineman Bryce Foster. Oklahoma has made great strides in this recruitment over the last nine months, and is currently the FutureCast favorite to land the No. 14 ranked prospect in the class.
Texas A&M is not going to let the legacy prospect go without a fight, however, and this one is coming down to the wire. The Sooners are also locked in a head-to-head battle with SMU for four-star offensive tackle Savion Byrd. They could also get news on five stars Camar Wheaton and Tristan Leigh this week, but they are both expected to publicly announce their decision at a later date.
4. TEXAS A&M
The Aggies have already started building momentum for the Early Signing Period. Last Friday they landed a commitment from three-star offensive tackle Remington Strickland. Then, the following day, they added Rivals100 defensive end Shemar Turner. Jimbo Fisher and his staff do not plan to stop there, however.
Texas A&M is involved with some of the biggest recruitments expected to be decided this week, including Foster, who will make his selection on his birthday, Dec. 18. They are also involved with five-star Tunmise Adeleye and Rivals100 running back LJ Johnson. The Aggies are looking likely for four-star defensive end Elijah Jeudy, who is expected to sign this week but not announce his decision until Jan. 2
5. USC
One of the teams outside the top 10 that has a good chance to move into that ranking after this week is USC. The Trojans can get their signing period off to a good start early on Wednesday morning when four-star quarterback Jaxson Dart announces his commitment. USC is the consensus FutureCast pick for the record-setting Utah passer. The USC staff should also know whether they are getting five-star Foreman this week, though he plans to wait until Jan. 2 to announce which school he signed with.
Four-star cornerback Ceyair Wright is also expected not reveal his choice until Jan. 2 despite signing this week, while fellow four-star cornerback Devin Kirkwood will announce his decision between UCLA and USC Wednesday afternoon.