Almost all the work was done during the signing period in December but there are still some storylines remaining heading into Wednesday’s National Signing Day. Here are five teams to watch as the 2020 class gets closed out:
MORE NSD 2020: Seven must-get prospects | Farrell's predictions | Lasting memory of the 2020 cycle | Which assistant is crushing it on the recruiting trail? | Which final weekend visit stands out? | What surprise is in store? | Which prospect is the most likely to flip? | Which program could have the best finish? | Farrell's thoughts on 2020 rankings | Biggest SEC questions | Which hire has been the most important?
FLORIDA
The Gators are currently sitting at seventh in the team recruiting rankings, but there could be a lot of positive movement for coach Dan Mullen’s club in the closing hours if a lot of things need to go the right way and some are probably unlikely.
Arguably the top remaining target is four-star running back and Georgia Tech commit Jahmyr Gibbs as the Gators have not given up down the stretch. Many believe Gibbs will stick with the Yellow Jackets but Florida isn’t giving up. The Gators are also making a run at four-star defensive end Princely Umanmielen, Colorado running back pledge Ashaad Clayton, three-star athlete Dee Beckwith and Sedrick Van Pran, although flipping him from Georgia could prove difficult.
GEORGIA
Entering National Signing Day, Georgia is attempting to hold onto the top spot in the team recruiting rankings for the third year in a row and that would be a tremendous feat for coach Kirby Smart and his staff.
It looks like the Bulldogs dodged a major bullet over the weekend when five-star commit Broderick Jones decided against taking a final visit to Auburn, a program that’s been trying to flip him. Four-star offensive center Sedrick Van Pran is another one who has been on flip watch, but Georgia looks good with him as well. The Bulldogs could have a quiet close on Wednesday, other than possibly being able to flip three-star defensive back Daran Branch from Ole Miss.
OLE MISS
There are still a lot of moving parts for first-year coach Lane Kiffin and one step of that is to keep Daran Branch in the class and away from flipping to Georgia. That could be tough but it’s definitely possible.
A close watch is also on for five-star running back Zachary Evans because the Rebels have definitely intrigued him and getting him in the fold would be huge. A lot of work was done by Ole Miss and Kiffin in the last few weeks landing commitments from four-star defensive end Demon Clowney and four-star running back Henry Parrish, possibly one of the biggest sleepers in this class. Locking them up will be crucial and maybe getting some clarity - if that’s possible - on Evans will be important this week as well.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Three-star receiver Ger-Cari Caldwell is an important final piece in South Carolina’s class that could be getting overlooked because everything leading up to Wednesday centers around five-star defensive end Jordan Burch. The Columbia (S.C.) Hammond School standout committed to the Gamecocks during the early signing period, but he did not sign, saying he wanted to wait and put pen to paper in February with his teammates. Well, it’s now February and two weekends ago, Burch took another visit to LSU, sparking rumors that the national champs were going to flip him. Then he took his final official visit to South Carolina this past weekend and the chatter is things could not have gone better. It still seems like a toss-up between LSU and South Carolina that will be finalized on Wednesday.
TEXAS A&M
The rumors surrounding five-star running back Zachary Evans and Texas A&M just will not die and they continue heading into National Signing Day. He’s been linked to Georgia (where he actually signed a National Letter of Intent and then got released from it), Tennessee and Ole Miss in recent weeks but there continues to be steam around the Aggies.
No one knows if Evans is going to announce something on Wednesday or wait until later - and all plans are considered soft since things change so frequently with him - but the Aggies are a player again. Texas A&M is also deeply involved with four-star defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson, who was in College Station last weekend and the Aggies had a final shot at him. Three-star running back Darvon Hubbard is expected to pick A&M on Wednesday as well.
