Polynesian Bowl: Commitment predictions on unsigned players
HONOLULU – The annual Polynesian Bowl will be played Friday at 9 p.m. ET from Oahu, and it features a roster full of elite talent. Most prospects are already signed, but Leviticus Su'a will announce his commitment decision live during the broadcast on NFL Network, and several other prospects are set to announce their commitments between now and signing day on Feb. 1.
Today, we make our predictions on where unsigned prospects will land.
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MORE FROM THE POLYNESIAN BOWL: Duce Robinson keeps two-sport dream alive | Rumor Mill/latest buzz | OL vs. DL | Cormani McClain buzz
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The situation: Su'a has narrowed his list to three finalists: Arizona, Stanford and UCLA. He's visited all three programs and surprisingly all three fan bases still feel like they're heavily in it to land his commitment.
Rumors have circulated that Su'a has actually already signed with Arizona, making things even more complicated heading into his pick. Based on the buzz around the Wildcats, I'm going to lock in my pick for Arizona to land him during the broadcast.
The pick: Arizona
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The situation: Robinson has had one of the most unique recruitments in the class of 2023, pushing aside visits due to his obligations in baseball and basketball, and still openly pursuing a spot in this year's MLB Draft. But Georgia, USC, Oregon, Texas and Alabama are all still in the mix to land his signature on Feb. 1, and he said this week that he still doesn't know where he's going.
It's believed to be essentially a two-horse race between the Dawgs and the Trojans, and I came into the week confident that Robinson would end up in Athens. But USC isn't going away and Robinson has been receiving the full-court press from Malachi Nelson, Zach Branch and others this week in Hawaii.
I'm still going to pick Georgia, but USC is a very close second right now, and I could see things getting very interesting over the next 10 days.
The pick: Georgia
MORE ROBINSON: Duce speaks to Rivals | Gorney: Is UGA in the best spot?
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The situation: One of the fastest players in the country regardless of position, Pleasant has elected to let his process play out at a slower pace than other elite prospects and now is down to a final group that includes Boston College, Cal, Oregon, USC and UCLA, and he plans to announce his decision on Feb. 1.
USC is viewed as the leader, and for me it's hard to imagine him ending up anywhere else, especially considering how closely he's been hanging with Trojans signees Branch and Nelson this week. Serra has always sent its top players to nearby USC, and I'm going to lock in a pick for the Trojans on this one as well.
The pick: USC
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The situation: The one-time UCF commits backed off their pledge to the Knights just prior to signing day, due largely in part to the departure of lead recruiter and defensive coordinator Travis Williams to Arkansas. Speculation immediately surfaced that the two would head with Williams to Fayetteville, but Maryland has thrown a wrench into those plans.
The Terps have now moved into pole position for the duo, and with no other visits likely between now and signing day I'm going to lock in my pick for them to end up in College Park.
The pick: Maryland
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The situation: Ruffins doesn't have a lot of offers, but he's shown at the Polynesian Bowl and at the All-American Bowl that he's worthy of a spot at an FBS school. Right now, the main contenders for his services are Army and UNLV, which recently entered the mix with an offer. But Ruffins also just took an official visit to Army, and the staff there put together a clear plan for him both on and off the field and clearly took the edge in his recruitment.
With no other visits planned at this stage I'm going to lock in my pick for him to land at Army, with the caveat that new offers or visits over the next week or so could throw a wrench into the mix.
The pick: Army