Signing Day Spotlight: Mique Juarez
More Spotlights: Ben Davis | Demetris Robertson | Mecole Hardman | Rashan Gary
Five-star Mique Juarez is a wild card as his recruitment closes in on National Signing Day with three legitimate contenders still in the running: UCLA, Alabama and Ole Miss.
The top-rated prospect in California out of Torrance North will take a visit this weekend to BYU and the Cougars could definitely move up but aren’t seen as a major contender at this point.
Juarez took a “quick trip” to UCLA on Wednesday and Ole Miss coaches were expected for an in-home visit as well. His trip to Alabama went exceedingly well and the Crimson Tide are a serious player in the days leading up to his decision.
Will he stay home at UCLA or go to the SEC? That question remains unanswered as Signing Day approaches.
Here is a take from each Rivals network analysts who cover Juarez’s three favorites:
"Since his decommitment from USC in the fall, most everybody close to his recruiting process has whispered that UCLA will be his landing spot on Signing Day. While Alabama and Ole Miss have certainly made their cases with good official visits this past month, the buzz out in California is still for the Bruins. An unofficial visit to UCLA on Wednesday, a household full of Bruin fans back at home in Torrance and immediate playing time filling in for likely top 10 pick Myles Jack has UCLA fans feeling good heading into next week's big day." – Edward Lewis, BruinSportsReport.com
"The recruiting momentum shifted for Juarez after his official visit to Alabama. Juarez and his family had a great trip to Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban had an in-home visit with Juarez the day after he returned home from his official visit. The Alabama coaching staff hopes the momentum can last until Signing Day. Alabama has a chance to close very strong at the linebacker position and they hope one of the players it signs is Juarez." – Andrew Bone, TideSports.com
“Ole Miss has made Mique Juarez a priority at linebacker, one of the thinnest positions on the Rebels' roster, for months. As of late December, the Rebels loved their chances. Then he visited Alabama, and the Crimson Tide clearly got a huge bump and possibly became the leader for his services. UCLA is the hometown team, but there's a sense in Oxford that this could be an SEC battle. With days to go until National Signing Day, however, there's confusion about Juarez's desires. Ole Miss views him as a key piece to their defense in 2016 and beyond, but it's a guess at this point whether the Rebels can finish the deal and steal a five-star from California. Maybe it's UCLA. Maybe it's Alabama. Maybe Juarez has a future in poker if football doesn't work out. Ole Miss wants him badly and feels it has established the relationships and comfort level to sign Juarez, but the Rebels don't have a strong sense of his decision at this point.” – Neal McCready, RebelGrove.com