Storylines to follow as the Late Signing Period approaches
The Early Signing Period is nearly over and there are a few big names to follow as the Late Signing Period approaches on Feb. 1. Here are four storylines to follow as the Late Signing Period comes into focus.
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Can anybody catch Alabama?
The Crimson Tide have the top-ranked recruiting class right now, but Georgia is working to pass them. The Bulldogs added Rivals250 No. 61 prospect Jordan Hall and they are inching closer to Alabama in the team rankings.
Nick Saban's 2023 recruiting class will be very tough for anybody to pass, though. The group ranked No. 6 all-time before adding five-star Desmond Ricks to the mix on Thursday. The Tide had already signed three other five-stars in safety Caleb Downs, defensive end Keon Keeley and offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor. With the addition of Ricks, the Tide have a total of 14 signees in the top 100 of the Rivals250.
Georgia has a few other top targets that remain unsigned or uncommitted, but the Bulldogs will need to shoot a really high percentage in these few recruitments if they want to claim the team recruiting crown this year. Five-star Duce Robinson is one player they have a very good chance at signing, and five-star Nyckoles Harbor has shown interest in the past. There is still another rankings update in January, which could prove to be a major factor in the race for No. 1 in the team recruiting rankings.
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Where will Duce Robinson end up?
Robinson is the highest-ranked uncommitted prospect in the Rivals250, but he doesn't comment on his recruitment much. Even if he doesn’t want the attention on his recruitment, that's where it'll be as he tries to sort through the final weeks of the recruiting process. USC and Georgia are in a tight battle for his commitment, but there are plenty of big names lurking in his recruitment. The Trojans and Dawgs already hosted him for visits, as have Alabama and Texas. Watching his January visit schedule take shape will be one of the more closely followed storylines of the final stages of the 2023 recruiting cycle.
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Will Nyckoles Harbor keep us guessing?
It's going to be fun to follow Harbor's recruitment down the stretch. Most of the spotlight will be on him for the next month, and he is really leaning into it. He'll be one of just two uncommitted five-stars for the final month of the recruiting process and the second-highest ranked uncommitted player at the Under Armour All-America Game next week. Maryland, Michigan and South Carolina are in the best position heading into the stretch run, but momentum appears to be on the side of the hometown Maryland Terps. He's been to campus at least three times this month, but look for additional visits to other schools once January hits. Harbor likes to keep the public guessing, so don't be surprised if there isn't advanced notice for one of his visits.
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Will the Late Signing Period generate much noise?
Recruiting the transfer portal has become just as - if not more - important to college football recruiting as the high school recruiting process. There are many teams opting to take more transfers than high school signees this year. A lot of those teams were the ones that ended up filling the majority of their recruiting classes in the Late Signing Period. This year that may not be the case. There are nearly 500 players in the Rivals Transfer Portal Rankings and more are being added almost daily. How many of those players will be signed instead of the under-recruited high school prospect with a high ceiling? There are a lot of players and parents that would prefer just one signing period so they know what the roster will look like before they sign.