Take Two: Where will five-star RB Trey Sanders land?
THE STORYLINE
Trey Sanders is the best running back in this class and the second-best prospect overall - and nobody seems to have an idea which school he’s going to pick on Wednesday during the early period.
The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy star had been committed to Alabama early in his recruitment and it looked like the Crimson Tide were the front-runners again after his decommitment but things could have changed drastically just in the last few weeks.
That’s because Sanders took a visit to Georgia - and loved it. Plus, IMG teammate Nolan Smith is committed there and the Bulldogs remain an intriguing school in his recruitment in the closing days.
Then there is Florida. Sanders’ brother is on the team and he took his final official visit to Gainesville this past weekend. Might the Gators have done enough to convince the five-star running back he could be a superstar in Dan Mullen’s offense.
A few months ago, the feeling was that Sanders could end up back in Tuscaloosa. It was probably likely that was going to happen. But now Georgia and Florida have made their final pitches and this recruitment is no longer as clear.
Where will Sanders pick?
FIRST TAKE: COREY BENDER, GATORSTERRITORY.COM
“This is an interesting situation where each finalist feels somewhat confident in their chances to reel in Sanders. The buzz around Florida is that it's the Gators and Alabama in a closer battle than expected, while Georgia and Texas remain hopeful as well.
“Sanders is fairly well-reserved and does a good job of not revealing his cards, but the appeal of playing alongside his older brother has always been there and Florida is the only school that can make that happen. Sanders' mother has always been a big supporter of UF's program as well, so that doesn't hurt. Dan Mullen's staff did all they could this past weekend, and definitely have a shot, but now we wait on the nation's top-ranked running back, who doesn't have the easiest decision to make.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“I don’t think Alabama is a lock and I think Georgia is right in there. The family seems very undecided where he should go. He was an Alabama lock for a very long time and then he took a visit to Georgia and loved it, so then Georgia came into play. Now he took a visit to Florida and they have his brother, so they’ll be in play.
“This is going to be one of those decisions that nobody has any idea what he’s going to do on Signing Day. He’s going to announce on Wednesday and I’m picking Georgia right now but that’s just a guess. Florida got the last shot at him but they’re trailing. I think they’re third in this race.”
MORE TAKE TWO: Does Texas have an edge for Rivals100 RB Noah Cain?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
MORE SIGNING DAY: Three-point stance | Rivals Roundtable | Announcement Guide | Ten bold predictions | Five who could flip | Teams that should, shouldn't be excited
