Three-Point Stance: Rivals100 predictions, SEC superlatives

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with early predictions on the rest of the uncommitted prospects in the Rivals100, a look at the SEC’s Early Signing Period and a new rule the NCAA needs to consider.

MORE: How things stand with the 32 uncommitted Rivals100 prospects | Big Ten superlatives

Earlier this week I predicted where the remaining uncommitted five-star prospects would end up. Now it's time to take a crack at the other uncommitted prospects in the Rivals100.

DT Rick Sandidge – South Carolina. It’s tough to bet against Georgia and some others but the Gamecocks have been linked for so long that I’ll go with that.

OL Penei Sewell – Oregon. USC is making a hard push and Alabama is always tempting but Oregon and Mario Cristobal have been there the longest. Watch out for Utah here as well.

DB Kelvin Joseph – LSU. This should be one of those re-commitments I’m always talking about.

OL Rasheed Walker – Penn State. I’m not sure what has taken so long and maybe there’s something I’m missing here, but I’m sticking with the Nittany Lions.

DE Tyreke Smith – Ohio State. Penn State made a nice run here and after Jackson Carman bolted the state you have to be a bit hesitant, but I’ll still stick with the Buckeyes.

DT Michael Thompson – Missouri. USC is in there with his friend Trevor Trout committed (but not signed) and Nebraska is making a run, but right now I think he stays home.

WR Ja’Marr Chase – TCU. Many may think LSU is the team to beat because it rarely loses out on home-state prospects, but his fit in the TCU offense will win out.

ATH Talanoa Hufanga – USC. He lives near the Oregon campus but USC has been talked about often with Hufanga. He’s a quiet kid and hard to read but I think USC gets him.

DE Tyler Friday – Michigan. This is a tough call because at one point it appeared a few schools backed off and he’d end up at in-state Rutgers, but the Jersey connection to Michigan is too hard to predict against.

OL Nick Petit-Frere – Florida. Notre Dame was linked for a time and the Gators have been part of his recruitment forever so I’ll guess that he stays close to home and plays for Dan Mullen.

LB JJ Peterson – Tennessee. Alabama was the leader but I think Jeremy Pruitt’s hire was just the thing for the Vols to win this battle.

QB Tanner McKee – BYU. He’s a devout Mormon and I think that will play a major factor. Stanford could be in the mix as well.

WR Warren Thompson – Florida State. Once Willie Taggart was hired this one didn’t become much of a mystery, at least to me.

OL William Barnes – Florida. He’s been linked to the Gators for long enough for me to think he ends up there in the end.

WR Jaylen Waddle – Texas A&M. Jimbo Fisher needs a big win and Waddle will be it.

DB Julius Irvin – Notre Dame. The new Florida offer is tempting but the academics and staff at Notre Dame are his preference.

DB Tyson Campbell – Miami. The ‘Canes are making a strong push and the season they had and geographical advantage will win out in the end.

WR Jalen Hall – Oregon. This is a tough call but the Ducks have been on him consistently and he fits their offense well in his mind.

LB Solomon Tuliaupupu – USC. This seems to be a near lock according to most.

DB Mario Goodrich – LSU. The former Nebraska commitment is now locked in on the SEC it seems and I’m going with LSU and the lure for defensive backs to play there.

Now that the Early Signing Period is over, I’ll take a conference-by-conference look to see how things shook out. Today I look at the SEC.

Biggest Get: Emory Jones – Jones' commitment to Florida is bigger than Justin Fields going to Georgia simply because the Gators needed a quarterback so badly in this cycle and if they whiffed they were in big trouble. He could be the guy to lead the Gators' offense back to at least respectability.

Biggest Loss: Xavier Thomas – Remember when he was a South Carolina lock? Losing him to Clemson hurts the Gamecocks but also the conference as this kid is a special talent.

Biggest Surprise: Matt Corral – Had you told me at the start of the process that Corral would end up at Ole Miss I would have said you were crazy. From USC to Florida to the Rebels, this is a great surprise addition for Ole Miss.

Future Star: Zamir White – I know he’s coming off injury and running backs are hard to project and often bust out, but this is one of the best running backs I’ve scouted and Georgia does pretty well with backs lately.

Highest Ceiling: Eyabi Anoma – He has barely scratched the surface of his potential and could be a superstar in the next few years. Of all the five-stars he could be furthest from his true potential than any and that’s a good thing. Alabama will bring the best out of him.

Project To Watch: Joey Gatewood – Will he be the next Cam Newton at Auburn or will he be a tight end or big wide receiver who barely makes an impact? It could go either way for Gatewood.

Tackling Machine: Quay Walker – The Alabama commit loves to hit and is all over the field. He should continue the great linebacker tradition in Tuscaloosa. Like Otis Reese for Michigan who I wrote about Tuesday, he hasn’t signed and needs to be a priority.

Surprising Team: Mississippi State – Despite losing Dan Mullen, Mississippi State has a top 20 class nationally (No. 6 class in the SEC) and is ahead of Florida, Tennessee and others. That’s unexpected at this stage.

Must Keep: Patrick Surtain – LSU has had the lead for a long time but if Florida State or Miami slides in here it will be a loss to the conference. You can’t count out Alabama either for the conference.

Do-or-Die January: Texas A&M – The Aggies are currently 35th in the country and No. 12 in the conference, which is way out of whack with recent results. Jimbo Fisher needs a strong January and a big close to get Texas A&M in its normal range.

I have a simple suggestion for the NCAA now that so many players, some elite and others just marginal NFL prospects, are skipping bowl games: Allow true freshmen to play in bowl games without losing a full year of eligibility.

There was some talk a year ago about a rule that would allow true freshmen to play in as many as four games without having to redshirt but that seems to have lost traction. That would be even better, but at the very least allow everyone to play in a bowl game without the fear of losing their redshirt.

This trend of players skipping bowl games will continue and it could migrate into the regular season, especially for those teams having disappointing seasons. So allow those who are dying to play, the freshmen who haven’t seen action, to get their chance while these others protect their pro aspirations. This seems like an easy fix to me.