Inside the recruitments of top 2021 college football prospects

Some college football prospects are starting to change their recruitment timelines, moving their decision dates up or moving them back, because of the restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic. Whether their plans have been altered or not, coaches are still recruiting these elite prospects as much as they can.

There are currently 187 ESPN 300 recruits who have already made a commitment thus far in the college football recruiting cycle. Looking deeper into the list:

• 90 of the top 150 have announced their commitments

• 58 of the top 100 are committed

• 25 of the top 50 are committed

And six of the 13 five-star prospects have made their commitments, including No. 1 prospect Jack Sawyer, a defensive end who committed to Ohio State. Sawyer is the only top-five recruit who has committed, however, and there are still quite a few big names on the board.

Some prospects might not yet be ready to commit, but here is a look at where some of the highest-ranked recruits might end up.

OT Tommy Brockermeyer
6-foot-6, 280 pounds
Fort Worth, Texas
ESPN 300 rank: 2

Teams in the mix: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Texas

Brockermeyer is the No. 1-ranked offensive tackle in the class and has a twin brother, James, who is an ESPN 300 offensive lineman, ranked No. 97 overall. There is a good chance the two will end up at the same school, as both have expressed their interest in staying together. Tommy released his top list of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, LSU and Texas back in December, and James released a top list of Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas.

If they stick together, you can surmise that James' list is probably the more narrowed down version for both. Either way, for Tommy it seems this could likely come down to Alabama and Texas. The twins have many ties to the Texas program, as their father, Blake, played football for the Longhorns. Texas has put in its best effort, even having Matthew McConaughey, the "Minister of Culture" at Texas, get on a Zoom call with Tommy.

However, Alabama has also put a big focus on the two brothers in this class. Early on, it seemed as though it would be tough to beat out the ties to Texas, but if Tommy were to announce today, it very well could be Alabama. There is still time left for this to change, as Tommy has not set a commitment date, but Alabama is the pick for now.

Prediction: Alabama

DE Korey Foreman
6-4, 265 pounds
Corona, California
ESPN 300 rank: 3

Teams in the mix: Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, USC

Foreman is the No. 2-ranked defensive end, just behind Sawyer in the rankings. He had previously committed to Clemson, even getting a Clemson tattoo to commemorate the decision, however he decommitted back in April.

Foreman said he wanted to take visits, and because Clemson doesn't allow committed prospects to take visits, he decommitted to make sure he was making the right decision.

At a premium position, Foreman is highly sought after and has focused on Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Oregon and USC. It is rare to see someone decommit and then recommit, but Clemson still has a shot at getting him back in the class. The other teams on his list are making their best case, though, and some of the programs have some extra help with recruits who are good friends with Foreman.

Defensive tackle Maason Smith has said he would like to play with Foreman in college, and Smith is considering some similar schools as Foreman in Georgia and LSU. Smith has other teams on his top list, but those are the two that intersect.

Being from California, Foreman also has USC high on his list, and the feeling is mutual. The Trojans, in an effort they're referring to as "take back the West," are making a big push in this class to keep the top in-state prospects at home. USC has bounced back tremendously in this recruiting cycle. After landing only one ESPN 300 recruit from California in 2020 and finishing with the No. 54-ranked class overall, the Trojans now have five ESPN 300 commits from California, including the No. 2- and 3-ranked prospects in the state with quarterbacks Jake Garcia and Miller Moss.

The Trojans have the No. 6-ranked class overall, and adding Foreman would be a huge piece for Clay Helton and his staff. It would be a big validation of their efforts on the recruiting trail this cycle and, although Foreman hasn't announced a decision date just yet, USC is the pick for now.

Prediction: USC

DT J.T. Tuimoloau
6-5, 280 pounds
Bellevue, Washington
ESPN 300 rank: 4

Teams in the mix: Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford, USC, Washington

Tuimoloau doesn't get a lot of the same publicity some of the other top prospects do. Whether that's because he's in Washington or because he stays out of the spotlight, it doesn't matter; he is still a highly sought after recruit and the No. 4 prospect overall.

Similar to some of the other prospects on this list, Tuimoloau doesn't have a timeline yet for his decision, but it doesn't seem as if it will happen in the near future.

With Tuimoloau being from Washington, the Huskies are trying to do whatever they can to keep him in state. Washington's class is ranked outside the top 25 for now, but the staff already has ESPN 300 quarterback Sam Huard and ESPN 300 linebacker Will Latu committed. The Huskies would love to have Tuimoloau in this class, and to help their efforts, Tuimoloau was even offered a basketball scholarship at Washington.

It seems as though this has been mainly Ohio State and Washington at the top. These predictions are tough because there is so much uncertainty with recruiting, given that we don't know when visits will be allowed again nor how long recruits are going to wait to make their decision. As of now, Ohio State is the guess for Tuimoloau, but Washington is trying hard to keep him home, so this could change.

Prediction: Ohio State

DB Tony Grimes
6 feet, 180 pounds
Virginia Beach, Virginia
ESPN 300 rank: 6

Teams in the mix: Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas A&M