There are two-and-a-half weeks until college football's early signing period starts on Dec. 16. It's going to be a unique signing day for coaches, as has been the case for nearly every other aspect of recruiting this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Some teams will be prepping for their game being played that weekend. There won't be big, booster-filled celebrations because of COVID-19 restrictions. But despite the recruiting dead period and the lack of official visits over the past several months, signing day will happen, and the majority of the top prospects are expected to sign.
As of now, only 36 ESPN 300 prospects have not made a commitment. Not every one of those recruits will sign in December, but the majority of them will come off the board in December or early January.
To help get an idea of where some of these top recruits will end up, here are predictions for five of the top uncommitted prospects in the ESPN 300.
DE Korey Foreman
6-foot-4, 265 pounds
Corona, California
ESPN 300 rank: 3
Teams in the mix: Arizona State, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, USC
Foreman is the second-best defensive end in the country behind Ohio State commit Jack Sawyer. Foreman's recruitment has already been a winding one, with a commitment and decommitment from Clemson and multiple teams in the mix to try to land him.
USC looked like a team that was going to have a good shot after his decommitment. Then it was Georgia, then LSU, back to USC and then back to Clemson. Foreman just took a visit to Clemson and even has a Tiger tattoo on his arm he got while committed. Whether that visit, so close to signing day, will impact his feelings is yet to be seen. He won't make his announcement public during the early signing period, but is planning to announce on Jan. 2.
Foreman is good friends with fellow ESPN 300 defensive lineman Maason Smith, and the two have talked about going to the same school. If they end up at the same spot, it would most likely be LSU.
That is going to be my pick for right now, but his visit to Clemson, USC being close to home and the fact that this recruitment has gone back and forth so many times indicates that could change, and he could realistically end up at any of the schools on his top list.
The pick: LSU ... for now.
DT J.T. Tuimoloau
6-foot-5, 280 pounds
Bellevue, Washington
ESPN 300 rank: 4
Teams in the mix: Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC, Washington
Tuimoloau is a top-ranked defensive tackle in the class who has also received a scholarship offer to play college basketball. The teams on his top list have said he would be able to try hoops once he's at college as well.
He has been relatively quiet in his recruitment and kept everything close to the vest. Because of the dead period, he hasn't been able to take all of his official visits, which is partially why Tuimoloau will decide in either January or February.
That will give time for the schools on his top list to make an impact. Ohio State seems to be in the lead for now, but after the majority of prospects sign in December, coaches will have a lot more time to focus on the select few prospects left unsigned, including Tuimoloau.
With Alabama in the conversation, it's tough to discount Nick Saban's ability to close and Alabama's production from its defensive linemen. The same can be said about Ohio State and defensive line coach Larry Johnson, though. Ohio State is the pick for now, but Alabama, Oregon and a few of the other schools could still make some headway.
The pick: Ohio State
ATH Xavian Sorey
6-foot-3, 210 pounds
Bradenton, Florida
ESPN 300 rank: 20
Teams in the mix: Alabama, Florida, Georgia
Sorey, one of the top linebackers in this class, is planning to announce his decision on Dec. 16, the first day of the early signing period. Though some schools on his initial list might have been impacted because of recruiting restrictions and the fact he wasn't able to take visits, his top three were likely to remain the same either way.
Wednesday, December 16 @ Graceville High School, I will be Signing to one of these 3 Schools. Everyone's welcome! #SlideSorey🤝 pic.twitter.com/tTCOo7YNys
— Xavian Sorey Jr (@Sorey_Jr) November 30, 2020
He was able to visit Georgia, though, and the Dawgs have a good shot at landing Sorey along with Florida. He is another prospect who has been relatively quiet throughout his recruitment, and another recruit where this could go either way for the schools on his top list.
The pick: Georgia
OT Tristan Leigh
6-foot-5, 280 pounds
Fairfax, Virginia
ESPN 300 rank: 22
Teams in the mix: Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma
Leigh has been pretty proactive throughout his recruitment in not letting the recruiting restrictions and lack of visits get in his way. He has taken his own pseudo visits to schools -- in which he isn't allowed to interact with coaches -- but he has been able to take in campus life and other aspects of the universities.
It seems LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma have separated themselves in Leigh's top five. He took a visit to see the Sooners alongside Oklahoma quarterback commit Caleb Williams and was able to view the campus with some of the other prospects on hand.
It's not yet known when Leigh will announce his decision. The recruiting dead period was extended until April 15, so he won't be able to take any actual visits before deciding. If things stay the same, Oklahoma looks to be the front- runner with LSU close behind. If he takes more time, though, and goes into January, it gives each school more time to convince him otherwise.
The pick: Oklahoma
WR Emeka Egbuka
6-foot-1, 190 pounds
Seilacoom, Washington
ESPN 300 rank: 28
Teams in the mix: Ohio State, Oklahoma, Washington
Egbuka is the No. 2-ranked receiver in the class behind Oklahoma commit Mario Williams Jr. Egbuka is another Washington prospect who hasn't done a ton of interviews and tends to keep to himself.
Ohio State has been the presumed leader for a while, and the Buckeyes have an outstanding track record at receiver. The Buckeyes already have ESPN 300 wide receivers Jayden Ballard and Marvin Harrison Jr. committed in this class. The staff signed the No. 1 receiver in 2020 with Julian Fleming, along with ESPN 300 receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Mookie Cooper and Gee Scott Jr.
On top of that, Ohio State has ESPN 300 quarterback Kyle McCord committed in 2021 and the No. 1 overall prospect, quarterback Quinn Ewers, committed in the 2022 class.
There are a lot of reasons for Egbuka to pick the Buckeyes, but it's not yet known when he will actually announce a decision. Oklahoma is in the mix as well, though he hasn't been able to visit the Sooners. His decision timeline could come into focus in the next week or two, but Ohio State is still going to be the pick for now.
The pick: Ohio State