College football's late signing period is on Feb. 3 and will close out the remaining recruiting classes in this 2021 cycle.
As has become the norm, most of the top prospects in the class signed during the early period in December, and quite a few are already on campus after enrolling early.
But there are a few big names left, some storylines to watch and movement that could happen within the class rankings.
Here is a look at where things stand in recruiting, how many uncommitted prospects are left and which teams have something to gain next week.
Which recruits signed in December?
Despite the restrictions from COVID-19 and the NCAA-created dead period since March, most recruits signed in December. This class, while limited this year in its ability to take any visits, wasn't greatly affected in terms of being able to make a confident decision in its college choice.
Because recruiting happens so fast and so early in their high school careers, many prospects had already taken visits to schools the previous year and had built solid relationships with coaches. Only 21 ESPN 300 prospects remain unsigned.
That compares favorably to past recruiting cycles. The first year of the early signing period was 2018, when 221 ESPN 300 recruits signed early. That increased to 260 in 2019 and 265 in the 2020 cycle.
Of the 13 five-star recruits in this class, 12 are signed. That includes the No. 1-ranked prospect, defensive end Jack Sawyer, who signed with Ohio State. The Buckeyes signed two five-stars in Sawyer and running back TreVeyon Henderson, the No. 9 recruit.
Alabama signed the most five-stars, however, with three. That includes No. 2-ranked Tommy Brockermeyer, an offensive tackle from Texas, No. 5-ranked J.C. Latham, another offensive tackle, and linebacker Dallas Turner, who is the No. 12 recruit overall.
USC fought down to the wire to land the No. 3 prospect, defensive end Korey Foreman, who decommitted from Clemson last spring and seemingly went through a few favorites before landing at USC.
There aren't many top recruits left unsigned in this class, as 24 of the top 25 prospects have signed and 45 of the top 50 are signed. Ninety-three top-100 prospects signed in December -- running back Camar Wheaton committed to Alabama but did not sign -- and six prospects are uncommitted and unsigned.
Who is still uncommitted?
In the ESPN 300, there are six prospects who are committed but did not sign in December. Wheaton is ranked the highest, followed by defensive back Ceyair Wright, the No. 108 recruit, who is committed to USC. Linebacker Wynden Ho'ohuli, ranked No. 157, announced he committed to Nebraska after the early signing period but has not signed.
Committing but not signing leaves the door open for schools to come in to try to sway them away.
There are only 15 ESPN 300 prospects who are uncommitted and unsigned, comparable to past cycles with 17 uncommitted and unsigned ESPN 300 recruits in 2020 and 14 in 2019.
At No. 4 overall, defensive tackle J.T. Tuimoloau is the highest-ranked uncommitted recruit and the only five-star left unsigned.
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound defensive tackle from Bellevue, Washington, has a top five of Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Washington. He has been relatively quiet throughout his recruitment, so where he lands is still a mystery, but many believe it will come down to Alabama or Ohio State, potentially with the Buckeyes coming out on top.
The next highest-ranked uncommitted recruits are defensive tackle Tywone Malone and linebacker Raesjon Davis, the Nos. 43- and 44-ranked prospects overall. Malone released his top six in October: Florida State, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC. Ole Miss seems to have a good chance of landing Malone, which would cap an excellent close to this class for Lane Kiffin and his staff.
Davis is a little more difficult to predict, as he has kept everything to himself. He told ESPN he still hasn't fully decided which school he intends to sign with, but took a makeshift visit to Ohio State this past weekend to help him decide.
The 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, has a top group of LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Vanderbilt, and will announce his decision on signing day.
Running back L.J. Johnson and wide receiver Destyn Hill are the only other recruits ranked in the top 100 who are uncommitted. Johnson, ranked No. 83, is from Cypress, Texas, and there is a good chance he stays in-state with either Texas or Texas A&M. This could end up being new Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian's first recruiting battle with the Aggies.
Hill, from New Orleans, is ranked No. 86 overall and could very well end up at Florida State.
Is the race over for the No. 1 class?
It shouldn't be a surprise to see Alabama sitting at No. 1 in the class rankings. The Crimson Tide have finished with the No. 1 class five times in the past eight recruiting cycles.
Alabama currently has 21 ESPN 300 commitments, 13 of whom are ranked in the top 100. Clemson and Ohio State are the next closest with 17 ESPN 300 commitments each, followed by Georgia with 15 and LSU and Oregon with 14 each.
The race for that top class seemed to be down to Alabama and Ohio State before the early signing period. Alabama had more wiggle room, however, with the Buckeyes nearing a close to their class with only a few spots and a few targets remaining.
Alabama landed commitments from defensive end Keanu Koht and wide receiver JoJo Earle, both ESPN 300 prospects who flipped from LSU, which helped the staff pull ahead in this race for No. 1.
The Buckeyes are still in second place with Georgia at No. 3 and LSU at No. 4. Alabama is so far ahead of Georgia and LSU, though, that it's really a race between the two national finalists.
Even so, there might not be enough left for the Buckeyes to pass Alabama for the No. 1 spot. Ohio State still has Tuimoloau and Davis remaining, but coach Ryan Day recently said the staff might have only one spot remaining in the class. Even if Ohio State brought in Tuimoloau, that would tie Alabama with three five-star commitments, but the Buckeyes would still be three ESPN 300 commitments behind the Crimson Tide.
There is a chance this could be Nick Saban's best class ever at Alabama, which says a lot considering the production he and his staff got out of the Tide's 2017 class.
Which schools still have most to gain?
With so few recruits left, there isn't a ton to gain for any one school, but there are big names who could create a great finish and cap off some classes for various programs.
Ole Miss was one of the early signing period's big winners, as the coaches landed commitments from four-star tight end Hudson Wolfe and wide receiver Brandon Buckhaulter, and flipped ESPN 300 quarterback Luke Altmyer from Florida State. The Rebels also flipped three-star corner M.J. Daniels from Mississippi State and got a commitment from ESPN 300 corner Markevious Brown.
If they can close out with Malone, not only would it be a big win for Kiffin with both Florida State and Texas A&M in the mix, but it would give Ole Miss seven ESPN 300 commitments in the class, the most the program has signed since getting 13 in the 2016 class.
USC also has a chance to continue its momentum from the early signing period with Davis, the No. 4 prospect in California. If he chooses the Trojans, it would give the staff three of the top four recruits in the state, five of the top 10 and seven of the 25 in-state ESPN 300 recruits in the class.
Considering the coaches signed only one ESPN 300 recruit overall in the 2020 cycle, the fact the Trojans sit at No. 9 in the class rankings, up from No. 54 last year, is a tremendous improvement.
The staff added five-star Foreman and ESPN 300 quarterback Jaxson Dart in the early signing period, so finishing it off with Davis would be a great statement about their efforts to take back the West.
Ohio State's class any other recruiting cycle would be difficult to beat for the No. 1 spot. Landing Tuimoloau would be a big statement about Day's recruiting efforts with the Buckeyes all but finishing with the No. 2 overall class.
This also marks back-to-back classes with multiple five-star signees with Julian Fleming and Paris Johnson Jr. both ranked as five-stars in 2020. It will also mark the second straight time Ohio State signs the No. 1-ranked prospect overall with Fleming and Sawyer; plus, Ohio State currently has a commitment from the No. 1 prospect in the 2022 class, quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Michigan, Penn State and Boston College are still in on ESPN 300 defensive tackle George Rooks III. LSU is among the teams in the mix for ESPN 300 Brian Thomas. Florida, Georgia and Alabama are vying for four-star safety Terrion Arnold as well.