We're only a few weeks from the February signing period in college football recruiting, the final opportunity for teams to fill their needs.
There are 288 ESPN 300 recruits who have already made a commitment, leaving just 12 of the top 300 uncommitted. There are also 21 ESPN 300 prospects who are committed, but haven't signed a national letter of intent.
Among the uncommitted recruits, there are only four of the top 100 left on the board, which means those recruits are feeling the pressure as we lead into the next signing period.
This week's recruiting notebook will get you caught up on what has happened in January, what the class rankings look like and where some of the top recruits are in the process as February approaches.
Top of the class rankings
Texas A&M is still sitting at No. 1, and the staff added five-star linebacker Harold Perkins to give the Aggies four five-star commitments.
With the transfer portal being a big part of recruiting now, Jimbo Fisher and his staff also have brought in quarterback Max Johnson from LSU.
Georgia stayed at No. 3 but added ESPN 300 offensive lineman Earnest Greene III in the beginning of the month.
Ohio State is still at No. 4 and added ESPN 300 defensive lineman Hero Kanu and Omari Abor. The Buckeyes have also added a few transfers in defensive back Tanner McCalister, who is following defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Oklahoma State, and linebacker DeaMonte Trayanum, who transferred from Arizona State.
New coaches making moves
New USC coach Lincoln Riley got a commitment from ESPN 300 wide receiver C.J. Williams and is also in the process of transforming the roster through the portal. The Trojans have added former Oklahoma receiver Mario Williams, Colorado receiver Brenden Rice, Washington receiver Terrell Bynum, Virginia offensive lineman Bobby Haskins and a few others.
The staff is also pursuing quarterback Caleb Williams, who played for Riley this past season at Oklahoma.
LSU hasn't landed any high school commitments in January, but Brian Kelly is another new coach utilizing the transfer portal to rebuild his roster.
Kelly has added offensive linemen Miles Frazier and Tre'mond Shorts, two transfers who could play right away next season. The staff also added Missouri defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo, Arkansas corner Greg Brooks Jr., Penn State running back Noah Cain and Louisiana receiver Kyren Lacy, among others.
Deion strikes again
Deion Sanders and Jackson State made headlines again in January when ESPN 300 wide receiver Kevin Coleman committed. Sanders was able to land five-star corner Travis Hunter in the early signing period, and followed that by landing Coleman, the No. 62 prospect overall.
Those two commitments have helped push Jackson State to the No. 62-ranked class overall, ahead of some Power 5 teams.
Uncommitted ESPN 300 recruits
There are only three uncommitted players in the top 50 of the ESPN 300 remaining after the early signing period and the slew of commitments in January.
Defensive end Shemar Stewart is the highest-ranked uncommitted recruit on the board as a five-star, ranked No. 6 overall.
"I wanted to wait until February, because if you sign in December, there's still a lot of moving pieces with coaches, players and whatnot," Stewart said. "So, if I wait until February, I can see a clear picture of what the program will look like."
Stewart has a top three of Georgia, Miami and Texas A&M and is still taking visits. He will head to Georgia on Jan. 21 and Miami on Jan. 28.
The contact period is open, meaning coaches are pulling out all the stops to try to land him. Stewart could help new Miami coach Mario Cristobal on the defensive side, and Cristobal is doing what he can to land the five-star.
We had to recreate @Coach_TRob sleeping, and one with him awake 😆😆😆 @D_VanDyke8 @coach_cristobal @CoachJsalavea @ShemarStewart14 pic.twitter.com/lDGlrHosGJ
— Moe Marquez (@TheRealCoachMoe) January 15, 2022
Despite being the only five-star uncommitted, Stewart said most coaches outside of his top-three have respected that he's down to those schools and have backed off. A few coaches have tried to get his attention, but he said he's locked in to the top group.
Offensive lineman Devon Campbell is the other five-star left uncommitted. He is down to Oklahoma and Texas and will announce his decision on Feb. 3.
Five-star linebacker Harold Perkins is committed to Texas A&M, but isn't signed. Perkins has said he wants to take a few more visits before signing in February, and he recently took a trip to Florida. LSU and Miami are two schools still after him, as well, but Perkins hasn't set any other visits.
Outside of those three five-stars, offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. is the next highest-ranked prospect who is uncommitted.
Conerly knew he would wait past the early signing period well before December, partially because of the visit restrictions that prohibited recruits from taking visits until the summer.
"It definitely affected me, because I wasn't able to go anywhere," Conerly said. "But I was really focusing on my football season and I knew I was going to put all my time into that. I didn't really take any time out to take visits except for the one to Michigan at the beginning of the season, but that was it."
He has a top six of Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC and Washington, and just took a visit to Oklahoma.
"I'm going to Miami at the end of this month," Conerly said. "Then I'm probably going to go to Oregon and USC in March, and then I'll make my decision by mid-March or early March."
Recruits don't have to sign on the first Wednesday in February, which is just the start of the signing period, so Conerly will take advantage of the extra time and take his visits, then make his final decision.
But not every prospect who is uncommitted and highly sought after is ranked in the ESPN 300. Because a large number of recruits signed in the early signing period, coaches often extend scholarships and go after prospects who weren't on the radar before Dec. 15, or weren't as highly recruited.
Running back Andrew Paul has seen his recruitment take off, and he has quite a few Power 5 programs after him. He's a 5-foot-11, 220-pound back from Dallas who is considering Michigan, Clemson, LSU, Oregon and Washington, among others who have recently offered.
Paul took a visit to Michigan last weekend and had new Oregon coach Dan Lanning at his high school.
Paul and other uncommitted recruits have only a few weeks left to make their decisions before the final signing period starts with schools still looking to close out their classes.