RecruitingNation has summoned its writers from around the country to compile a list of the top 10 battles for elite football recruits leading up to February's signing day. We'll update our rankings periodically to reflect a change in a player's status (i.e., new offers, trimmed-down list or a positive/negative official visit). Our writers have debated the list for weeks, but we value your input as well. Voice your opinion on Twitter (@RecruitingESPN) using #BlueChipBattles.
Here is this week's panel of writers: Kipp Adams (@KippLAdams), Blair Angulo (@bangulo), Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr), Chantel Jennings (@chanteljennings), Corey Long (@CoreyLong), Derek Tyson (@DerekTysonESPN), Erik McKinney (@EMcKinneyESPN), Dave Helman (@HelmanESPN) and Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi).
What's your top 10?
Below is our list, but we're also giving you a shot at ranking the top 10 recruiting battles.
Derrick Green | @BrOoKyLn_boii27
Richmond (Va.) Hermitage | RB | 6-0/215 | ESPN Rank: No. 41
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: Unranked
Commitment status: Green hasn't tipped his hand. Michigan just keeps hanging around as two of his other favorites, Tennessee and Auburn, have struggled mightily this season. Both have losing records. He recently postponed a trip to Oregon.
Who's in the driver's seat: Michigan.
Other candidates: Oregon, Ole Miss and Miami (Fla).
Dark horse: Auburn and Tennessee. Green has said he won't be too bothered by coaching changes. Still, many new relationships will have to be built.
@DaveHookerESPN's take: Michigan just makes too much sense. However, Miami's sudden jump into Green's list of finalists is intriguing. Perhaps he has opened up the race a bit because he's not 100 percent satisfied with his options. Postponing the Oregon trip is curious, although Green has said he will reschedule.
RecruitingNation ranks Green's recruitment as the No. 10 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Alvin Kamara | @A_kamara6
Norcross (Ga.) High School | RB | 5-10/192 | ESPN Rank: No. 37
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: Unranked
Commitment status: Kamara says he has no date in mind and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to decide. But he has also said twice that he might wake up one morning and decide to commit.
Who's in the driver's seat: Georgia and Alabama.
Other candidates: Oregon.
Dark horse: USC
@RadiNabulsi's take: Kamara has been telling me for months that Alabama and Georgia were his final two schools. Last Wednesday he called me and said he was planning a visit to Oregon and that the Ducks had joined the Tide and the Bulldogs in his group of finalists. Kamara has sat back and quietly watched the recruiting developments of the other top running backs in the nation. He is familiar with the depth charts and commitments at all three schools. Despite the three running backs committed to Alabama, Georgia's newest commitment A.J. Turman (Orlando, Fla./Boone) and the success of freshmen T.J. Yeldon, Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, Kamara maintains that he will not make a decision based on competition or lack thereof. I believe him. Kamara has the ability to flex out as a receiver and could be used in multiple roles. I think Oregon will tempt him sorely with the offense Chip Kelly employs, but in the end I think he stays closer to home and winds up at Georgia.
@a_kamara6 has #Bama & #UGA on top & #Oregon as darkhorse. Which is the best fit & why? Tell us & use #BlueChipBattles es.pn/RYXHKt
— Kipp Adams/ESPN (@KippLAdams) November 16, 2012
RecruitingNation ranks Kamara's recruitment as the No. 9 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Kendell Beckwith
Jackson (La.) East Feliciana | Ath. | 6-3/225 | ESPN Rank: No. 19
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: No. 9
Commitment status: Beckwith maintains he'll make his decision in January at the Under Armour All-America Game.
Who's in the driver's seat: LSU, with Alabama right behind.
Other candidates: Florida State and Tennessee.
Dark horse: Clemson.
@HelmanESPN's take: LSU coaches have got to be thrilled that Beckwith's East Feliciana team is making a run in the high school playoffs. The logistics of playoff football kept Beckwith from making an unofficial trip to Alabama for the Crimson Tide's loss to Texas A&M last weekend -- it was simply too much distance and too little time. Instead, Beckwith was back in Tiger Stadium for LSU's win against Mississippi State. It was his third trip to Death Valley, and LSU remains the only campus he's visited this season. That's certainly got to make the Tigers feel good about their chances, but Beckwith has said since the summer that he'll be making several official trips once his season ends. Several schools, including Alabama, will have their chance to impress before a decision is made.
RecruitingNation ranks Beckwith's recruitment as the No. 8 in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Tempe (Ariz.) Marcos De Niza | S | 6-2/199 | ESPN Rank: No. 50
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: No. 10
Commitment status: Willis is still officially deciding among more than a dozen schools. This is a battle that isn't likely to end anytime soon.
Who's in the driver's seat: Willis has said repeatedly that there is no school and no group of schools leading for his commitment.
Other candidates: LSU is a definite contender for Willis, although he had to push back an official visit there. Pac-12 programs Arizona State, Oregon and Washington could make an impact in the race as well. Arizona State might need to do some work off the field, as the Sun Devils are riding a four-game losing streak on it. Florida State could also play a role, as Willis recently said he would like to take an official visit to watch the Seminoles host Florida.
Dark horse: Virginia.
@EMcKinneyESPN's take: Willis will probably wait until the end of his high school season before really getting into the final stages of his recruiting. He spoke glowingly about his visit to Nebraska and will take an unofficial trip to UCLA this weekend for the huge Pac-12 tilt with USC. If the Bruins can knock off the Trojans, it could go a long way toward netting Willis, who is close with the coaching staff. If USC wins, it will give Lane Kiffin and Co. momentum leading up to Willis' trip to the Coliseum for the Notre Dame regular-season finale on Nov. 24.
RecruitingNation ranks Willis' recruitment as the No. 7 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Seffner (Fla.) Armwood | S | 6-2/183 | ESPN Rank: No. 32
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: No. 6
Commitment status: An official visit to USC has been set and it could be the clincher in the recruitment for this elite DB.
Who's in the driver's seat: USC and Vanderbilt.
Other candidates: Michigan and Oregon.
Dark horse: Florida State.
@CoreyLong's take: McQuay's Michigan visit on Nov. 9 went extremely well, according to his father, Leon McQuay Jr., and put the Wolverines back in play. But the general word from the camp is that USC and Vanderbilt remain the two teams to beat. McQuay appears to feel the most comfortable at Vanderbilt, where his former teammate and best friend, Josh Grady, is playing. McQuay's interest in music is also a major plus for Vanderbilt (and USC, for that matter). A visit to Florida State is up next on Nov. 23 and it doesn't appear like McQuay will make any eliminations in his top five before his Jan. 4 announcement.
RecruitingNation ranks McQuay's recruitment as the No. 6 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Vienna (Ga.) Dooly County | DT | 6-3/281 | ESPN Rank: 11
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: No. 5
Commitment status: No decision imminent.
Who's in the driver's seat: Georgia and Clemson.
Other candidates: Florida, Alabama, and Auburn.
Dark horse: Adams has official visits planned to LSU, USC and Oregon.
@KippLAdams's take: After taking his mom on an unofficial visit to Clemson for the first time, it appears that the Tigers have moved into the top approval group for Mrs. Adams. Motravius has said his mother is going to be an important factor in his recruitment, and in that regard Clemson and Georgia are on top right now. Adams is contemplating taking another trip to Athens before the end of the year, but before then he will travel with his mother to Alabama to watch the Iron Bowl versus Auburn.
Speaking to other prospects that were with Adams, the consensus is that the Bulldogs have emerged as the top team at the moment, but with no decision imminent, that lead should be considered tenuous at best. Expect the battle for the No. 7 prospect in the country to rage on into the new year.
@radinabulsi I think mama loves UGA #BLUECHIPBATTLES
— Robert Morris (@BashonrobMorris) November 16, 2012
RecruitingNation ranks Adams' recruitment as the No. 5 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Laquon Treadwell | @SuccessfulQuon
Crete (Ill.) Crete-Monee | WR | 6-3/195 | ESPN Rank: No. 20
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: No. 4
Commitment status: Uncommitted, will be a longer recruitment than initially anticipated.
Who's in the driver's seat: Open to any of his top six.
Other candidates: Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and Notre Dame.
Dark horse: Ole Miss.
@chanteljennings' take: His high school team is 12-0 and right now, his only focus is making Crete-Monee 14-0 and ending his career with a state championship. Once all that is over, he has decided he'll take unofficials to Michigan and Notre Dame as well as unofficials to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. He could add another two official visits to that group, probably to schools pursuing him that are outside of the Midwest, but that remains to be seen. He had thought he would make a decision at the Under Armour All-America game, but that has been derailed as he wants to make sure his family is around for the moment. So time, date, place and school have yet to be decided. And it'll probably stay that way for a while.
@bigeb72 @jshankerespn @recruitingespn Big things happen at #PITT #The3Amigos
— RFBIII(@bagz5) November 16, 2012
RecruitingNation ranks Treadwell's recruitment as the No. 4 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Ricky Seals-Jones | @RickySealsJones
Sealy (Texas) High School | WR | 6-5/230 | ESPN Rank: No. 13
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: No. 3
Commitment status: It's an SEC slugfest between LSU and Texas A&M.
Who's in the driver's seat: LSU and Texas A&M.
Other candidates: Baylor, Florida State and TCU.
Dark horse: Seals-Jones has been consistent in his assertion that the Aggies and Tigers are the only two remaining suitors.
@skhanjr's take: Seals-Jones' high school season is over, cut short after the Tigers lost their regular-season finale on Friday. Now he's focusing on getting healthy, as he played the final two games of the season on an injured ankle. He'll try to get himself 100 percent for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and for basketball season (he's a two-sport star for Sealy). His father, Chester Jones, said that Seals-Jones watched the entire Texas A&M upset win over Alabama. "He was into the game," Jones said of his son.
And Seals-Jones wore his maroon Texas A&M gloves in the first half of Sealy's game on Friday again before switching to black and white gloves for the second half. Could he be tipping his hand or does LSU still have a good chance to land the nation's No. 1 athlete?
RecruitingNation ranks Seals-Jones' recruitment as the No. 3 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Mission Viejo (Calif.) HS | Ath. | 6-2/181 | ESPN Rank: No. 36
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: No. 2
Commitment status: Redfield decommitted from USC on Nov. 3.
Who's in the driver's seat: Notre Dame.
Other candidates: Oregon, USC, LSU and Washington.
Dark horse: Oregon. The Ducks made a great impression on Redfield when they shredded the USC defense for 62 points at the Coliseum, leapfrogging the Trojans on Redfield's list. The four-star athlete eyed an official visit to Eugene for the Stanford game this weekend, but said Wednesday he couldn't make it work with his schedule.
@bangulo's take: Redfield will play in the Under Armour All-American Game in early January, and said he might announce his commitment then. Notre Dame is the team to beat at this point, though pending trips to Oregon and LSU figure to be a crucial factors in his decision. And, of course, this battle could tighten next week when Notre Dame travels to Los Angeles to take on the Trojans in the regular-season finale.
I'm really hoping to add Max Redfield to the #IrishMob13 .. A kid like that makes our D even better. #BlueChipBattles
— Dan (@BayBoomer03) November 10, 2012
RecruitingNation ranks Redfield's recruitment as the No. 2 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Loganville (Ga.) Grayson | DE | 6-5/265 | ESPN Rank: No. 1
Last week's #BlueChipBattles rank: No. 1
Commitment status: Uncommitted.
Who's in the driver's seat: Ole Miss.
Other candidates: Clemson.
Dark horse: Georgia and Alabama.
@KippLAdams' take: The much-anticipated unofficial visit to Ole Miss occurred over the weekend, with the newly uncommitted Nkemdiche travelling to Oxford, Miss. with his parents and teammate David Kamara, a close friend of Nkemdiche. While Nkemdiche did not announce a commitment to the Rebels, word came out this week that Kamara had also decommitted from Clemson, possibly lessening the Tigers' chances of regaining the No. 1 prospect in the country. Alabama is a school his mother favors, while Nkemdiche also took an unofficial to Georgia two weeks ago and had positive things to say about the program.
As both Robert and his mother Beverly stated last week, Nkemdiche's recruitment is now likely to drag out until closer to signing day. He is expected to take his official visits as well.
RecruitingNation ranks Nkemdiche's recruitment as the No. 1 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.
Dropped out:
Laremy Tunsil (No. 7)
David Dawson (No. 10)
Past top 10:
Let the debate continue
#BlueChipBattles is the Twitter hashtag to use if you want to voice your opinion on our list or to view other fans' reactions as the commitments begin to roll in.
Get recruiting updates on the players above as well as the nation's other top football prospects here: @RecruitingESPN.