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2021 men's college basketball recruiting class rankings: Michigan stays at 1; Auburn and UNLV rise

In landing No. 5 Jabari Smith and four-star guard Trey Alexander, Bruce Pearl's Auburn Tigers have the ninth-ranked recruiting class in 2021. Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire

While the early signing period might not have packed the drama and action of previous iterations, it was still a bit busier than expected. There were three scheduled commitments for the early period -- Trey Alexander (Auburn), Roosevelt Wheeler (Louisville) and TyTy Washington (Creighton) -- and all three made their decisions. But there were a few unanticipated commitments, too.

Bryce McGowens (No. 33) committed to Nebraska over Georgia, choosing to play with his brother, Trey, for the Cornhuskers. UNLV landed its second top-40 prospect in the 2021 class, as Arthur Kaluma (No. 39) picked the Runnin' Rebels. Mid-majors made big moves, with North Carolina A&T landing Duncan Powell (No. 85) and Louisiana signing Ty Harper (No. 100).

And so we enter the winter with 86 of the ESPN 100 prospects already committed -- a bigger number than we've seen in the past. But there is still plenty of movement to come, so what are storylines to watch during the winter?