National Signing Day 2012: Predicting Landing Spots for 10 Uncommitted Prospects

A quick few words to those of you that write off the first day college football teams can receive signatures on letters of intent from recruits as an overblown spectacle non-holiday that brings out the worst in college football coaches, recruits and fans alike—you’re probably right, but whatever; it’s fun.

If you still disagree with that foolproof logic, now through the end of the week could be a good time to press your fingers into your ears and sing out, “LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU” until all the Luginbillian madness comes to a close.

For the rest of us, let’s figure out what’s going to happen this week.

1. Consensus No. 1 WR Dorial Green-Beckham Signs with Arkansas

The Hyphenation (let’s make this nickname happen!) will choose to allow Bobby Petrino to find magical ways to get him the ball above and between various SEC DBs. This is a sound move.

2. Touted DT Eddie Goldman Wears a Seminole Hat

Goldman, who looks, uh, different from what I’d imagine an “Eddie Goldman” typically looks like, will want to be a part of the Florida State front that monogamously allowed rushing yards—you know, one at a time.

3. Top West WR Bryce Treggs Sticks with His Cal Pledge

The allure of being the next DeSean Jackson will be too great for the diminutive LA-area WR to pass up, though it helped that Jackson had the benefit of not having Zach Maynard control the destiny of a receiving corps. Oops.

4. Shaq Thompson, Elite Safety, Is No Longer Cal-Bound

Cal would actually make sense here for young Shaquille—the Bears have found success both in the college ranks against top-flight conference offenses and in putting defensive talent into the NFL early on in NFL drafts. Unfortunately for Cal, though, it looks like the loss of Xbox 360 world champ/defensive line coach/über-recruiter Tosh Lupoi to Washington means Thompson’s new home field will be Lake Washington-adjacent.

Hey, you and I watched the Alamo Bowl and thought we could do better than UW’s DBs, so imagine what a sideline-to-sideline, backfield-to-backfield terror like Thompson could immediately do. That’s right…more.

Update: Thompson committed to Washington on Tuesday night.

5. Noted OT Andrus Peat Joins His Brother in Lincoln, Neb.

Though the pull of top OL factories like USC and Stanford is strong and the pull of below-average coaching factories like ASU is meek, the opportunity to lock down a side of the Husker line on the same roster as his brother Todd should make the more corn-fed types among us happy on Wednesday.

Fun fact: You probably didn’t know how close my parents were to naming me “Andrus Rubenstein.” Oh wait, you probably do.

6. Texas WR Thomas Johnson Ends Up in Aggieville

The longtime Longhorn commit and talented pass-catcher who batted his eyes at Oregon for a bit (who can resist?) will find the Air Raid appeal of new Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin too much to pass up and stay in-state. I anticipate all sorts of similar-looking bros (in uniform) being excited by this.

7. Talented Virginia WR Joel Caleb Becomes a Talented Virginia Tech WR

Easily the best WR in the country who happens to have two first names, Caleb, who also has West Virginia in his group, seems like he’ll be another WR staying in-state despite Morgantown being the more receiver-friendly landing spot on the East Coast. But hey, Frank Beamer might learn one or two of his names eventually, so hurray for Hokies!

8. Choice Safety Demetrious Cox Goes Green

In a battle that will come down to Urbz versus Dantoniez, East Lansing will, in fact, land the talented defensive back from Terrelle Pryor’s backyard. Stability at or near the top of the Big Ten (weird to write and read, I know) and within the coaching staff will ultimately get Dantoniez another defensive blue-chipper after getting commitments from William Gholston and Lawrence Thomas these past couple of years.

9. Scary DE Leonard Williams Decides to Wear Orange and Blue

A defensive jewel out of the Sunshine State, Williams, despite a late visit to USC and a lot of early interest in signing a letter of intent with Auburn, will end up staying in-state and giving Will Muschamp a giggle fit on Wednesday. Or he’ll just stare real hard at the fax machine when the LOI rolls in. Either/or.

10. Equally Scary OLB Deaysean Rippy Stays Home to Swallow Backfield Troublemakers

The best-named prospect on this list from the best-named town (Sto-Rox) has a final three that features an odd future Big 12 team (West Virginia), an odd future ACC team (Pitt) and a team that’s about as far from western PA (Arizona) as Brussels State, the smart money is on the hometown blue and gold. 

Dan Rubenstein co-hosts The Solid Verbal college football podcast and can be followed on Twitter here.