National Signing Day 2016: Predictions for Top Recruits Before CFP Championship

Although the Big Ten and ACC have won the past two college football championships, the SEC ran off a streak of seven in a row before that, and the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide have a chance to make it eight of 10 against the No. 1 Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

It's safe to say the SEC is still the overall dominant conference, and it shows in the 2016 high school recruiting rankings with national signing day approaching Feb. 3.

Per 247Sports, six of the Top 10-ranked teams in terms of recruiting are from the SEC, led by the LSU Tigers at No. 1.

However, head coach Jim Harbaugh's transition from the NFL to the Michigan Wolverines is obviously making a difference, as his team is currently ranked No. 2, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes in third.

The Florida State Seminoles are No. 4, while the SEC occupies five of the final six spots.

So, while the SEC has competition, it still has the overall edge when it comes to recruiting. Let's take a look at where some top recruits may land on national signing day.

Could Harbaugh Land No. 1 Overall Recruit?

Defensive tackle Rashan Gary of Paramus Catholic in Paramus, New Jersey, is the No. 1 recruit, and as of Sunday morning 247Sports' Crystal Ball predicts the 6'5'', 293-pounder to land at Michigan.

This video courtesy of PrepForce.com shows the strength and explosiveness that have helped Gary earn the title of top recruit:

While the Wolverines have 24 hard commitments—14 of which are from 4-star recruits—they have not landed a 5-star stud as of yet. However, that is about to change, per Brandon Brown of thewolverine.com (via Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press), who was asked if Gary was Michigan's top target.

“That’s pretty obvious, and it’s looking really, really good that he’s going to pick Michigan,” Brown said.

Harbaugh brings a winning background to Michigan and showed that by doubling the team's wins from five to 10 in 2015. An SEC team could certainly swoop in and snatch up Gary, but being from the East Coast he has no connection to the Southeast, so count on him playing in the Maize and Blue next season.

Florida or Florida State?

Per 247Sports, 32 of the Top 50 recruits have already given their hard commitments. The top offensive player yet to announce is Tampa (Florida) Catholic's Nate Craig-Myers. The No. 33 overall recruit is the No. 3 wide receiver in the country and the sixth-best senior in the state of Florida.

At 6'2'', 205 pounds, he has the skills to go up and snag passes most high school receivers can only dream about, as shown in this video from MaxPreps.com:

The 4-star athlete also shows great breakaway speed that a team like the Florida Gators could use, especially considering a stalled offense is what helped derail the Gators' 10-1 start, with embarrassing losses to the rival Florida State Seminoles, Alabama and Michigan.

The Gators seem to have the edge with the in-state product, as 247Sports currently gives Florida a 40 percent shot to land Craig-Myers over No. 2 Florida State, who checks in at 29 percent.

It's apparent both schools are leading the way in his recruitment, per Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel, who reported Craig-Myers has a strong relationship with the Gators' coaching staff.

"I have a great relationship with every coach they have. Me and [wide receivers] coach Kerry Dixon, we're real close. He's been on me hard, and he's definitely a hard coach on me, and he'll definitely try to teach me a lot of things," Craig-Myers said.

The receiver also praised the Florida State staff and said, per Hays, "I just have a great relationship with [wide receivers Coach [Lawrence] Dawsey ... We talk almost every other day." 

Craig-Meyers' brother, a defensive back, verbally committed to Florida but eventually changed his mind. The wide receiver said that will not affect his decision and hasn't shown much of a sign of which team he will choose. The only indication he has given is he will wait until national signing day, per Hays.

It's hard to predict here, but I'll stick with the Gators on this one. Hays said the Seminoles seemed like a lock early, and now that does not appear to be the case, which means Craig-Meyers may have some reservations about Florida State.

SEC vs. ACC

Trayvon Mullen is the No. 29 overall prospect, per 247Sports, and the third-best cornerback in the class of 2016.

The 6'1'', 168-pounder hails from Pompano Beach, Florida, and it figures one of his state schools would have the recruiting edge. However, 247Sports experts are currently predicting Mullen to enroll at LSU with a 52 percent chance.

In this video from SB Nation Recruiting, Mullen said the Tigers have been recruiting him the hardest, although Florida State, Ohio State, TCU and others have been hot on his trail:

Mullen also said, with a smile, his goal is to be the No. 1 defensive back in the nation. It was mentioned in the video that cornerback Saivion Smith, No. 18 overall, already has committed to LSU, but Mullen said the two have not talked much about playing together.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Florida State—with a 35 percent chance per 247Sports—comes in late and snags Mullen away from the Tigers. He'll have a chance to make a name for himself, play for a team that has put a ton of players in the NFL the past two years and stay in-state as well.