National Signing Day 2016: Top Uncommitted Recruits to Watch

Optimism among college football fans will be at a feverish high on Wednesday, Feb. 3, for national signing day. The top high school players in the nation will put ink to paper confirming the programs they will join as potential stars or saviors.

Several of the best prep prospects will reveal their chosen school on Wednesday, and many of them will be the gems of the lucky university's latest class of talent. 

Here's a look at the top uncommitted prospects to watch on national signing day. Player ratings are based on the 247Sports composite rankings. ESPNMediaZone.com has a list of its signing announcement coverage.

Player	Position	School (Location)	National Composite Ranking	Position Ranking
Rashan Gary	DT	Paramus Catholic (Paramus, NJ)	1	1
Derrick Brown	DT	Lanier (Buford, GA)	9	4
Ben Davis	ILB	Gordo Sch (Gordo, AL)	10	1
Mique Juarez	OLB	North High School (Torrance, CA)	11	1
Mecole Hardman Jr.	ATH	Elbert County (Elberton, GA)	13	1
Demetris Robertson	WR	Savannah Christian Prep (Savannah, GA)	14	1
Lyndell Wilson	OLB	Carver (Montgomery, AL)	15	2
Jeffery Simmons	SDE	Noxubee County (Macon, MS)	19	3
Kristian Fulton	CB	Archbishop Rummel (Metairie, LA)	21	2
Jack Jones	CB	Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, CA)	22	3

Rashan Gary, DT, Paramus Catholic (Paramus, New Jersey)

Rashan Gary isn't just the best uncommitted player heading into Saturday's signing flurry. He's the best prospect in the nation, period. A rare consensus No. 1, Gary is 293 pounds and clocks in at an absurd 4.74 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He's racked up 27.5 sacks over the past two seasons.

Gary will announce his decision at 1 p.m. ET Wednesday on ESPN2, per ESPN.com's Tom VanHaaren. Though most experts see him bolstering an already terrifying Michigan defense—79 percent of 247Sports' Crystal Ball experts see him becoming a Wolverine—there is a chance another school could steal him away.

Gary is making a weekend visit to Clemson, per TigerNet.com's Tony Crumpton. The Tigers have some enticing selling points, per Bleacher Report's Tyler Donohue:

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The Tigers coaching staff, specifically defensive coordinator Brent Venables, have an opportunity to showcase a program that has quickly ascended college football's hierarchy. Clemson is 56-12 since 2011 and returns Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson at quarterback for at least one more season. 

Unlike other schools under his consideration, Clemson's coaches boast cohesiveness that's tough to locate elsewhere. Auburn, USC and Michigan each hired a new defensive coordinator this winter, forcing Gary and his mother to re-acclimate with a fresh presence.

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The defensive line in particular has been crucial to Clemson's recent success. Though he plays on the interior, Gary might be keen to join a program that has developed studs like Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd, both of whom project as early picks in this year's NFL draft.

Other schools are of course still keeping tabs on him. 247Sports' Keith Niebuhr reported Gary had a chat with a notable Auburn freshman on Thursday:

Alabama, Ole Miss and Southern California are also still in the mix and have predictions from 247Sports' experts. Wherever Gary decides to go, he will certainly be the prize of that school's draft class and will spark a national conversation about its prospects' future prospects.

Derrick Brown, DT, Lanier (Buford, Georgia)

While Gary is the prize defensive tackle of the 2016 class, Lanier's Derrick Brown isn't very far behind in terms of talent or potential. He's the No. 4 prospect at the position and No. 9 overall. According to a report from Niebuhr, a source said Brown has winnowed his choices down to Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn However, Brown's mother refuted that claim, saying Mississippi State and Georgia are still potential landing spots, per AL.com's Drew Champlin.

"That's not true," Martha Brown said, per Champlin. "I don't know where that comes from, but that's not true. We will start calling universities that he's not interested in and let them know so they can offer a scholarship to someone else."

According to Niebuhr, Brown is set to reveal his decision at 3 p.m. ET Wednesday on ESPN.

It would be quite the coup if Tennessee could land Brown, beating out the allure of playing for a perennial contender in Alabama or the home-state advantage enjoyed by the Bulldogs. The Volunteers have been a mediocre outfit for the better part of the last decade, though they've steadily improved under current coach Butch Jones and finished 9-4 in 2015, their best record since going 10-4 in 2007.

Fox Sports' Michael Wayne Bratton noted that Brown is one of three talented players making a quick final visit to Tennessee on the weekend.

"Three uncommitted 5-star prospects expected to be in Knoxville this weekend include: U.S Army All-Americans defensive tackle Derrick Brown and defensive back Nigel Warrior as well as Under Armour All-American offensive lineman Landon Dickerson," Bratton wrote.

Having other talented players around during the trip might sway Brown, convincing him the Vols are a team indeed trending in the right direction. However, the other schools mentioned have all enjoyed greater success as of late.

The majority of experts (53 percent) are picking Brown to stay close to home and join Georgia, while Alabama certainly could have openings in the middle of the defensive line, with Jarran Reed and A'Shawn Robinson projecting as top NFL prospects for this year's draft.

Ben Davis, ILB, Gordo (Gordo, Alabama)

Alabama is always a hotbed of football talent, and Ben Davis is the best of this year's bunch from the state. He's the No. 1 inside linebacker in the 2016 class and the No. 10 prospect overall.

Naturally, the Crimson Tide are the favorites to land his signature, with 100 percent of 247Sports' Crystal Ball experts expecting him to join coach Nick Saban's dynastic program. Not only are they the home-state powerhouse, but Davis' father, Wayne Davis, played football for Alabama, and it's no secret he's been encouraging his son to play there.

"No matter who it is—Florida, LSU, Georgia—I'm pushing Ben to my alma mater," Wayne said in October, per Champlin. "I've been open with them about that."

Davis is such a special talent that other schools of course haven't given up on winning him over, even late into the process. NBC Sports' Keith Arnold noted Notre Dame made quite the pitch to Davis recently, and a strong recruiting presence was a key part of that:

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Credit first-year assistant Autry Denson for making the in-roads with Davis. The blue-chip linebacker told Irish 247's Tom Loy that he views Denson as a brother and that they'll "maintain a friendship for life." That's the type of recruiter Notre Dame needed when they replaced Tony Alford, and Denson did a heckuva job with his young position group, too.

Kelly's sales pitch to Davis is probably more true than even Irish fans want to acknowledge. While Nyles Morgan is the heir apparent to Joe Schmidt in the middle of the Irish defense, to think there isn’t room for a prospect like Davis in a linebacking corps that returns only James Onwualu (10th on the defense in total snaps) to the starting lineup would be under-appreciating Davis' talent.

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While Davis is still likely to join Alabama, Crimson Tide fans can't count him among their crop of talent just yet. There is still time for this young man to make a shock decision.

All player stats, measurables and rankings courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.