National Signing Day 2011: The Top 25 Questions Heading Into Signing Day
National Signing Day is this week if you haven't noticed, so we're revving up our coverage to make sure we're on top of everything college football recruiting. NSD caps off a year of suspense with a huge climax. Questions will finally be answered come Wednesday, and boy, do we have questions.
We're going to take a look at the top 25 questions at this point heading into National Signing Day and try to get some answers.
Check it out.
25. Where Will Pagan Commit to This Time?
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Jeoffrey Pagan is among the top 50 players in the country despite having a torn ACL. The big defensive linemen committed to Clemson recently, but had immediate second thoughts.
Throughout the process, Pagan has been linked to Clemson, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and oh yeah, he committed to Florida early in the process but backed off of that too.
NSD is Wednesday, so Pagan will have to make a choice soon. Georgia looks to be the favorite with Alabama pushing.
24. Is Walker to Ohio State a Slam Dunk?
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Aundrey Walker is the nation's top guard prospect, standing at 6'5", 355 pounds. He's a powerful player who dominates in the run game and holds his own inside as a pass protector.
Walker is down to Florida State, Michigan State, and USC after a host of schools.
Yet, the fourth school in Walker's final list is Ohio State. Walker hails from Cleveland Glenville Academy, and the school is basically a feeder program for the Buckeyes.
23. Can Texas Tech Get Simmons or Is Rutgers Back in It?
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Delvon Simmons has not shied away from being interested in Texas Tech, as he has been impressed by the Red Raiders since his recruitment began.
He eliminated Rutgers some time ago, yet has recently begun to re-think his options with the Scarlet Knights, as Simmons is fond of Greg Schiano.
Simmons has also taken trips to Iowa, USC, and Oregon, along with Rutgers and Texas Tech. He's still pretty open and will announce on Wednesday.
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22. Can Brennan Carroll Sway Lee and Woods to Miami?
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A shrewd staff hire by Al Golden that went a bit unnoticed was the hiring of Brennan Carroll to coordinate the Miami recruiting efforts.
Carroll is the son of Pete Carroll and learned the recruiting ropes during his days with the Trojans, seeing how to generate a top class up close and personal. Now Carroll is in Coral Gables and is steadfastly trying to re-establish his recruiting connections in Los Angeles.
Marqise Lee and Antuwan Woods, two of the best players in California, are intrigued by Miami. Woods is a USC commit and Lee has been long a Troy lean, but is now 50-50 USC vs. Miami.
21. Can Alabama's Late Surge Reel In Brassell?
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Nick Brassell, a 6'0", 175 pound playmaking receiver, was thought to be a huge lock to Ole Miss. But Brassell hasn't pledged yet, so what gives?
Alabama. The Tide are pushing hard for Brassell to sign with them and have been hot on his trail big time as of late. Brassell was practically set to commit to Ole Miss, but Alabama has really gotten in his head about coming to Tuscaloosa.
This will likely go down to NSD.
20. Who Will Crowell Run To?
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The recruitment of 5-star running back Isaiah Crowell has been among the most intriguing of any in this year's class.
The Carver (GA) running back has been down to Alabama and Georgia for some time, yet then Auburn crept in the picture, but then Crowell eliminated the Tigers. It's back down to Dawgs vs. Tide again, like we assumed it would be all along.
Jay Rome called out Ray Drew to come to UGA, and Drew has called out Crowell. Will Crowell follow suit and pledge to the Dawgs and call out someone? Perhaps his own teammate, Gabe Wright?
19. Can Sark Pluck Brisset From Sunshine State?
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Washington coach Steve Sarkisian is a renowned QB coach and has helped hone Jake Locker into a likely first round NFL Draft pick this April. Sark has also worked with Mark Sanchez, Carson Palmer and John David Booty among others.
Now he's drooling at mouth over the prospects of coaching up and developing Jacoby Brisset, an elite QB prospect from Dwyer (FL). 6'5" and 225 pounds, Brisset has similar athleticism and skills to Locker and Sark is hot on his trail.
U-Dub is one of the finalists for Brisset, along with Miami and Wisconsin.
18. Can Briles and Baylor Make Sims a Bear?
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Herschel Sims is a force on the field at running back, as he can make plays as a runner and receiver to use his speed, quickness and elusiveness to his advantage.
Those traits are why he was so coveted, eventually settling on Oklahoma State. Rumors have been swirling recently that Sims is interested in Baylor, but Sims has been denying them.
Where there's smoke, there's fire, as until Sims officially signs with Mike Gundy and the Cowboys, Art Briles and Baylor will not stop recruiting him.
17. Can Kentucky Keep Dawson Home?
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Lamar Dawson is one the elite linebackers in what may be the most talented position in this year's crop pf recruits.
6'2" and 230 pounds, Dawson is as big as a defensive end but moves around like a defensive back athletically. He's being courted by Oregon, USC, Tennessee, UCF and in-state Kentucky.
Wildcat head coach Joker Phillips has told Dawson he wants the Boyle County linebacker to become the face of the UK football program and stay home to be a Cat. This appeals to Dawson very much so, but he will weigh all of his options make the best choice for him. Maybe Joker Phillips should play the Ashley Judd angle too.
16. Is Texas Done With 2011 Recruiting?
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We've explained the Texas Longhorn program's recruiting strategy earlier this month, but here's the gist of it:
Texas evaluates, offers and recruits earlier than almost any other program in the country. They evaluate prospects as sophomores and juniors, offer them late as juniors and get most of their commitments on the critically acclaimed Junior Day.
This year is same ol'-same ol' as Mack Brown has been afforded the time to re-tool his staff on not worry about recruiting as much. While they lost Christian Westerman to Auburn, Texas is only waiting on Jermauria Rasco and Brandon Alexander for this year's class. They're already starting on the 2012 crop.
15. Can Virginia Keep Curtis Grant Home?
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There's a debate on where Curtis Grant, the Hermitage (VA) linebacker, should be ranked nationally. Some see him as a top 50 talent, others say top 25, and Rivals has him as the second overall prospect in the country.
No matter where he is on lists, it's agreed that Grant is a super talent and future all-conference linebacker. The 6'3, 2235 pounder is down to North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and Ohio State.
Many say it will come to the Gators and Buckeyes, but Virginia and Mike London will definitely have something to say about that.
14. Can Hoke Piece Together a Solid Class In His First Year?
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Brady Hoke wasn't as sexy a pick for the Michigan job as Jim Harbaugh or Les Miles was, but he has vowed to bring Big Blue back to prominence under his watch.
A Michigan Man born in Ohio, Hoke has quietly kept a solid Wolverines class intact by keeping Justice Hayes and Blake Countess in the fold. Hoke added talented linebacker Antonio Poole from the Cincinnati area to the Michigan class as well.
The Wolverines sit pretty for running back Tommy Rawls and linebacker Frank Clark heading into NSD.
13. Can Texas Tech Hold Onto Roberson?
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No, they couldn't. Roberson has just pledged to Auburn and will be a Tiger.
Much was made about his verbal to Texas Tech, as his uncle is Red Raider cornerbacks coach Otis Mounds. Roberson is a talented safety/cornerback prospect who has insisted on playing corner in college, and he will look to shut down SEC receivers instead of Big 12 receivers.
Roberson has visited USC, Florida and Georgia aside form Auburn and Texas Tech.
12. What Happened to UCLA?
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UCLA looked like a program on the rise this time last year, hauling in a top 10 recruiting class with some of the top players on the west coast and in the country.
Maybe it's returning players numbers game, maybe it's the Bruins 4-8 season or maybe this year's crop of layers just aren't feeling Westwood, but UCLA only has eight pledges right now and one of the worst classes in the Pac-12.
They were briefly in on 5-star linebacker Tony Steward, but he eliminated them earlier this month. Brett Hundley is a super talented QB prospects who will headline the Bruin class.
11. Can Georgia Finish Up Putting Together the Dream Team?
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Georgia put the very elite players in Georgia on its recruiting board early and tagged them as the "Dream Team". These were "must haves" for the Bulldog program, and Mark Richt's staff has done an excellent job of luring these players to Athens.
Jay Rome, Ray Drew, Christian LeMay and Malcolm Mitchell are just a few players who are considered Dream Teamers. Now, with NSD 72 hours away, Georgia is coming down the stretch.
Isaiah Crowell, Gabe Wright, Kent Turene and Johnny Jenkins are the final pieces needed for a perfection execution of a legendary recruiting plan.
10. Can Clemson Steal Away Tony Steward From FSU?
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Tony Steward is the most instinctive defensive player in the nation, and the 5-star linebacker is down to Clemson and Florida State.
Steward has taken visits to both schools and loved each trip. The Noles are the in-state, boyhood favorite while the Tigers have formed a special bond with Steward.
Many expect Steward to chose Florida State, but Clemson is going to battle for Steward until the end and are confident they can land him.
9. Who Will De-Commit?
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There are always shocking de-commitments on National Signing Day that have us scratching our heads every year.
Marcus Roberson, the safety from St. Thomas Aquinas (FL), has already switched form Texas Tech to Auburn. Jeoffrey Pagan has left Clemson, and who knows if Stephen Tuitt will stick with Notre Dame finally.
Kent Turene, a USC pledge, could bolt for Georgia or Texas Tech, and Ju'Juan Story say he's true to Florida, but Ohio State is on him hard.
8. Can Alabama Add to a Historic Class?
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Alabama sits right now with the top notch in the recruiting rankings with practically an All-American list bound for Tuscaloosa.
Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, Dee Hart, Marvin Shinn, and Xzavier Dickson are just a few in a who's who list of high school talent. The Tide also has a stellar group of JC prospects coming in with the top player, DT Jesse Williams enrolling soon.
There is a chance that Jadeveon Clowney, Isaiah Crowell, Cyrus Kouandjio and Nickolas Brassell could all yell Roll Tide as well. This could be one of the greatest recruiting classes in recent history.
7. Who Will Finish With the Top Class?
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They mythical recruiting national championship is a great tool for fans to debate and argue over. It makes for great sports talk and really juices up rivalries among schools, teams and fans.
Right now, Alabama sits at the pole to win it, but Texas, Florida State, USC, LSU and Georgia all could be big time movers and shakers come National Signing Day.
Let's not crown the Tide just yet.
6. Can USC Stay Hot?
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Lane Kiffin and Ed Orgeron have took a gamble by not letting the sanctions crunch their numbers for scholarships and will sign a few more than one would think is allowed under the sanctions on USC.
That's because the Trojans are operating as if they will see some of their scholarship sanctions relieved and reduced. USC has secured pledges from linebacker Anthony Sarao and running back Amir Carlisle, both one time Stanford commits recently.
Then last Friday, 4-star OL Cyrus Hobbi pledged to Troy. He's a big time get for USC as they lack OL depth right now, plus Hobbi called the Trojan staff "a bunch of jerks" last summer and had eliminated USC at one point.
5. Can Miami Finish Strong?
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Al Golden and his right hand recruiting man Brennan Carrol have hit the trail hard in the name of The U. They are looking to re-establish the ol' State of Miami in South Florida, while having a national appeal.
In on prospects such as Marqise Lee, Jacoby Brissett and getting a verbal from defensive end Bryant Dubose, the Canes are re-juicing up their efforts for NSD.
Keeping defensive end Anthony Chickillo likely will be the biggest coup for Golden in his first year recruiting for Miami.
4. Is Cyrus Serious About the Lobos?
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Cyrus Kouandjio has stated repeatedly he is serious about looking into signing with New Mexico.
Many just assumed that since he's a big name player, the Lobos have no chance. But Mike Locksley is no stranger to pulling off a NSD upset as he stole Calvin Smith from SEC, ACC and Big East schools last year. The 4-star defensive linemen signed with Lobos, and Locksley was huge reason why.
Kouandjio is fond of Locksley, who hails form the Atlantic region like Kouandjio and will weigh the Lobos offer heavily in his final decision.
3. Can Florida Win Over Jernigan?
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During the Army All-American Game, defensive tackle Tmmy Jernigan was reportedly down to Alabama, FSU and LSU.
Now his childhood favorite, Florida has made up ground, with Will Muschamp re-establishing communication with Jernigan and his high school coach. Jernigan has always loved UF but will make the best choice for his future, even if it means joining rival FSU or SEC rival LSU.
But Muschamp, Dan Quinn and Bryant Young spent a whole day at Jernigan's school courting not only him but his coach, teachers and parents, and that has spoken volumes on how badly he is wanted in Gainesville.
2. Will Kouandjio Follow His Brother After All?
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Back to 5-star offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio. He has Alabama among his leaders, where his brother Arie currently is an offensive lineman for the Tide.
Kouandjio really likes the idea of playing for Alabama, but doesn't want to compete against Arie for time as it would be hard on a personal level for him if he were to beat out his brother for a starting spot.
But he has said that he likes the Tide because he likes the Tide and not because Arie is there, which is why many feel he is Alabama's to lose.
1. Who Will Clowney Say No To?
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Jadeveon Clowney is the nation's top prospect, and the defensive end is a humble kid who reportedly doesn't want to tell anyone no.
He's a likeable guy who doesn't like the spotlight or media attention. Yet Clowney's decision will be eagerly awaited by not just the media but also South Carolina, Alabama, Clemson, LSU, North Carolina and Florida State. His decision won't be made until mid-February.
Where will Clowney sign? Which five schools will he say no to?
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