Early National Signing Day 2023: Odds, Predictions for Top Football Recruits

The college football early signing period will run from Dec. 20-22. Many members of the class of 2024 have already announced their intentions, but a few top prospects have made some late visits that cast doubt on their original plans.

A couple others in the top 100 of the 247Sports composite list haven't made any hard commits, so eyes will be on them to see where those talented recruits go.

Here's a look at some notable players and predictions on their college choices ahead of the early signing period.

Jeremiah Smith Stays with Ohio State

Andrew Ivins, 247Sports

Jeremiah Smith stands alone atop the 247Sports Composite list and for good reason. The 6'3", 198-pound prospect out of high school powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Florida) has hauled in 39 touchdowns over his past two seasons and added 88 catches and 1,376 yards this year. Andrew Ivins mof 247Sports offered a comparison to current Philadelphia Eagle (and future Hall of Fame) wideout Julio Jones.

Smith committed to Ohio State on Dec. 14, 2022, but according to 247Sports, he made official visits to the Buckeyes, Florida State, Florida, Georgia and Miami this year.

Despite those visits, it's hard to see Smith going anywhere else.

For starters, hear from the man himself as he said there is not one "biggest threat" to OSU.

Second, Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports still has Smith going to Ohio State after speaking with sources.

Third, if you're a superstar wide receiver, how can you not strongly consider Ohio State above all else at this point?

OSU has become de-facto Wide Receiver U with three first-round picks in the past two years (Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxson Smith-Njigba) and two more (Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka) on the horizon.

Smith could easily continue that lineage in Columbus, which has proven to be the best learning ground for NFL-bound wideouts.

Making an official visit to Florida State last week certainly has to open eyes, especially considering the Seminoles' program's success (undefeated in 2023) and in-state proximity to Smith, but the guess is OSU remains the choice.

Dylan Raiola Flips to Nebraska

Aubrey Lao /Getty Images

ORANGE COUNTY, CA - JANUARY 28: Quarterback Dylan Raiola going through drills during 3DQB Off-season prep in a park on January 28, 2023 in Orange County, CA. (Photo by Aubrey Lao /Getty Images)

All eyes are on 5-star quarterback and Georgia verbal commit Dylan Raiola, the No. 6 overall recruit on the 247Sports composite list for the class of 2024.

Raiola, who originally committed to Ohio State before flipping to Georgia, now has Nebraska in the mix.

Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports reported this Tuesday.

"Buzz has picked up for the Huskers tremendously late in the process for the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Raiola who has been a verbal to Georgia since May 15.

Wiltfong added that he liked how the Cornhuskers were "trending" for Nebraska, but he also noted Bulldogs staff were expected to visit Raiola this week.

Raiola has strong family ties to Nebraska. His father, Dominic Raiola, is a former Cornhusker offensive lineman and consensus All-American who has his No. 54 jersey retired by the team. And then his uncle, Donovan, is a Nebraska offensive line coach.

Raiola moved to Buford, Georgia to ease the transition to UGA, but now Nebraska is clearly in the mix regardless. He arrived in Lincoln for his official visit on Friday, per Zack Carpenter of Rivals.

This is total speculation, but the guess here is Raiola makes the flip. The late visit is too hard to ignore, as are the strong family ties. Plus, Raiola will come to Nebraska and be an immediate superstar.

The program, which is coming off a disappointing 5-7 season under first-year head coach Matt Rhule, frankly needs him more than Georgia. He'll be the star of the show off the bat and will have every opportunity to succeed.

Ultimately, the throw on the dartboard lands on the Cornhuskers here.

WR Gatlin Bair to Michigan and S Zavier Mincey to Florida

247Sports

Only two players on the top 100 of 247Sports' composite list have not made hard commits as of yet.

One is wide receiver Gatlin Bair, a wide receiver out of Burley, Idaho. The No. 43 overall prospect has made visits to Michigan, Oregon and TCU. Both Brandon Huffman and Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports have Bair heading to the Wolverines.

The other is safety Zavier Mincey out of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. The No. 57 overall prospect has made visits to Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Miami. Chris Nee of 247Sports has Mincey going to the Gators.

As far as Bair goes, the guess is that Michigan and Oregon ultimately are the top two with the Wolverines winning out. Bair can't go wrong with either school, of course, with both teams doing so well.

However, Wiltfong said that he "still likes where Michigan" stands on Bair, with Oregon as "the competition."

As for Mincey, the guess is he remains in-state and rolls with the Gators, who just recently popped by for a visit.

Both prospects have bright futures ahead of them, no matter where they land.