CeCe Jefferson Trims College Choices: Where Will 5-Star Make Immediate Impact?

There's no doubt that most who follow the recruiting process of Florida 5-star defensive end CeCe Jefferson agree he will be a game-changer in college football sooner than later. Jefferson has the combination of size, strength, explosiveness and aggressiveness that any college program would want.

Will he be doing that close to home, or will he leave his home state?

Jefferson recently spoke with ESPN Insider Derek Tyson after an official visit to Auburn and said he has narrowed his list of schools. While Florida State made the cut, Jefferson's list was SEC dominant, with Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida and LSU considered the top five contenders.

This from Jefferson, via Tyson:

"

FSU is still in there, too, but Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida and LSU are primarily my top schools right now. They are all great schools. I have a good opportunity to go in and make an impact early at those schools and get a great education, be around good people and win football games and that's really what matters to me and I know I'll get that from all of those schools.

"

Florida may be the best spot for Jefferson for a variety of reasons. Jefferson can come in and be the face of a defense with new faces among the coaching staff. The Gators are looking to improve from a season that saw their defense allow more than 21 points and nearly 330 yards per contest.

While senior Antonio Morrison had 101 tackles for the year, he was the only defensive player with more than 70 tackles. Dante Fowler, arguably the team's best defensive lineman, has declared for the NFL draft.

This could be the perfect opportunity for Jefferson to come to Gainesville and establish himself as "The Man."

Wherever Jefferson ends up, he is expected to be an immediate leader. The biggest question may involve where Jefferson himself feels he can make an impact the quickest. Jefferson plays the recruiting game quite well, so there will be no tipping of his hand, but he's grown up rooting for Florida, and Gainesville is less than a one-hour drive from his hometown of Glen St. Mary.

If family plays as an X-factor in this decision, look for Florida to be the easy winner. If playing time is the X-factor, the race becomes more complex, as he is talented and driven enough to take a job from an upperclassman.

Looking at the Florida roster, the defensive line features a ton of young talent hungry to earn a starting spot. A school like Ole Miss, which is considered a major front-runner, also has a squad of young, talented players making up the defensive line. While Jefferson keeps a poker face, many feel the race ultimately is between Florida and Ole Miss.

Two months ago, a commitment prediction to Florida may have been a slam dunk. However, the Gators let coach Will Muschamp go in November, and former Colorado State coach Jim McElwain took over head-coaching duties the following month. Jefferson told Tyson that he was planning an unofficial visit to Florida to build a relationship with McElwain and the coaching staff.

Relationship.

That's the key word with Jefferson and the process overall. In addition to playing time and getting a good education, Jefferson has said on multiple occasions that building relationships with coaches, current players and recruiting commits and targets is a huge part of the process. An upcoming unofficial visit to Florida will be huge.

The final days before national signing day are crucial for all of the programs still in the hunt. Jefferson is scheduled to take his last official visit to LSU on Jan. 30. Key in-home visits from LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn and Alabama are scheduled for this week as well.

This race may be Florida's to lose. Every form of communication from now until Feb. 4 is bigger than big.