National Signing Day 2015: Latest Rumors and Predictions for Elite Recruits

National signing day is Feb. 4, and although it may be days away, there are still a staggering number of elite recruits who have yet to choose which top-tier program they will chase dreams at for the next few years.

There is always intense speculation at this time of year, not a surprise since it's all college football fans have between the national championship game and spring practices.

Top running back recruit Soso Jamabo may be playing it coy with his choices—ITT Tech and University of Phoenix are his sarcastic choices although I'm sure he's enamored with the latter's stadium—but there are hints, whispers and rumors related to a few elite prospects and their very competitive, very real choice of colleges.

Here is a look at three of the top recruits in the 2015 class and the latest buzz surrounding them before national signing day.

Byron Cowart, SDE (No. 3 overall, No. 1 position)

Credit: 247Sports

Everybody wants a piece of Byron Cowart. The studly defensive end is one of the top overall recruits in the 2015 class. He racked up 140 tackles, 24 sacks and seven forced fumbles in his junior and senior seasons at Armwood High School.

Cowart may be everywhere on the football field, but it appears he won't make every stop on the recruiting trail. Florida State appeared to be in the mix for the coveted prospect and had an official visit lined up, but Cowart himself sent out a tweet suggesting he has no travel plans for the weekend before signing day:

"

I'm not going anywhere this weekend .....

— Byron Cowart (@ByronHawkStar99) January 27, 2015"

The Orlando Sentinel's Chris Hays noted this likely narrows his choices down to two schools:

"After his official visit to Florida this past weekend, which he had to cut short due to family reasons, Cowart had said in another Twitter post that his final two schools were Auburn and Florida and he will make his decision public on national signing day, Feb. 4."

247Sports' Crystal Ball has 65 percent of observers picking Florida to land Cowart, but the race for this young talent might not be in the Gators' favor.

Cowart told ESPN Insider Derek Tyson on Jan. 18 that he plans to attend the same school as 5-star defensive end recruit CeCe Jefferson and linebacker Jeffery Holland.

"We're all going to play at the same school because we know we can make an impact," he said.

That's quite the package deal, and Tyson reported that Holland said as much on Jan. 25 after his recruiting visit to Ole Miss:

Florida struggled this season (7-5 overall, 4-4 SEC), but it wasn't due to a lack of defensive success. The Gators ranked 15th in the nation in total defense and 37th in total sacks with 30, per NCAA.com. Auburn ranked a mediocre 64th overall in yards allowed.

If Cowart and company want to have an impact right away, Auburn could be the best fit—although Florida does have to replace the production of NFL draft-bound pass-rusher Dante Fowler Jr. The Tigers faded at the end of last season, finishing with an 8-5 overall record, but they were mired in the slaughterhouse that is the SEC West while Florida played in the relatively easy East division.

Look for Cowart to head to Auburn with the chance to revitalize a defense with his buddies in tow.

Prediction: Cowart heads to Auburn

Terry Beckner Jr., DT (No. 13 overall, No. 3 position)

Credit: 247Sports

Missouri fans had a bit of a scare recently when a rumor popped up that defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski was considering taking a co-coordinator and defensive line coach position with Illinois. Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the news, citing a report from Doug Samuels of FootballScoop.com.

However, it appears the Tigers faithful can rest easy, as Matter reported that Kuligowski had withdrawn from consideration and will stick with Mizzou for now:

"

It was important for me and my family to consider this opportunity, and I'm grateful to have gone through the experience, but after evaluating everything, what is best for us is to stay here at Mizzou. We've built something special here at Mizzou, and I'm excited to continue to be part of it.

"

This is excellent news for the future of Missouri, as Kuligowski has created a true NFL-talent factory in 14 years as a defensive line coach. Losing him might have meant losing a top recruit like Terry Beckner Jr., whom Matter notes has a couple of important visits still in the pipeline:

"

The uncertainty surrounding Kuligowski's status came at a  crucial time for Mizzou as national signing day looms on Feb. 4 and one of the nation’s elite defensive linemen is in the Tigers’ crosshairs, East St. Louis defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr., who returned home from his visit to Ohio State Sunday night. Beckner told the Post-Dispatch he still plans to visit Missouri this weekend and will announce his college choice during a ceremony on Feb. 4. 

"

247Sports' Steve Wiltfong noted Auburn and FSU are making final pitches as well:

At 6'4" and 293 pounds, Beckner would be a coup for any major college program. Auburn might be on the outside looking in, and 247Sports' Crystal Ball has just 11 percent of experts predicting Beckner to head to Florida State next season.

Ohio State is certainly a more appealing choice after its national championship win, but Mizzou and Kuligowski can almost guarantee a player like Beckner becomes a major star. He's maximized the potential of players like Michael Sam, Aldon Smith and Kony Ealy.

Sure, those are all defensive ends, and Beckner projects to play inside, but one only has to look at the rousing success of New York Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, who played defensive tackle at Mizzou and was named to his first Pro Bowl this season, his second in the league. With a legacy like that in place, the choice for Beckner is obvious.

Prediction: Beckner heads to Missouri

Chris Clark, TE (No. 85 overall, No. 2 position)

Credit: 247Sports

Tight end prospects don't tend to get as much coverage in the buildup to national signing day, but Chris Clark is one to keep an eye on as the second-ranked player in his position.

ESPN Insider Tom VanHaaren noted that Clark's choice has come down to either Michigan or UCLA. He's had numerous conversations with both coaching staffs, per VanHaaren, and the Bruins brass went with an interesting pitch in their recruitment of Clark:

"

We were talking about how people always say UCLA fans aren't the rah-rah type for the football team all the time, and he said in a way that's a good thing. Why would you want to be the guy who goes to class with people who think you're a star and are obsessed with. I want to be exposed to other people with different interests, and I just want to be a normal dude that plays the sport. It was good advice, because kids get obsessed with the fact that they're superstars, but what happens when they're 25 years old and the game is over?

"

However, VanHaaren was quick to note that Clark insisted that "the two schools are even at this point, and this is one of the hardest decisions he has had to make."

Michigan should have plenty of hope with a hot new coach in Jim Harbaugh talking up Ann Arbor. Clark tweeted (h/t MLive.com's Nick Baumgardner) that Harbaugh is set to visit him on Wednesday. Baumgardner also noted a smattering of recruits the first-year head coach has already enticed:

"Michigan picked up three commitments this past weekend (4-star quarterback Zach Gentry, 3-star defensive end Reuben Jones and 2-star offensive lineman Nolan Ulizio) after an official visit weekend."

Gentry is an intriguing prospect in his own right at quarterback and could form a strong partnership with Clark in the coming years. There is perhaps early opportunity for Clark in Michigan with wideout/tight end hybrid Devin Funchess heading to the NFL, but sophomore tight end Jake Butt will provide tough competition after finishing third on the team in receptions in 2014.

On the other hand, UCLA spent most of its time throwing the ball to various wideouts in 2014 and could use a player like Clark to essentially become the tight end depth chart. A chance to be an army of one at a strong Pac-12 program like UCLA's is a rare opportunity afforded to very few recruits.

And in an era of incredibly focused and intense media attention, a normalcy pitch might be enough to sway Clark and tip him toward Westwood.

Prediction: Clark heads to UCLA

Player rankings, statistics, measurements and recruiting info courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.