5 Teams with the Most Work to Do Before 2015 National Signing Day

In two days, fax machines across the country will feel useful for a change. 

With national signing day on Wednesday, programs around the country are finalizing classes and making some last-minute pitches to key, undecided recruits. Or, in other cases, schools are desperately trying to flip prospects who are verbally committed elsewhere. 

After all, nothing is set in stone until the national of letter of intent is faxed. 

For many teams, a majority of the work is done. For others, there are still plenty of opportunities in the final 48 hours or so. Which teams still have work to do before signing day? The following programs still need to either fill out their classes or are in the running for major recruits. 

Michigan

Don Wright/Associated Press

Michigan's 2015 class isn't on track to be a big one. The Wolverines have just nine verbal commits. In context, though, Michigan's class is ranked last in the Big Ten. 

New head coach Jim Harbaugh was able to find his potential quarterback of the future, 4-star Zach Gentry, a former Texas commit. However, there are several more big names Harbaugh and his staff could land in the coming days.

Among those names are 5-star cornerback Iman Marshall, who at the moment appears to favor USC. Another name to watch is blue-chip tight end Chris Clark out of Avon, Connecticut. Clark was previously committed to Michigan but is now deciding between the Wolverines and UCLA. 

For Harbaugh, Gentry and Clark could be the start of his next great quarterback-tight end pass-catching combo, similar to what he had at Stanford. Harbaugh won't make up a ton of ground with this class, but he has the chance to close strong. 

Florida

Rob Foldy/Getty Images

Similar to Michigan, Florida's small class of 11 verbal commits is an indictment on the uncertainty surrounding the previous coach and the problems it had on recruiting. 

There's only so much new coach Jim McElwain can do in a short period of time, as Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports opined: 

"

That's not necessarily an indictment of McElwain's recruiting ability. Instead, his struggles could serve as an ominous forbearer for other high-profile programs that undergo coaching transitions. In today's vastly accelerated recruiting cycle, where schools begin pursuing most prospects no later than their sophomore years of high school, recruits form years-long relationships with coaching staffs. It's getting increasingly difficult to catch up in two months.

"

However, Florida can at least finish with its head above water in the next two days. Among the targets the Gators are pursuing are: lineman Martez Ivey, defensive ends Byron Cowart and CeCe Jefferson and running back Jordan Scarlett.

All are major in-state prospects, and the first three are top-100 players, according to 247sports composite rankings. It feels like McElwain has been behind the eight ball on the recruiting trail, but even getting some of the aforementioned names would be a major victory. 

UCLA

Harry How/Getty Images

UCLA isn't in bad shape on the recruiting trail; quite the opposite, actually, even though the Bruins class is currently just 16 players strong. 

For head coach Jim Mora, the next couple of days will be about taking that class—currently 15th nationally—into top-10 territory. As B/R recruiting guru Damon Sayles writes, "The Bruins are in good positions to land 5-star running back Soso Jamabo, 4-star tight end Chris Clark, 4-star offensive lineman Josh Wariboko, 4-star defensive end Joseph Wicker and 4-star wide receiver Cordell Broadus."

Additionally, 3-star athlete Nathan Meadors is high on the Bruins, along with a handful of other schools. 

According to a tweet, Jefferson, mentioned earlier in connection to Florida, does not have UCLA in his top four. 

Miami (FL)

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

Miami head coach Al Golden has done a terrific job of building the recruiting class of 2016, but what about the one that signs in earnest?

The Hurricanes' top priority in the coming days will be to land offensive skill players. Four-star running back Dexter Williams was once a Miami commit and could still be swayed, according to Matt Porter of The Palm Beach Post. The Canes would like another running back commit after Scarlett decommitted on Sunday. 

Other top targets for Miami include athlete Marcus Lewis, receiver Antonio Callaway and lineman Kendrick Norton. Defensive end Shelton Johnson is also considering the Hurricanes against rival Florida State. 

USC

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

USC isn't hurting on the recruiting trail, that much is for sure. The Trojans actually have the Pac-12's top class with 20 commits (six of whom are early enrollees). 

Still, head coach Steve Sarkisian could be closing in a banner class that will add both talent and depth. In the post-NCAA sanctions life, that's a big deal for USC. 

Among the major names that are still available are: 5-star cornerback Marshall, 5-star defensive tackle Rasheem Green and 4-star linebackers Porter Gustin and John Houston. 

However, Marshall told ESPN's Erik McKinney that there have been selling points with all of his finalists. 

"At Florida State, the football atmosphere and the coaching staff is great," Marshall told McKinney (subscription required). "At Michigan, the networking and the new coaching hire. And LSU, that's DB U."

Going after high-profile defensive names makes sense. USC's biggest losses are on defense with four seniors departing from the two-deep as well as junior defensive lineman Leonard Williams. What Sarkisian can sell to players like Gustin and Marshall is that they'll be in a position to compete for playing time right away. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All recruiting information courtesy of 247sports.com composite rankings.