B/R Recruiting Notebook: Important January Visits on Deck for Elite 2016 Targets

SAN ANTONIO — With the three major high school all-star football games—the Under Armour All-America Game, the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl and, most recently, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl—officially in the books, athletes are now focused on the 11th hour of recruiting.

Uncommitted prospects are now down to their final three weeks before national signing day. The final two weeks of January will be huge, as athletes look to finalize their college football futures.

National signing day is Feb. 3. Here are some athletes to keep an eye on throughout the month of January and in early February.

SEC visits up for 5-star DT Brown

For Buford, Georgia, 5-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown, the only thing that didn't go his way during his U.S. Army All-American Bowl experience was the final score of the game. Brown competed for the East team, which lost to the West, 37-9.

What Brown left San Antonio with, however, was a few personal victories and memories. He was the recipient of the Anthony Munoz Lineman of the Year award, given to the nation's top high school offensive lineman. He also was the recipient of the American Family Insurance Defensive Player of the Year award, given to the nation's top high school defensive player. He also was a U.S. Army Player of the Year finalist.

"The Army All-American Bowl is the best experience you could have. I would tell any other kid that there isn't any other game," said Brown, who is the son of James Brown, who served in the U.S. Army. "This game was big for me. I got the opportunity to represent my dad."

Derrick Brown now focuses on his college plans. He's taken official visits to Mississippi State and Alabama in November and December, respectively, and he said on Saturday that he will take an official to Auburn this weekend, Georgia the weekend of Jan. 22 and Tennessee the weekend of Jan. 29.

A decision, Brown said, will come on national signing day. The deciding factor, he said, is pretty cut-and-dried.

"I've got to find a place that's home," he said.

Brown is the nation's No. 8 player and the No. 3 defensive tackle in the 2016 class. He finished his senior year at Lanier High School with 106 tackles and 13 sacks, according to the Athens Banner-Herald. 

Damon Sayles/Bleacher Report

QB Patterson: An art to player recruiting

IMG Academy 5-star prospect Shea Patterson, the nation's No. 5 player and No. 2 pro-style quarterback, put on a show at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and took home the Pete Dawkins Trophy for MVP honors. Now that the game's over, it's time for the Ole Miss commit to turn into one of Ole Miss' best player-recruiters—a job he's taking seriously.

And while Patterson admits he's careful with his recruiting tactics, he knows that the next three weeks will be key in landing some of the top targets still uncommitted.

"There's some pros and cons to it," Patterson said. "You don't want to be overbearing with the guys. I know how it was to be on the other side being recruited. That's the worst part, when guys are shoving it in your face. I just throw in pitches every now and then to these guys."

Patterson committed to Ole Miss last February and said guys like DeKaylin Metcalf (see below), Benito Jones and Eli Johnson helped sell the dream of the program to him. Some of Patterson's targets include safety Deontay Anderson, outside linebacker Mique Juarez and strong-side defensive end Jeffery Simmons (see below)—three athletes ranked among the top three nationally at their respective positions.

"There's still a lot of guys in this class for us," Patterson said. "I just tell them that we can do something special at Ole Miss."

DE Simmons ready to shine for home state

Macon, Mississippi, 4-star defensive end Jeffery Simmons is the top-ranked player from the state of Mississippi in the 2016 class. And Simmons takes pride in representing the Magnolia State every time he steps on the football field.

He joined Alabama defensive tackle commit Raekwon Davis and Ole Miss receiver commit DeKaylin Metcalf as the Mississippi representatives competing at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

"A lot of people look over Mississippi," Simmons said. "We can play, and I felt like we showed we can play."

The state is hoping to keep Simmons, the nation's No. 3 strong-side defensive end and No. 36 player overall, from playing college ball out of state. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are two of his top four schools, the others being Alabama and Tennessee.

Simmons said he will take an official visit to Mississippi State this weekend. Official visits to Alabama (weekend of Jan. 22) and Ole Miss (Jan. 29) will follow. He visited Tennessee in November.

"I want to be at a place where I can bond with the players," Simmons said. "I want to see if I can fit in with the program. I want to feel at home."

Simmons added: "On and off the field, I want to show I can be a leader. That's just the type of guy I am. Being a leader is what I want to do."

Decision for WR Richards bigger than football

West Palm Beach, Florida, 4-star wide receiver Ahmmon Richards called playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl "a once-in-a-lifetime experience." But Richards now will focus on his final three official visits, starting with Miami this weekend.

Richards, who visited Auburn in November, will follow the Miami visit with a trip to Alabama the weekend of Jan. 22 and a trip to Tennessee the weekend of Jan. 29. He said all four schools are still in the running, but he has an idea of what he wants in a winning program.

"I want to be somewhere where I can see myself outside of football," Richards said. "All the schools have pretty much the same academic parts. If you take football out of the equation, can I see myself going to that school?"

Richards said he wants to be a coach and also start his own business after college. Athletically, Richards has an idea of setting short-term goals in college.

"I just want to be a playmaker," he said. "I like making plays and scoring."

Credit: 247Sports.com

Rivals among leaders for ATH Fuller

As the nation's No. 8 athlete, Westwood, New Jersey, 4-star prospect Jordan Fuller admits that he's his own worst critic. He was very critical of his play at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl—even if others disagreed.

"Some people will say I had a good game," said Fuller, who finished with two solo tackles as a defensive back. "I didn't feel I played that well."

Being his worst critic is something he said coaches actually like about him. His expectations for himself are very high—but his ambition to strive for perfection could be a reason why he has 25 reported offers.

Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan are two of the schools fighting for Fuller's commitment. Fuller said he will visit Ohio State this week and Michigan the weekend of Jan. 22. Fuller visited Notre Dame in November and said he may take an official to Penn State the weekend of Jan. 29.

Fuller said he hasn't decided on whether or not to commit on national signing day. He did say he's looking for a school that can offer him a great education and a place where the coaching staff can also serve as mentors.

He added that he's going to use Saturday's all-star game as a platform of sorts to prepare for next-level football.

"Being able to compete against the best of the best, it was an awesome experience," Fuller said. "I know I got a lot better with this, but I still have some work to do. Overall, it was fun meeting new guys."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports.com's composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles