National Signing Day 2016: College Football Teams That Could Win Big

Monday officially kicked off a four-day NCAA dead period. The last-minute pitches by college coaches have been made. National signing day is in two days.

For now, with many athletes, we wait and see which college they choose to call home for the immediate future.

Wednesday will be a day when a few teams have the opportunity to shoot up the team recruiting rankings. Wednesday also will be a day when top-ranked recruiting classes can become even more elite by landing some of the best uncommitted players in the 2016 class.

The objective for Wednesday is to sign athletes and score big recruiting victories. Here are eight teams looking to end the recruiting cycle on the highest note possible.

Ohio State

Tony Ding/Associated Press

Number of commitments: 22

247Sports.com team recruiting ranking: No. 2 overall (No. 1 Big Ten)

Talk about having quality and quantity: Ohio State's current class includes 22 players, and 16 of the 22 are at least rated a 4-star athlete. The Buckeyes are sitting at the No. 2 spot in the team recruiting rankings, but the top spot isn't far from their grasp with the addition of a couple of studs before signing day.

Ohio State feels strongly about where it stands with 4-star athlete Jordan Fuller, and 4-star cornerback Damar Hamlin is a definite possibility to land in Columbus. One player to watch is 4-star cornerback Carlos Becker, who was very impressed with his official visit to Ohio State the weekend of Jan. 22.

Texas

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Number of commitments: 15

247Sports.com team recruiting ranking: No. 33 overall (No. 4 Big 12)

The Longhorns have momentum at exactly the right time, and they're hoping their run to signing day greatness started on Thursday, when they picked up a commitment from 4-star cornerback Eric Cuffee. That momentum continued Saturday when they added 3-star athlete Lil'Jordan Humphrey.

Texas has been preparing for a big run for weeks, and a huge finish can happen with potential 4-star commitments from safety Brandon Jones; the linebacker duo of Jeffrey McCulloch and Dontavious Jackson; and the defensive tackle quartet of Jordan Elliott, Chris Daniels, D'Andre Christmas-Giles and Stephon Taylor.

Auburn

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Number of commitments: 16

247Sports.com team recruiting ranking: No. 14 overall (No. 6 SEC)

Auburn currently is on the outskirts of a top-10 finish with the national recruiting rankings. The Tigers can enter the top 10—and possibly the top five—with a few signing-day commitments. Auburn likes the position it's in for 5-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown, as well as 4-star wide receiver Nate Craig-Myers.

The Tigers are hoping to close strong with some additional commitments, but they also are hoping to win over some pledges in the 11th hour. Auburn had 5-star linebacker Ben Davis, 4-star lineman Prince Sammons and 3-star safety Daniel Thomas on campus this past weekend.

Michigan

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Number of commitments: 25

247Sports.com team recruiting ranking: No. 5 overall (No. 2 Big Ten)

The anticipation for who Michigan ultimately signs on Wednesday is sky high in Ann Arbor. Already fielding a top-five nationally ranked class, the Wolverines could jump to No. 1 with the help of a few commitments, including one from from the nation's top-ranked player, 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary.

The state of New Jersey has been of high priority for the Wolverines. Along with Gary, 4-star athlete Jordan Fuller is a player to keep an eye on for Michigan's class. The Wolverines also want to keep players close to home, and Detroit 4-star cornerback Lavert Hill is a huge target.

Alabama

Hal Yeager/Associated Press

Number of commitments: 16

247Sports.com team recruiting ranking: No. 7 overall (No. 4 SEC)

Can the rich get richer? An already stellar class could get even better by Wednesday—so much better that the Crimson Tide can finish with a top-three class and, perhaps, challenge for the top spot and extend their streak of consecutive No. 1 recruiting classes to six years.

Alabama can close this recruiting cycle with any combination of the following 5-star players: Defensive tackles Rashan Gary and Derrick Brown; linebackers Ben Davis, Mack Wilson and Mique Juarez; defensive end Jeffery Simmons; wide receiver Demetris Robertson; or athlete Mecole Hardman Jr. And with elite 4-stars like cornerback Nigel Knott still in the picture, Alabama can finish the year with a bang.

UCLA

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Number of commitments: 23

247Sports.com team recruiting ranking: No. 16 overall (No. 2 Pac-12)

UCLA's class looks pretty good so far, but that "good" class can become "exceptional" with a few additional big names by signing day. The Bruins added to their class on Friday when 4-star all-purpose back Damian Alloway committed via Bleacher Report video.

The Bruins are hoping to keep 5-star linebacker Mique Juarez close to home by Wednesday. The Bruins also are hoping to pick up the Concord, California, De La Salle High School 4-star duo of tight end Devin Asiasi and defensive tackle Boss Tagaloa. Another huge target who will help UCLA's class is 4-star safety Brandon Burton.

Florida State

John Raoux/Associated Press

Number of commitments: 21

247Sports.com team recruiting ranking: No. 3 overall (No. 1 ACC)

The Seminoles are in a good position to finish the 2016 recruiting cycle with a bunch of players who represent the Sunshine State. Florida State loves building its program with in-state players, and with potential 4-star gets like defensive end Brian Burns and cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen and Carlos Becker still uncommitted, look for the Seminoles to try to close the deal with each of them.

Florida State currently has a top-five recruiting class and will look to build on out-of-state prospects, as well. North Carolina 4-star offensive tackle Landon Dickerson is a huge target, as is the nation's top-ranked junior college prospect, defensive end Jonathan Kongbo.

LSU

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

Number of commitments: 22

247Sports.com team recruiting ranking: No. 1 overall

Few teams in the country recruit their home states better than LSU. The Tigers have 14 of their 22 commits representing the state of Louisiana. As Wednesday approaches, the Tigers, currently the national front-runner in the team recruiting rankings, are hoping a few other players from the Pelican State choose to take their talents to Baton Rouge.

One of the biggest targets is 5-star cornerback Kristian Fulton, who is from Metairie, Louisiana. Stephon Taylor, a 4-star defensive tackle from New Orleans, also would be a major get for LSU. Recruiting outside Louisiana is just as important, and commitments from Florida cornerback Trayvon Mullen and Washington, D.C., offensive tackle Jauan Williams would be huge.