Who Are the Top Remaining Uncommitted 2017 QB Recruits?

The domino effect. It happens every year in recruiting.

When one big-name player commits, it means one less target for interested schools. This becomes a huge topic of discussion for teams looking for elite quarterbacks, particularly with the position being so vital and so limited.

Tate Martell's commitment to Ohio State on Sunday was huge for the Buckeyes—and a punch in the face for other programs still looking to land a stud quarterback. Prior to Sunday, Martell, the nation's top-ranked dual-threat quarterback, was one of only three 4-star (or better) signal-callers nationally still uncommitted.

That list is now at two—dual-threat quarterback Kellen Mond and pro-style quarterback Jack Sears.

Credit: Student Sports

Let's play the numbers game. Per the 247Sports composite rankings, there are 15 pro-style and 10 dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2017 class rated at least with four stars. The 4-stars of the 2016 class, the incoming college freshmen, featured 13 pro-style and eight dual-threat quarterbacks.

That's 25 quarterbacks combined for the 2017 class, 21 combined for the 2016 class. There are currently 128 FBS teams fighting for the handful of elite quarterbacks. And let's not forget some of these programs have two quarterbacks committed.

When news like Martell committing becomes legit, it has an immense trickle-down effect. College coaches are forced to skip to the next-available name on their quarterback charts—but that can be difficult when that chart only has a few names.

At a position that's so heralded in college football recruiting, names who are considered next-level material can be few and far between. That's how it's always been with the position some feel is the most important in recruiting.

Of the 64 teams that represent the Power Five (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12), only 22 are currently without a quarterback commit. Among those 22 are USC, UCLA, Oregon, Auburn, Baylor, Cal and Washington.

ACC	Big Ten	Big 12	Pac-12	SEC
Boston College	Indiana	Baylor	Cal	Auburn
Duke	Minnesota	West Virginia	Colorado	Missouri
Georgia Tech	Iowa	Kansas	Oregon	Tennessee
Louisville			Utah	Vanderbilt
North Carolina			USC
			UCLA
			Washington

With so many household-name quarterbacks already committed, look for the battles for Mond and Sears to intensify with these programs without a quarterback pledge. Mond, a recent Baylor decommit, may be the prize get of them all. He has Auburn, Texas A&M and Ohio State high on his list, but with Martell choosing Ohio State—and becoming the second quarterback commit of the 2017 class for the Buckeyes—expect to weigh his options between Auburn and Texas A&M.

Consider this the perfect time for coaches to find those quarterback gems who are rated 3-star or below. Many of the high school 3-stars can play the game at the next level.

Take Jake Haener as exhibit A. Or Chase Garbers as exhibit B. Or Tyler Lytle as exhibit C. Haener and Garbers were participants in the Elite 11 Finals two weekends ago. Lytle has 25 reported offers, the majority of them coming from FBS programs.

Credit: Student Sports

There are also those quarterbacks just looking for a breakout opportunity. Nick Sipe is a 3-star with likable physical measurements at 6'4" and 191 pounds. Seth Washington is unrated but has eight reported offers, including UTEP, North Texas and Ivy League schools Cornell and Brown.

And let's not forget those junior college quarterbacks looking to find a home at an FBS program. One quarterback to keep an eye on at the JUCO level is D.J. Gillins, who is at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi.

Gillins signed with Wisconsin in February 2014 as the nation's No. 7 dual-threat quarterback of the 2014 class. Although he was recruited in high school as a quarterback, Wisconsin moved him to wide receiver. He left Wisconsin in an effort to play quarterback once again.

You can believe that there are many quarterbacks out there simply looking to prove themselves. With the way the dominoes are falling with quarterbacks this year, don't be surprised if one of these sleepers gets the opportunity to play in a respected Power Five program.

The domino effect for quarterbacks is alive and well. And for those still in need of a signal-caller, it's game on.

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