Alabama Football: Final Predictions Pre-National Signing Day

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It's the homestretch for the recruiting class of 2017, as national signing day is Feb. 1, and Alabama is in its usual position of adding another group of stellar prospects. 

Alabama's signing class recently fell to No. 2 in the Scout rankings, barely behind Georgia, but the two programs could be neck-and-neck until the end, with Ohio State still within striking distance.

The 247Sports composite rankings, which factors in most of the major media recruiting services, gives Alabama a slight lead over Ohio State and Georgia.

Heading into the final weekend, Alabama has 24 commitments, 12 of whom have already enrolled. While head coach Nick Saban doesn’t encourage players to leave high school early unless they really want to, an added benefit of having so many recruits on campus already is that it minimizes the chances of a late flip.

Regardless, no one is sure how many open spots Alabama has left, as Saban keeps the tally of scholarship players on the roster close to the vest. The recent decommitments of junior college cornerback Jhavonte Dean and kicker Brandon Ruiz have opened up a couple of slots, but Alabama is still in the midst of a numbers crunch.

The guess here is that Alabama would like to add another defensive back but may not be able to. The names to watch will be cornerback Christopher Henderson from Miami Columbus and safety Todd Harris out of Plaquemine High School in Louisiana. Harris took his official visit last week.

With that, here are the final recruiting predictions for the Crimson Tide.

Defensive Tackle Phidarian Mathis

This might be the one player to watch, as all indications are it’s a tight race between Alabama and LSU, with TCU also in the mix.

Phidarian Mathis hails from Monroe, Louisiana, (Neville High School, where safety Hootie Jones attended), so the hometown pressure is on. However, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron has already landed defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin, the top prospect in the state.

Mathis made his official visit to Tuscaloosa this past weekend, along with some other Louisiana players. Alabama has had a lot of success recruiting out of state thanks in part to running backs coach Burton Burns, yet this might be an instance of the longer it takes Mathis to make a decision, the tougher it will be for him to leave home.

Prediction: LSU

Defensive End LaBryan Ray

The top in-state prospect is believed be a strong Alabama lean and has been for months, but he has yet to pull the trigger. 

LaBryan Ray made his official visit this past weekend, and Alabama coaches visited his school Monday. James Clemens High School head coach Wade Waldrop quipped to AL.com’s Daniel Boyette: "I'm sure it went well. Nobody came out fighting."

Saban made his home visit with Ray Monday night.

Ray still has an official visit to Florida scheduled for this weekend, but it would be a real surprise if he doesn’t put on an Alabama hat on national signing day.

Prediction: Alabama

Wide Receiver Henry Ruggs III

The other top in-state prospect who remains uncommitted is Henry Ruggs III, who has seen his stock rise after scoring a 61-yard touchdown in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was on the same team as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, an early enrollee.

Florida State is considered Alabama’s primary competition, although Ruggs might make an official visit to Penn State this weekend.

He was in Tuscaloosa last weekend and got a good look at the academic side of things, according to Drew Champlin of Al.com. Ruggs wants to major in computer engineering.

Prediction: Alabama

Defensive Tackle Aubrey Solomon

No one may be enjoying the recruiting process this year more than Aubrey Solomon, who recently made national headlines when he went go-kart racing with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.

If it seems like things have been going in circles regarding Scout's No. 11 prospect in the nation, it's because Solomon was once committed to Michigan but reopened his recruitment when the school sent him a thank you note for an event he didn’t attend.

He told 247Sports' Kipp Adams: "It was just a little heartbreaking, for me to supposedly be so high on their list, for them to confuse me with someone else. Plus they spelled both of my names wrong after I told them, but that was not the main issue. I guess they do not have tabs on me." 

Alabama, USC and Georgia are all in the running, but Solomon isn’t tipping his hand about who might have the lead. He’s expected to announce his decision before signing day.

Prediction: Michigan

Wide Receiver Devonta Smith

Like with Mathis, LSU is doing everything it can to keep Devonta Smith from leaving Louisiana, but the product of Amite High School has a lot of connections with Alabama and appears to be a solid lean. 

He was set to announce his commitment in August but postponed it due to flooding in the area at the time. He decommitted from Georgia last January after being recruited by Mark Richt.

With Richt now serving as the head coach at Miami, the Hurricanes are in the running, and Florida State has made a push as well. Smith made his official visit to Alabama last weekend.

Smith is expected to announce his decision on national signing day.

Prediction: Alabama

Defensive End/Linebacker Jarez Parks

Saban made quite an impression by stopping by to say hi to Jarez Parks and his coaches at Sebastian High School in Florida in a helicopter last week. 

Although Parks doesn't appear to be in a rush to decide on a destination and even told Jon Santucci of Treasure Coast Newspapers he may not sign on national signing day, Alabama appears to be the front-runner.

Florida is the primary competition, while Florida State, North Carolina and Auburn are also in the running.

All recruiting and rankings information via Scout unless otherwise noted. 

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.