College Football Recruiting 2011: Odds For Whom Cyrus Kouandjio Will Sign With

Cyrus Kouandjio is the top rated offensive tackle in the country and one of the most athletic and nimble big men we have ever seen. 

He has a huge wingspan, and at times appears to move as swiftly as someone half his size, using his massive hands and extremely strong upper body to ward off defenders seemingly effortlessly. 

For months Kouandjio had been reluctant to give out too much information about where he’s thinking of going, but eventually cut his list of over 50 suitors down to a final 11 and now has narrowed it down to just five schools. 

Alabama and USC headline a field that also includes Iowa, Miami and New Mexico. Here are the odds for each of his finalists to sign the coveted prospect. 

To keep up to date with the latest on the recruiting front, be sure to check out our 2011 Top 100 Commitments List.

Miami

You'll be hearing a lot of this when it comes to Miami and recruiting. Until the program sorts out its coaching situation, don't expect the recruiting front to be fruitful.

Randy Shannon's usefulness as a recruiter can't be understated and now that he's out of the picture expect a standard wait-and-see approach from every prospect. For the Hurricanes, this is a race against the clock. 

"I am not sure about Miami because they just lost their head coach and things are a little shaky down there," Kouandjio said. 

Odds to sign Kouandjio: Very Low

New Mexico

New Mexico isn't normally a team you see in a top-rated recruit's final five, so when the Lobos kept making the cut our eyebrows continually raised. 

New Mexico's highest ranking recruiting class since 2002 was the No. 78 class last year, so getting a recruit of Kouandjio's pedigree would be monumental. 

He'll be in town this weekend and knows a few of the Lobos players, including a couple of former high school teammates. While he's tight with the coaching staff and has already made a couple trips to the campus, at the end of the day Kouandjio just isn't going to New Mexico. 

Odds to sign Kouandjio: Low

Iowa

Iowa isn't a team that gets too much love in the Kouandjio sweepstakes, but to think that the Hawkeyes aren't serious contenders is a mistake. They may be on the outside looking in, but Kirk Ferentz can be very influential; especially if you're talking offensive linemen. 

It's no secret that Ferentz has had a long history of success developing NFL-caliber linemen and if you're looking for one reason why Kouadjio would chose one of the underdogs in this race, that's it. 

Add in the fact that former teammate and friend Marcus Coker was a part of Iowa's 2010 recruiting class and the dots start to connect. 

Odds to sign Kouandjio: High

USC

USC is probably still a little sore about the way things worked out with Seantrel Henderson, the top-rated prospect from the 2010 recruiting class that was released from his letter of intent before the season and signed with Miami. 

The Trojans are hoping things turn out a little better with Kouandjio. He hasn't scheduled an official visit yet, but plans to shortly. 

There might not be a team in the nation going after a prospect harder than USC is for Kouandjio, and the longer this goes on the more the 5-star talent is listening. 

Odds to sign Kouandjio: High

Alabama

Detractors will say that Kouandjio has soured on Alabama and doesn't want to follow in his brother's footsteps, with Arie one of the headliners of the Crimson Tide's 2010 class. 

But from where we sit, things are looking good for Alabama, who hosted Kouandjio for a visit last weekend. 

This has been Alabama's race to lose for a while now, and while USC and Iowa have closed the gap, on national signing day we still think he'll be joining the Tide.

Odds to sign Kouandjio: Very High