When it comes to National Signing Day and college football recruiting, there is a lot of unknown, but be sure you note these 10 names.
Anyone denying the importance of college football recruiting and, additionally, National Signing Day simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about. The reason that you see many of the same programs perennially competing for titles is because of their ability to recruit. These teams continually bring in studs out of high school and mold them together into top-notch talents and National Championship caliber teams.
With that being said, there aren’t many people out there that keep up with high school football to the degree that college football scouts or the most hardcore of die-hards do. Because of that, National Signing Day, by nature, is a day where many fans are learning. This is the first time that some fans will hear names that are being raved about, and will hope it’s the first of many times that they’ll hear these names with such fanfare.
There are always diamonds in the rough and busts, of course. When you’re talking about 17- and 18-year old young men, there is a lot of work and development still to be done. With that being said, there is a reason that many of the top recruits in the country are rated so highly. Thus, they are the ones to watch.
Entering National Signing Day 2018 on Wednesday, Feb. 7, there are nine players in the 247 Sports Top 50 Composite Rankings that will be making their decisions of where to play college football. These are the names you need to know and we’ll look at them (plus one) so you aren’t in the dark when you hear all about them come Wednesday.
10. William Barnes, OT
Put simply, William Barnes is a mammoth of a man already and he’s still in high school. The Apopka, FL native is coming into the collegiate ranks with a 6-foot-4, 325-pound frame that seems ready to slot into almost any offensive line in the country already. He’s a 4-star recruit and the fifth-best offensive tackle prospect in the country according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings.
What’s interesting with Barnes is that it would appear that the North Carolina Tar Heels might be the first in line to land the beast of a tackle. However, you can never overestimate a young man’s desire to stay close to home. So while UNC may be in the lead right now, a last-minute change of heart to stay in Florida could shake things up as it pertains to Barnes’ future.
9. Justyn Ross, WR
The top-ranked recruit in Alabama according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings, Justyn Ross has the makings of a play-making wide receiver that you can’t miss in college football. He already boasts a 6-foot-4, 201-pound frame that has to make coaches drool at the thought of what he could be able to do in regards to plays down the field, 50-50 balls and so on. He’s a go-up-and-get-it type of guy every quarterback loves to throw to.
As a Phenix City, AL native, Ross is heavily linked to Mike Locksley at Alabama and it appears that’s where he’ll most likely be headed. However, the Clemson Tigers have their voice in his ear right now and we know what kind of talent they’ve been able to land at wide receiver. This would be a huge get for Dabo Swinney if they could got into Bama territory and nab a recruit of this caliber.