National Signing Day predictions for top 30 uncommitted recruits

• High School: Raytown (Kansas City, MO)
• Composite Ranking: No. 77, No. 6 CB

Herm Edwards has done a good job of laying a foundation with Arizona State in his two seasons as head coach. The Sun Devils are trying to implement a pro model into the college game and they have been working on the recruiting trail.

While they’ve been doing extensive work in Southern California, the Sun Devils are hot on the trail of Kansas City recruit Dontae Manning. The No. 6 cornerback recruit in the nation would be an ideal fit in the system of defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales.

Everyone’s expecting the Sun Devils to have a good class, but the feeling around Tempe is there are going to be a couple of surprises in it as well. This would be one of those surprises.

Manning is a ball hawk. He’s an incredible playmaker that finds a way to come down with the football in just about every situation. It would be quite the hallmark for Edwards and a great sign of things to come for the Sun Devils if they could pull off this recruiting victory.

Getting a shutdown cornerback would give ASU a big advantage in the Pac-12. We’ve seen the Sun Devils struggle with inconsistency at times on defense while following it up with huge performances. He recently had a visit with Georgia and also with Oregon, who could be the biggest challengers to nab him from Arizona State.

Prediction: Arizona State

• High School: Lakeland (Lakeland, FL)
• Composite Ranking: No. 73, No. 14 WR

Perhaps one of the fastest recruits in the nation, Arian Smith is going to be a deep ball threat for the program he ends up with. Smith is a state champion in sprinting and has acceleration that will make it tough for any defensive back to catch him once he’s off to the races.

Having rare speed will not only take a recruit to the college level but likely the NFL as well. It’s all about finding the right place to exploit his strengths and the SEC schools have been chasing Smith for some time.

Kirby Smart has recently paid Smith a home visit and the experts think Georgia is the heavy favorite to land the wide receiver. He’s more than just a track star as well. Smith has shown good hands and an ability to catch the ball as well.

As he continues to refine his route running, his game will reach another level. Smart and the Bulldogs have done a good job of recruiting talented receiver recruits in his tenure, so why not another?

Prediction: Georgia