National Signing Day 2023: Predicting where Top 10 unsigned recruits land
By John Buhler
9. Mikal Harrison-Pilot: Athlete, Temple (Temple, TX)
Mikal Harrison-Pilot is the No. 7 athlete in the country, the No. 35 player hailing from Texas and the No. 195 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle. The four-star from Temple, Texas is 6-foot and 190 pounds. He had 47 official offers, including Cal, Houston, TCU and Texas. Harrison-Pilot visited all four schools before committing to Houston only a few weeks ago on Jan. 7, 2023.
The expectation is Harrison-Pilot will play safety at the Power Five level. Though the prospect of playing wide receiver could be enticing, playing safety should get him on the field faster. While Cal, TCU and Texas could all flip him, Harrison-Pilot’s recent commitment to Houston suggests he will play for the Cougars. With U of H going Power Five, he could achieve all he wants by going there.
TCU and Texas could flip him, but it is hard to see him decommitting from Houston this soon.
Prediction: Houston
8. Shamar Easter: Tight End, Ashdown (Ashdown, AR)
Shamar Easter is the No. 1 player from Arkansas, the No. 10 tight end in the country and the No. 184 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle. The Ashdown standout is 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. While Easter had 11 official offers, he only really considered the Razorbacks. Arkansas was the only school he took an official visit to. However, his primary recruiter is no longer there.
Dowell Loggains is now the offensive coordinator at South Carolina. Though the Gamecocks are a potential dark horse to flip Easter, he is probably familiar with his replacement in Dan Enos, who was the Hogs offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2015 to 2017. Not only is Easter a star player from Arkansas, he also plays tight end, which is a position group the Hogs thrive with.
It would be beyond shocking if Easter did not sign his national letter of intent and go to Arkansas.
Prediction: Arkansas
7. Jeremiah Cobb: Running Back, Montgomery Catholic Preparatory (Montgomery, AL)
Jeremiah Cobb is the No. 9 running back in the country, the No. 13 player from Alabama and the No. 166 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound running back from Montgomery had 34 official offers and took four official visits. He has been committed to Auburn since July 1, 2022. Cobb’s two primary recruiters were retained by new coach Hugh Freeze.
Since Zac Etheridge and Cadillac Williams are Auburn alums, they are not going to let a four-star running back from Alabama’s capital leave The Yellowhammer State. If he were to flip, keep an eye on Clemson, Georgia or Tennessee. Cobb took official visits to Clemson and Tennessee, as well as a pair to Auburn six months apart after Bryan Harsin was let go and Freeze was hired to replace him.
It does not feel like Cobb will flip, especially after he has been committed to Auburn for this long.
Prediction: Auburn