For high school and college football fans, the first Wednesday in February is like a second Christmas.
After things are all settled from state championship games, college bowl games and the national championship game comes National Signing Day. The 2020 recruitment class will complete the process tomorrow by signing National Letters of Intent to the program they find best suits their desires.
Early signing period has began to take a little bit out of National Signing Day with athletes wanting to announce their commitments and sign in December or at the All-America Game.
But here’s a quick rundown and prediction of what fans should expect from some of the top recruits that are still unsigned:
DE, Alfred Collins (6-5, 284)
4-star, Cedar Creek
Collins is a highly sought after end with his build, strength, and agility. He’s proven to be fast and strong plowing over top 5A offenses. Collins has 86 stops and 35 tackles for a loss while forcing four turnovers in only 10 games played. Collins has earned 15 offers.
Possibilities: Alabama, Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
Prediction: Texas Longhorns
CB, Ennis Rakestraw (6-0, 170)
3-star, Duncanville
Entering his senior season, Rakestraw didn’t have a single offer from a Power 5 school. He’s since got his pick of the litter from some of the best colleges in the nation. After shutting down some of the best receivers in the state, his recruiting skyrocketed so much so that even Alabama’s well-decorated head coach Nick Saban made a home visit to try to convince the young recruit to commit to the Tide.
Possibilities: Rakestraw has made official visits to Alabama, Missouri and Texas. On the eve of National Signing Day, Rakestraw shared a screenshot photo on twitter of a facetime call with the Longhorns’ CB Coach Jay Valai.
Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide
QB, Malik Hornsby (6-2, 175)
4-star, Fort Bend Marshall
A rare dual-threat quarterback who is extremely talented. What program wouldn’t be looking for that? Hornsby helped lead his squad to a 14-2 season in 2019 before dropping a 45-42 thriller against Aledo. This 4-star quarterback has 2,200 passing-yards and 29 passing touchdowns, but Hornsby has proven to be quick on his feet as well with over 1,500 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns earning himself 26 different offers.
Possibilities: Hornsby has taken official visits to Arkansas, Baylor, Purdue and Texas A&M. It seems as though Hornsby would have a better chance at more playing time if he signs with the Razorbacks.
Prediction: Arkansas Razorbacks
DE, Princely Umanmielen (6-4, 249)
4-star, Manor
Umanmielen can do it all. Programs that need a defensive end to seal the edge, pressure the quarterback, or play out the run have looked to get Umanmielen’s attention over the season. The 4-star recruit has proven his skills against some of the top 5A teams in the state and has offers from 28 different schools.
Possibilities: Umanmielen has taken official visits to Auburn, Baylor, Florida and Texas.
Prediction: Baylor Bears
OT, Ty’kieast Crawford (6-5, 335)
4-star, Carthage
Crawford is an offensive lineman who is going to get things done on the next level and college coaches know that. In fact, various programs have been vying for his attention all season. The former Arkansas commit re-opened his recruitment in October after the Razorbacks saw a coaching shift.
Possibilities: Arkansas and LSU seem to be in a head to head race to get Crawford signed.
Prediction: LSU Tigers
