Believe it or not, we are only two months away from the early signing period for college football. The first day recruits will be able to sign their national letters of intent is Dec. 19, and the early signing will end Dec. 21.
Last year, the first with the early period in football, it was somewhat of a guess what would happen, so college coaches prepared the best they could and braced for the impact. Now, having gone through it once, we know to expect quite a few prospects to sign on the dotted line in December.
Of the 300 prospects who comprised the 2018 ESPN 300, 221 signed in December, meaning the pool of top recruits left to battle over from January to the first Wednesday in February was considerably smaller than in past years.
That makes these next two months crucial for coaches to secure remaining targets, firm up soft commitments and plan for how to win this early signing period. What coaches have done up to this point could help shape what happens in December, so here is a look at where recruiting is currently at with two months to go.
Who is leading the way?
As it currently stands, Texas A&M and new coach Jimbo Fisher are in the No. 1 spot. The class is led by two in-state products -- No. 1-ranked, five-star offensive tackle Kenyon Green and No. 2-ranked safety Brian Williams. Texas A&M has 25 total commits, including 14 ESPN 300 prospects, in the class. That puts the Aggies just in front of Alabama, which is currently hanging on to the No. 2-ranked class despite having two more ESPN 300 commits than Texas A&M.
Oregon sits in the No. 3 spot, which has been somewhat of a surprise in this class. After head coach Willie Taggart left for Florida State, assistant Mario Cristobal was elevated to head coach, and the Ducks have taken off from there. Cristobal added a few smart pieces to his staff to help recruiting, including bringing in Cort Dennison from Louisville. The staff has put an emphasis on recruiting, and it has shown in this class, with 10 ESPN 300 commitments and two big junior college commitments from corner Elijah Blades and offensive lineman Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu.