The recruiting dead period is over and even though Alabama lost the college football playoff championship game to Clemson, the Crimson Tide won the early portion of recruiting as 5-star prospects Najee Harris, Dylan Moses and Alex Leatherwood are all enrolled at the school despite late overtures.

With many prospects enrolled or solid to the point of where other programs have backed off, the race to Feb. 1 National Signing Day isn’t as crazy as it once was.

However, there are a few top-level prospects still on the board and still deciding. Here are five to take a look at this weekend and in the days to come before national signing day.

The prospect: Marvin Wilson, DT, Episcopal (Bellaire, Texas)
Current status: Uncommitted
Teams in contention: LSU, FSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, USF
The skinny: Wilson took an an official visit to LSU this past weekend, his fourth during this recruiting cycle. He’s already been to Oklahoma (Sept. 16), FSU (Oct. 28) and Ohio State (Nov. 26). A visit to USF is scheduled for Jan. 20 or 27, but it’s uncertain if he’ll take that visit or if it was just a personal shoutout to new USF coach Charlie Strong, who developed a great relationship with Wilson while he was at Texas.

LSU and FSU are the teams to beat here with LSU making Wilson the centerpiece of their biggest recruiting weekend and FSU sending two of their top recruiting assistants, Tim Brewster and Odell Haggins, on an in-home visit Thursday night.

Wilson will announce on signing day, so expect a few twists and turns in the final weeks before Feb. 1.

The prospect: Aubrey Solomon, DT, Lee County H.S. (Leesburg, Ga.)
Current status: Uncommitted
Teams in contention: Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, USC
The skinny: This looks like a Georgia-Alabama battle down the stretch for the former Michigan verbal, but USC has pulled top players from Georgia before and could do it again. Solomon will take his official visit to the west coast this weekend.

He has already visited Michigan (Nov. 5) and Alabama (Nov. 26). Solomon hasn’t scheduled an official to Georgia yet but it’s expected to happen in one of the final two weekends before signing day. Alabama sent three defensive coaches (DC Jeremy Pruitt, LB coach Tosh Lupoi and DL coach Karl Dunbar) to Solomon’s school Thursday.

Solomon made news with a not-so-nice comment about Michigan during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl but apologized for it in a tweet later.


The prospect: Calvin Ashley, OL, St. John’s Prep (Washington, D.C.)
Current status: Verbal to Auburn
Teams in contention: Auburn, Florida, Maryland
The skinny: The 5-star offensive lineman has been committed to Auburn for over 18 months, but this one could be headed for a dramatic ending. Last week Ashley said he would take an official visit to Florida on Jan. 27 but backtracked and said he’s “110 percent” committed to Auburn and is done with recruiting.

All right Calvin, if you say so. While the Florida visit (and subsequent) cancelation came as a slight surprise, Maryland has been courting Ashley hard and appeared to be the closest competition.

The prospect: LaBryan Ray, DE, James Clemens HS (Madison, Ala.)
Current status: Uncommitted
Teams in contention: Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Ole Miss
The skinny: Ray, one of the fastest-rising four-star prospects in the nation, will visit Tennessee this weekend and follow that up with trips to Alabama on Jan. 20 and Florida on Jan. 27. Most reports tend to tie Ray to the Crimson Tide being that he’s an in-state prospect but Ray hasn’t tipped his hand and his Twitter account is refreshingly positive. Of course Alabama fans will jump on this simple tweet.

We should get a better idea of Ray’s intentions after his visits begin. He also took an official to Ole Miss on Dec. 9 but it appears like the Rebels are on the outside looking in.

The prospect: Kai-Leon Herbert
Current status: Verbal to Michigan
Teams in contention: Michigan, Florida, Auburn, Miami
The skinny: Herbert seems likely for a flip, but where will he end up? Herbert took an official to Auburn this past weekend and plans to follow with trips to Miami (Jan. 20) and Florida (Jan. 27). The Gators and Hurricanes are in desperate need of offensive linemen and both in-state programs will be putting on the full press.

There is an interesting storyline with Herbert as he might be headed toward shoulder surgery and the Florida coaches reportedly have referred him to their doctors. His Twitter is one that seems to be heavily slanted to the Gators so it’s possible he is theirs to lose.