SEC Spotlight: National Signing Day storylines, flip watch

National Signing Day is one week away, and there are still plenty of critical recruiting storylines that have yet to be concluded. Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman examines the biggest questions in the SEC.

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY PREVIEWS: Key ACC storylines | Ten potential flips to watch heading into NSD | Flip candidates who will stick with commitments

National Signing Day is fast approaching, and the action has remained red-hot on the recruiting trail as the regular season winds down, visits pick up and decisions are locked into place.

There have been plenty of game-changing flips already in this cycle and we expect that trend to continue to the Early Signing Period beginning on Dec. 4.

Multiple programs in the SEC are gunning for flips, including Georgia, which has already been able to pull off a few to date. After flipping CJ Wiley from Florida State and Anthony Kruah from North Carolina, the Dawgs are making a run at four-star cornerback Donovan Starr along with Alabama and Vanderbilt. Georgia recently hosted Florida defensive line commitment Jeramiah McCloud, who hails from South Georgia. The Dawgs are also shooting their shot with in-state four-star linebacker Tavion Wallace, an Arkansas verbal who made stops in Athens and Gainesville the past two weekends. Georgia is also trending to flip in-state offensive lineman Dennis Uzochukwu after offering and hosting the Georgia State commit over the weekend.

Alabama pulled out a colossal flip this summer by bringing five-star quarterback Keelon Russell into the fray, and the Tide may not be done. They are swinging away at Starr along with Georgia and Vanderbilt. The same goes for four-star LSU receiver commit Derek Meadows, who was leaning toward the Tide before popping to the Tigers. Alabama and Michigan are working to change Meadows’ mind. The Crimson Tide are also trending in the right direction to flip Michigan State running back commitment Jace Clarizio after he officially visited Tuscaloosa last weekend.

The Gamecocks have been red-hot on the recruiting trail and have clicked into a different gear down the stretch of this cycle. South Carolina is putting effort into flipping Auburn commitment Jared Smith and Florida State commitment Kevin Wynn to bolster its defensive front. Along with South Carolina, Ole Miss is heavily in the mix with Smith late, too. The Gamecocks are also trending to flip in-state tight end Mike Tyler away from LSU.

Two more major flips we’re monitoring include five-star offensive lineman Solomon Thomas, who made several visits to Baton Rouge this summer and again last weekend. The Florida State commit is being pursued by LSU and Florida as flip watch intensifies. Georgia running back commit Ousmane Kromah returned to Auburn last weekend as the Tigers continue to dig their heels in on the touted back.

There are four uncommitted five-star recruits still on the board: defensive linemen Jahkeem Stewart and Justus Terry, edge rusher Javion Hilson and outside linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng.

Of this group, our Rivals intel points Stewart landing in the Big Ten. Texas and Michigan are battling over Hilson, and Michigan and Colorado are wrestling over Owusu-Boetening.

Terry, who took an official visit to Auburn over the weekend, is expected to choose from the Tigers, Florida State, Alabama and Georgia on National Signing Day. Our Rivals intel points to the Dawgs and the Tide setting the pace in Terry’s recruitment since he backed off his USC verbal over the summer.

No team has hosted the five-star DL more over the course of his recruitment than Georgia, which is where my Rivals FutureCast is sitting. If – and when – Terry signs with Georgia, it should vault the Dawgs to the No. 1 recruiting class in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings.

As National Signing Day inches closer, the focus shifts to two of the most polarizing recruitments still in motion to close out this 2025 class.

Five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. gave a massive commitment to Tennessee in August ahead of his senior season, becoming the highest-ranked commit in Vols history. That commitment was rock solid before the elite offensive tackle returned to Ohio State for a multi-day visit over the weekend that continued into Monday. The Buckeyes are resolute to add another blue-chip piece to their trenches to close out this cycle, and they are moving their chips to the middle for Sanders, who was atop their board over the summer and remains a priority.

Five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi followed a similar path in August – committing to Oklahoma over Texas in a tight race that went back and forth in the months and weeks leading into the announcement. As Fasusi’s senior year nears an end, he made a visit back to Austin for the Kentucky game instead of returning back to Oklahoma as previously scheduled. Fasusi will make his way to Texas A&M this weekend as the Aggies and Longhorns both continue to chip away at the blue-chipper from the Dallas Metroplex.

We are expecting one, if not both, five-star offensive tackles to shake things up as Dec. 4 nears.