Alright, so here's what I can provide the night before Signing Day 2017...
- Elijah Walker: Why don't we start off with some good news first. Though I don't know what time the Cerritos safety will announce, I was told by a reliable source tonight that it's very likely Walker re-commits to the Wildcats tomorrow. That would seem to make sense based on Rivals reporters I've talked to today as well.
I checked in with Texas Tech, a place Walker visited last weekend. They thought they had a good visit with Walker but didn't seem overly confident by any means (I don't think that's ever been a realistic option for him). Then, I checked in with TCU again to see if he'd shared any more information with them or their coaching staff. The word there was that they thought he was "all set" but that the door was never closed. Apparently they still feel very good about where they stand but the fact Walker refused to solidify that commitment seems ominous to me that K-State returned to the picture.
I think the coaches did a tremendous job of calmly handling the situation while never backing off an inch and I think D.J. Reed played an enormous role too, something I've been predicting all along.
I wish I could put a percentage on how probable Walker re-committing is but that's an imperfect science around Signing Day. All I can say is that I trust the person who told me he's "pretty sure" Walker is coming back and even more so, I trust that he's spoken personally with Walker quite frequently over the past several weeks/days.
- Daniel Green: The heralded, four-star linebacker eliminated Oregon State today in a bit of a surprise (even if he wasn't going to pick them, what's it hurt to leave them be until you announce?). That leaves his finalists at three: K-State, Ole Miss, and Utah.
His high school already has a signing day event scheduled for 1:45 PST (3:45 CST) but you'd assume we'll know before then if Green is part of K-State's class. I tried reaching out to Daniel and his head coach, but neither have responded.
Based on everyone I've spoken to over the last ten hours or so, the gut feeling is that Green will go with Utah (I've felt that way for a while too - seems to offer the quality program he's looking for and isn't as far away from home). That being said, there's also a rumor floating around that I hadn't heard which is that Green might not qualify anywhere and could wind up on the junior college route.
Regardless, I don't have a great feeling about this one going K-State's favor. Then again, few people really know what's going on because Daniel has been so ridiculously quiet. It's pretty much all been through various connections.
- Caleb Sampson: Sampson told me tonight that he will make his decision at 10:00 a.m. CST. This one is down to K-State and Mizzou.
I know he had a good time in Manhattan this past weekend and his parents were particularly impressed, but the word on the street is that the SEC draw and Mizzou's ability to develop defensive linemen over the years has Sampson really favoring the Tigers (they've also been after him a little longer and a little more seriously). I'd be surprised if he doesn't sign with Mizzou.
- Gervarrius Owens: Don't have a whole lot of new information on Gervarrius other than that I think this is a two horse race between K-State and Memphis. His announcement will be made at 2 p.m. CST.
Immediately after Evan Fields committed to Arizona State, I went to Owens and asked what impact that had on him and K-State. He replied, "Whether he committed to K-State or not wouldn't have affected my decision but I'm happy for him! I wouldn't have minded being able to play w/him had he chose a different school, but yeah I really liked my visit to K State."
This commitment is a complete toss-up and folks I've interacted with in Memphis seem to agree. On one hand, Memphis has been there all along. Owens was once committed there and even after he backed out, Mike Norvell's staff stuck around. There's also the fact that Nick Robinson, Cade Mashburn, and Quindon Lewis (close friends and fellow Oklahomans like Owens) remain committed to Memphis which gives them an added advantage of comfort they wouldn't typically have.
At Kansas State, the cards favoring the Wildcats are obviously the attraction of Big 12 football and the distance from home.
Both teams have an opening at safety but the familiarity he has with Memphis makes me give them the slightest of edges here, maybe 60-40 or even 55-45. It's tight. Really, the only eye-opener would be if Owens chose someone other than Memphis or K-State.
- Tancey Richardson: Connected with Tancey tonight and he is considering some sort of Periscope announcement tomorrow but he's not sure what time he'll declare.
Down to Georgia State, Indiana, and K-State, he was supposed to visit last weekend but that fell through for one reason or another (more than likely academic issues). Surprisingly enough, it sounds as though K-State is still the team to beat here - this coming from Tancey himself tonight.
Thus, if that holds true and Richardson does sign with the Wildcats, the question then becomes how his paperwork shakes out this spring. Is it possible and/or can he meet the necessary requirements to join K-State in 2017 or will he be placed by K-State at nearby junior college instead? We'll have to wait and see if that's the case.
- Davion May: He's been the one recruit all cycle long that just wouldn't go away and, in fitting fashion, is back on the radar for tomorrow.
I'm not precisely sure just how this is all going to work, but May told me tonight that he's headed to junior college and will be at K-State in a year and a half (December 2018?). He wasn't clear though as to whether that meant he was signing with K-State and being placed at a junior college or whether he was just going to junior college on his own and would commit to K-State again if offered. Either way, he seems pretty focused on getting to Manhattan one way or another so he's worth tracking tomorrow (and beyond).
