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Four B1G storylines to follow on National Signing Day
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National Signing Day likely won’t be filled with the drama it’s had in years past. With all of the early announcements, most B1G recruits are already locked in.
But there will still be plenty of B1G storylines to follow on Wednesday.
Here are the four to keep an eye on:
-Fleck’s finish
Goodness, this guy has been all over the place. Since P.J. Fleck arrived to the Twin Cities a few weeks ago, he landed verbal commitments from 20 recruits and counting. He got flips from the likes of Cincinnati, Oregon, Purdue, Rutgers and more. He lost a few recruits, but any concern of Minnesota essentially missing out on a class after the firing of Tracy Claeys is gone.
The question now is how will Fleck finish this class? Will he flip any more recruits on signing day? A surprise commit from four-star offensive tackle Thayer Munford would be huge, though that’s unlikely.
Either way, Fleck figures to drop about 8,735 “elites” when describing his incoming class.
The "BANK" is looking ELITE tonight!! This is a special place!! SKI-U-MAH!! pic.twitter.com/GjAnMcjF6Z
— P.J. Fleck (@Coach_Fleck) January 15, 2017
-Can Michigan land Aubrey Solomon and have its best class ever?
The Wolverines already have a whopping 27 commitments lined up in their fourth-ranked class, but there’s one that would put the icing on the cake. Five-star defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon is set to announce between Michigan, Alabama, Georgia and USC on Wednesday at 10 a.m. on ESPNU. His recruiting story is as bizarre as it gets, but that’s in the past.
The 247sports crystal ball is trending in Michigan’s favor with a 64-percent advantage. If Solomon does commit to Michigan, it would have two big-picture impacts.
RELATED: Your B1G guide to key National Signing Day announcements
One would be that the Leesburg, Ga. native would become the poster child for satellite camps, and it would show that Jim Harbaugh is indeed making progress in the heart of SEC territory.
It would also mean that Michigan would have a chance to sign its highest-rated class ever. The Wolverines 2017 group could top the 2013 group — one which didn’t live up to the hype — as the best class in program history.
After losing arguably its most-talented senior class in program history, that would be quite the lift.
-Calibraska close
Mike Riley has been on a roll the last few weeks by getting four-star receivers Tyjon Lindsey and Jamire Calvin to flip from their respective commitments. Can Nebraska continue that roll on signing day? That’s the big question.
The Huskers have several key announcements upcoming, all of which are late on Wednesday afternoon. Four-star cornerback Elijah Blades, a former Florida commit, will decide between Nebraska and USC. Five-star wideout Joseph Lewis and four-star athlete Greg Johnson will do the same on ESPN2.
How many of those top-shelf California recruits can the Huskers pry away from the local Trojans?
Nebraska hasn’t signed a top-20 class since its first year in the B1G in 2011. As it stands, the Huskers rank No. 22 in the 247sports class rankings. Landing Blades and another elite California recruit would surely give Riley the final push he was hoping for.
-Marvin Wilson’s decision
The top uncommitted recruit in the country will decide between Ohio State, Florida State, Oklahoma, LSU and USF in the 4 p.m. hour on ESPN2. Some feel like it’s between Florida State and LSU, even after OSU made major late strides to land the five-star defensive tackle.
The Buckeyes’ early enrollees from Texas have been giving Wilson the full-court press for a while, and he’s interested about the idea of playing with his fellow Lone Star State recruits. Ohio State might still be the underdog, but Urban Meyer doesn’t lose many battles like these.
If OSU somehow landed Wilson, the Buckeyes would have a strong case for their first top-ranked class ever. Without Wilson, OSU won’t have a chance to catch Alabama. The Buckeyes could actually fall a spot or two with most of their 2017 class locked in.
Last year, Michigan landed the defensive tackle everyone wanted. Can OSU do the same in 2017?
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.