The early signing period begins next Wednesday and there aren’t many high-level options left on the board. Today we take a look at the top 10 remaining wing players - including No. 1 overall R.J. Barrett - in the class of 2018. Who is involved, who are the favorites and what are the chances each of these guys decides to sign early?
Contenders: Duke, Kentucky and Oregon
Favorite: Duke
Chances of Early Signing: 99 percent
Barring a huge surprise, the top-ranked player in the class of 2018 is expected to announce his decision on Nov. 10 and sign early. Barrett has visited all three of his finalists and each has a strong pull for him. The very latest talk is that Duke has emerged as the slight favorite, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Barrett end up in either Lexington or Eugene.
Contenders: Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina
Favorite: Kentucky
Chances of Early Signing: 50 percent
The closer we get to Signing Day, the more difficult Williamson’s recruitment has become to read. Kentucky has appeared to be a favorite for a while, but North Carolina and Duke are getting more talk and there are many that remain convinced Williamson stays home to attend Clemson. Also, the chances of him signing during the early period appear to be on the decline, so this one could get really interesting.
Contenders: Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA and Vanderbilt
Favorite: Indiana
Chances of Early Signing: 50 percent
The top ranked shooting guard in the country, Langford has completed all of his visits. For most of the spring, summer and early Fall the 6-foot-5 scorer has maintained that he will wait until the spring to sign. However, he seems to be softening from that stance and a decision could be coming sooner. For now, Indiana looks to hold an edge over Kansas but Vanderbilt could be emerging as a darkhorse.
Contenders: Florida State, Kentucky, Maryland, NC State and Texas
Favorite: Kentucky
Chances of Early Signing: 80 percent
In early October, Johnson indicated to Rivals.com that he was very near making his decision. So, it’s a bit of a surprise that he’s still on the board at this point. For the longest time, Texas was the clear favorite, but the Longhorns have faced stiff competition. Over the last few weeks, Kentucky has been rumored to be the favorite but something is keeping him back from committing to the Wildcats - or any school. We think it’s resolved before the end of the early signing period and wouldn’t rule out Maryland either.
Contenders: Butler, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon and Villanova.
Favorite: Kentucky
Chances of Early Signing: 30 percent
Just a few weeks ago, Herro crushed Wisconsin by decommitting from the home state school. Since then, some heavy hitters have scrambled to get in touch. Herro said at the beginning of the week that he would like to visit Oregon and Villanova. However, that was before John Calipari came in to see him and offered a scholarship. During July, there were rumors Herro could look around and that if he did, UK would be tough to beat. Now that they’ve offered, we like Big Blue Nation’s chances.
Contenders: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas A&M
Favorite: Oklahoma
Chances of Early Signing: 30 percent.
Information on Moore has gotten tough to come by of late. A versatile swingman who could play multiple positions in college, he appeared to be leaning towards Florida at one point. Basically, he’s a toss-up at this moment, but Oklahoma has been active of late in trying to shut it down. For now, we lean towards him waiting to sign.
Contenders: Alabama, Memphis and Mississippi State
Favorite: Alabama
Chances of Early Signing: 60 percent.
Because of family ties to Mississippi State, where his father Robert Sr. played, the Bulldogs appeared to be an easy favorite to land Woodard. But, the well-built scorer has really taken his time with the recruiting process and you have to wonder why he’s not yet given Ben Howland a verbal commitment. Avery Johnson and ‘Bama have landed Woodard’s summer point guard Jared Butler and that could be enough to give them an edge. Though we lean slightly towards Alabama early, Woodard’s recruitment is essentially a tossup and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he waited to sign.
Contenders: Boston College, Maryland, NC State and Mississippi State
Favorite: Maryland
Chances of Early Signing: 50 percent.
For a top 100 player, Hamilton’s recruitment has been awfully quiet. A visit to Maryland in early October fired up lots of rumors, but he’s since visited Mississippi State and remains uncommitted. The Terps may need to replace sophomore Justin Jackson, so Hamilton seems like a good fit there. Then again, Boston College’s two best players are North Carolina natives and maybe they can pull off an upset.
Contenders: Cincinnati, LSU, Texas A&M and others.
Favorite: Texas A&M
Chances of Early Signing: 50 percent.
Jones thought he had his decision out of the way when he committed to Oklahoma State in late September. However, the federal investigation into college hoops corruption led to the arrest and dismissal of Cowboys assistant Lamont Evans and Jones decided to open things back up shortly after. Since then, things have been quiet but a planned visit to Texas A&M this weekend has fired up some talk that he could elect to sign early.
Contenders: NC State and Xavier
Favorite: NC State
Chances of Early Signing: 95 percent.
We won’t have to wait long for an answer from Bey. He’s planning to make his college decision Thursday night and is down to NC State and Xavier. On decision day, we’ll give Kevin Keatts and the Pack the slight edge to add their fourth Rivals150 pledge from the 2018 recruiting class.
