Looking ahead to spring signing period

The early signing period for college basketball has now come and gone and only 15 of the 2016 Rivals150 - including the nation's top player, Josh Jackson - remain undecided. Here are five storylines that we'll be focusing on this winter.

1. What will Jackson do?

Given that he's the No. 1 player in the senior class, things have been about as quiet as possible for 6-foot-7 wing Josh Jackson of Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep.

At USA Basketball's mini-camp in October, Jackson indicated that he hoped to set up some visits by the end of the month. To date, nothing has been set up and he doesn't look to be in any hurry to set any visits. Arizona, Kansas, Maryland and Michigan State are the programs most commonly mentioned with Jackson and he did play for Arizona's Sean Miller with USA Basketball over the summer. Because of that extended time playing for Miller and an unofficial visit that Jackson took to Tucson during June, some have theorized that the Wildcats could hold an edge, but Jackson himself hasn't tipped his hand one way or another.

Jackson and Prolific Prep are playing a high-profile schedule this winter which will allow college coaches plenty of chances to see him -- Bill Self watched him in Wichita last weekend. When he decides to set visits, it will be big news and the school he chooses to see officially will likely reveal a lot about what he may be thinking.

2. All eyes on Texas

Of the top eight remaining prospects on the board, three of them call the state of Texas home. Five-star bigs Marques Bolden and Jarrett Allen and four-star combo guard Andrew Jones are each being targeted by big-time programs.

Ranked No. 16 nationally, Bolden is a 6-foot-10 center who has seen Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma officially. One of his former summer coaches is an assistant at Alabama and he's been to Tuscaloosa unofficially, while TCU also remains involved.

Ranked No. 20 overall, Allen is a slim and athletic 6-foot-9 power forward from Austin St. Stephen's. In the weeks before the early signing period he took official visits to Houston, Kansas, Kentucky and Notre Dame, and he's seen plenty of hometown Texas unofficially. Like Bolden, Allen is still undecided about a timeframe for a decision.

Ranked No. 38 overall, Jones is a 6-foot-4 scorer from Irving Macarthur, who burst onto the scene during the summer. He tripped to Arizona and Louisville officially, and has seen the campuses of Baylor, SMU, Texas A&M and Texas unofficially. The Longhorns will get an official visit in December and have been rumored to be emerging as the leader. With others like Kansas trying to make a move, Jones still has a long way to go in his recruitment.

Lots of eyes on Texas for the rest of 2016 recruiting. 3 of top 8 remaining targets -- Marques Bolden, Jarrett Allen Andrew Jones - there.- Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) November 19, 2015

3. The journey of Thon

Thon Maker's future as a college basketball player has been cloudy as some have speculated the athletic seven-footer may test pro waters in Europe, but that talk has subsided. Originally from Sudan, the skilled and athletic big man made his way to high schools in Louisiana and Virginia before settling in at Orangeville Prep in Mono (Ontario).

Because he's in Canada, Maker isn't ranked in the Rivals150 but the five-star prospect is a top-five player and some moves are starting to be made in his recruitment. Most likely, Maker will visit Arizona State, where assistant coach Brian Merritt has a long-standing relationship with Maker and his guardian Ed Smith, in late January.

Previously, a planned visit to Notre Dame fell through during October but the Irish remain involved as does Indiana. Maker and his teammates stopped by Kansas for an unofficial visit a week ago.

4. What's happening with Simmons?

Early in the process, five-star combo guard Kobi Simmons announced that he would be one that came off the board early. After taking official visits to Kentucky, Ohio State and UNLV during the fall, he's instead decided to wait and see what's available to him.

As far as I see things, Simmons is wide open and looks as if he's starting his recruitment over.

During the summer, Simmons' reputation did take a bit of a hit due to some up-and-down performances. But, at 6-foot-5 with speed and athleticism to burn, the No. 19 overall player is still a potentially big-time talent. As the season starts to roll on, it will be very interesting to see who goes in to see him and where he elects to take his remaining visits.

5. Who will emerge?

Each winter, some off-the-radar prospects emerge as programs look to fill out their rosters. Occasionally, an Emeka Okafor or Russell Westbrook emerge from seemingly nowhere to be major steals.

Nobody is expecting Deshawn Corprew to be the next Okafor or Westbrook, but the tough 6-foot-5 wing is right at the top of the list for lesser-known players who should see their recruitments take off. Could a player such as three-star point guard Jalen Harris, who backed off a Buffalo pledge late in the signing period, see high majors get involved? Small forward Chuba Ohams has great size and looked on the verge of breaking out during the summer, is it his time? Who is out there that we don't yet know?

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