National Signing Day

Earlier this month, the nation's top high school seniors decided were they would be playing football for the next three or four years. Most of these top athletes had already made verbal commitments to the university they wanted to play for, and some had even gotten a head start on their education by enrolling early. However, some of the elite recruits decided to wait until signing day to make their big decision. Here are the top guys who decided their future earlier this month.

Manti Te'o: The Hawaiian linebacker who reminds me of Rey Malaluga because of his athleticism and reckless abandon, had his choices narrowed down to UCLA, USC, and Notre Dame. UCLA was considered by most people the front runner for Te'o due to a reportedly strong relationship with Bruins offensive coordinator Norm Chow, but Te'o shocked the world and picked the Fighting Irish.

Jelani Jenkins: At just 16 years old, Jenkins reminds me of Derrick Brooks because he is under sized but a sure tackler with exceptional athleticism and can run anyone down. Jenkins finalists were Penn State, Florida, Notre Dame, Stanford, and USC. The Gators and Nittany Lions were believed to be the favorites for the Maryland native. He chose the Gators proving once again the Gators strong hold on the east coast.

Rueben Randall: At 6'3'' with the ability to go deep on anyone, the guy who often gets compared to Randy Moss had to chose of LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma. Randall held the key to whether LSU or 'Bama would have the top recruiting class. He ended up picking the home town Tigers, and he and Russell Shepard should be a dynamic duo for LSU.

Trent Richardson: Richardson is a traditional I-Formation back that pounds the defense and has a burst in the open field, reminiscent of Beanie Wells. Richardson is a Florida native, but he spurned the Gators and LSU to sign with Alabama.

Marlon Brown: At 6'5'' and possessing great hands and good speed, Brown may be a faster version of Dwayne Jarrett. The Tennessee native had his choice of the home state Vols, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Ohio State. Although Ole Miss and Tennessee made a late push, Brown will team up with AJ Greene at Georgia.

Dre Kirkpatrick: Kirkpatrick has the size and ball skills of a receiver but he plays corner. Not only does he have those skills but he is also very fast and reminds me of Antinio Cromartie. The Alabama native decided to play for his home town Crimson Tide, choosing Alabama over Texas, LSU, Clemson, and Tennessee.

Vontaze Burfict: The run stuffing middle linebacker who is an excellent blitzer in the mold of Antonio Pierce gave an early commitment to USC. But he reopened his recruiting to SC, UCLA, Colorado, Miami, and Arizona State in January. The California native decided to leave his home state to become a Sun Devil.

Xaiver Su'a Filo: Su'a Filo is a very athletic lineman with great feet, and is adept at pulling. However he is on the rawer side and needs to improve his pass blocking and is far from a dominant run blocker.If all goes right, he could be like Jason Smith. The Utah native turned down both BYU and Utah along with USC and LSU to sign with UCLA.

Donavan Tate: Tate is a dual threat quarterback that can also play either safety or wide receiver, think Dennis Dixon. The son of former Buccaneers running back Lars Tate, Donavan chose North Carolina over USC, Michigan, Georgia, and Alabama. Tate is also a very highly touted baseball prospect who will play both sports at UNC, but he could be a first round pick in the MLB draft(hoping he falls to pick 28a with the Yankees) and may find it difficult to turn down a couple million dollars.

Bryce Brown: Brown has great speed and vision with a powerful, compact body. He is like a more powerful version of Steve Slayton. Brown had a very soft commitment to MIami, but Oregon was considered to be the front runner for Brown. He was also considering LSU, USC, Tennesse, and Kansas State. However, he did not sign with anyone and is rumored to be headed to the Canadian Football League. It should be interesting to see how this plays out.