NCAA

The excitement of national signing day is usually reserved for February, but the impending early signing period is sure to capture the attention of college football fans.

This year's early signing period will begin on Wednesday, making for a busy week. While not every unsigned prospect will be signing their NLIs early, there's still a number of notable players set to make some important decisions. The drama of potential flips and commitment switches adds even more intrigue.

Here are some predictions for where some of the top recruits will land this week.

Alabama Will Land Hometown Tandem of Jaquavious Russaw and James Smith

Carver High School in Montgomery, Alabama, boasts a pair of top defensive recruits in linebacker Jaquavious Russaw and defensive tackle James Smith. The duo has maintained for a while that they are a package deal with the intention of committing to the same school, and there's a strong chance that they decide to stay home.

Alabama is already putting together an impressive 2023 recruiting class. The addition of Smith and Russaw would make it a historic haul for head coach Nick Saban.

Smith is ranked as the No. 2 defensive lineman in the nation by 247Sports' composite, while Russaw is ranked as the No. 3 edge-rusher. Smith earned an invitation to the Under Armour All-America Game, which will be played on Jan. 3.

The Crimson Tide have been known for their seemingly never-ending cycle of talented defensive players. Smith and Russaw will have the chance to develop into NFL-caliber prospects by choosing to spend the next three or four years under Saban.

Top Offensive Tackle Kadyn Proctor Will Flip His Commitment from Iowa

Kadyn Proctor is an Iowa native and the No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation, per 247Sports' composite. That formula indicates that he's destined to be the next great anchor on the Iowa Hawkeyes offensive line, but things have changed in recent weeks.

Proctor, who committed to Iowa in June, took a visit to Alabama this past Friday. He also has been linked to Oregon throughout the fall. To add even more to the mix, he received an 11th-hour offer from new Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.

At 6'7" and 330 pounds, there's no surprise that Proctor is one of the most coveted players in the nation. He has the traits to be a future NFL first-round draft pick.

Alabama, in particular, is worth keeping an eye on when it comes to Proctor. The Crimson Tide had five offensive linemen enter the transfer portal since it opened on Dec. 5, so they will need to replace some depth. Nick Saban will be working hard to secure one of the top players in the 2023 class.

Coach Prime Will Make His Presence Felt for Colorado

In his three years at Jackson State, Deion Sanders has proved to be a savvy recruiter. After being hired as head coach at Colorado, there's no question that Coach Prime will do his best to continue his recruiting success.

Sanders has wasted no time in his short time with the Buffaloes. He already flipped former Notre Dame running back commit Dylan Edwards, who was 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Kansas. This past weekend, he hosted edge-rusher Tausili Akana, the No. 1 prospect in the state of Utah, as well as athlete Malachi Coleman, the No. 1 prospect in the state of Nebraska.

Earlier this month, Sanders also boldly made an offer to top offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, who is already committed to Iowa. After his historic recruitment of 2022 top prospect Travis Hunter away from Florida State, anything is possible when it comes to Coach Prime.

Speaking of Hunter, he intends to transfer from Jackson State, and he has not made his decision as to where he's headed. There is no doubt that Sanders will also be looking at the transfer portal to improve the Colorado roster, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Hunter and others follow him to Boulder.

Ohio State freshman offensive lineman Avery Henry announced Monday on Twitter that he has been diagnosed with a form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma.

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, osteosarcoma is "most commonly found in teenagers and young adults." Henry said he will fight the disease and thanked his teammates:

After Henry's announcement, teammates sent him messages of support:

A 6'6", 309-pound offensive tackle from St. Clairsville, Ohio, Henry was a 3-star recruit. He initially committed to Iowa State before flipping to Ohio State because he wanted to be closer to home.

In his 2021 evaluation of Henry, 247Sports recruiting analyst Allen Trieu wrote: "Physical and strong. Shows he can bend his taller frame well. ... Developmental ceiling is high—could need some time to get there but has already shown he will work away from the game as far as strength and conditioning."

In June, Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors detailed how Henry went from nearly 400 pounds to 305 over his last two years of high school.

"It came to my mind that at 400 pounds, I couldn't take care of my family. I couldn't provide in the way I wanted to provide for my future kids and my family," Henry said. "In the matter of one day, I was like, 'Hey, I'm gonna change everything.' And I changed everything in that day from eating habits to running to lifting to everything."

Henry hasn't appeared in a game for Ohio State. He will have four years of eligibility remaining after this redshirt season.

Highly touted quarterback prospect Dante Moore has flipped his commitment from Oregon to UCLA.

"I went on a visit to UCLA," Moore told Pete Thamel of ESPN. "I talked to God and my people and really within myself. I knew that UCLA was the right move for me."

Moore previously committed to Oregon in July, but he visited the Bruins earlier this month, and it helped sway his decision.

Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham had also been Moore's primary recruiter at Oregon, but he left to become head coach at Arizona State.

The 5-star recruit is considered the No. 3 overall player in the 2023 class by 247Sports, behind only fellow quarterbacks Arch Manning and Nicholaus Iamaleava.

Moore put up incredible numbers at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, totaling 135 passing touchdowns across four seasons as a varsity starter. He had 32 passing touchdowns and just three interceptions as a senior while leading his team to a second straight Michigan state championship.

He led his team to a 40-11 record as a starter, reaching the state finals three times in four years.

The incoming freshman will look to continue the success with UCLA, which is trending in the right direction after a slow start under head coach Chip Kelly. The squad won just 10 total games from 2018 to 2020 before going 8-4 in 2021.

The Bruins went 9-3 this season and will compete in the Sun Bowl against Pittsburgh, the team's first bowl appearance since 2017 (the 2021 Holiday Bowl was canceled due to COVID-19).

Moore also enters a quarterback room that won't have much experience after losing senior Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Washington transfer Ethan Garbers has seen minimal playing time as a backup, totaling 79 pass attempts in two seasons.

It could lead to early playing time for UCLA's latest addition.

Kelly also gets a major recruiting win over a conference rival and his former team, where he coached from 2009 to 2012.

Oregon will at least have some continuity at quarterback after Bo Nix announced he will return for the 2023 season.

Purdue remains the No. 1 team in the men's college basketball Associated Press poll, but a busy weekend led to a major shake-up in the Top 10.

There were five games between Top 25 teams on Saturday alone, leading to losses for three of the Top Six teams in the previous rankings.

It leaves Purdue and Connecticut leading the pack heading into Week 7 of the 2022-23 season.

AP Poll

1. Purdue

2. Connecticut

3. Houston

4. Kansas

5. Arizona

6. Virginia

7. Texas

8. Tennessee

9. Alabama

10. Arkansas

11. Gonzaga

12. Baylor

13. UCLA

14. Duke

15. Mississippi State

16. Illinois

17. Wisconsin

18. Indiana

19. Kentucky

20. TCU

21. Virginia Tech

22. Miami (Fla.)

23. Auburn

24. Marquette

25. Arizona State

A week after Houston dropped out of the No. 1 spot with its first loss, it earned its biggest win with a 69-61 road victory over Virginia.

It was a balanced effort for the Cougars, with all five starters hitting double figures and the team often just outworking the Cavaliers on the court.

It was enough to help Houston climb back up to No. 3 in the poll, while Virginia fell from second to sixth with its first loss of the season.

Alabama dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 after a 100-90 defeat to Gonzaga despite getting 36 points from freshman Brandon Miller. The Crimson Tide have still tested themselves throughout the nonconference schedule, earning two wins over No. 1 teams, and remain in good shape with a 9-2 record.

Gonzaga has been up-and-down this year, but the latest win helped the Bulldogs climb four spots to No. 11 after the final test before conference play.

Arizona is another team on the rise after a 75-70 victory over Tennessee. The Wildcats shot just 5-of-24 from three-point range and didn't get a single bench point, yet they did enough to take down a Top 10 team and end Tennessee's eight-game winning streak.

UCLA also represented the Pac-12 well this week, with ranked wins over Maryland and Kentucky, moving up three spots to No. 13 in the country.

Purdue remains at the top of the poll after cruising to a win over Davidson thanks another strong showing by Zach Edey:

UConn earned 21 first-place votes (out of 61) after a 22-point road win over Butler, improving to 12-0 on the season.

The schedule quiets down for some teams heading into the holiday season, but conference matchups in the ACC and Big East could still lead to some drama in the coming week.

Phil Urban, a college basketball player at Post University in Connecticut, was shot and killed Saturday at a New Jersey nature preserve, per Marlene Lenthang of NBC News.

The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said the shooting is under investigation by the county's homicide task force and the Hopewell Township Police Department.

A preliminary investigation showed Urban had arranged to meet an acquaintance at the Hopewell Valley Nature Preserve and was "was shot at some point during the encounter."

He was found "slumped over" in a car and was transported to a medical center, where he was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound.

"Philip modeled the attributes of leadership, commitment and hard work on the court and in the classroom," Post University CEO and president John L. Hopkins said in a statement. "We hope that his family, friends and those affected by his passing will find strength during this extremely difficult time."

The 20-year-old was in his first year with Post University after joining from the Pennington School in April:

The native of Manalapan, New Jersey, had appeared in four games this season, totaling 10 minutes of playing time.

The Eagles defeated Florida Southern College on Saturday in Lakeland, Florida, but Sunday's scheduled game against Barry University was canceled. The team's next game is Dec. 29 against Assumption University at home in Waterbury, Connecticut.