Men's basketball recruiting early signing window storylines to watch

The early signing period isn't what it used to be, when it was arguably the most impactful week on the recruiting calendar and one of the tentpole weeks of the entire college basketball calendar.

There are fewer needle-moving commitments during the period, and the freedom with which schools allow a player to be released from his national letter of intent (NLI) makes it less notable when a commit opts not to sign with a given school during the early period.

That said, expect some drama over the coming week. One five-star prospect has already scheduled a commitment date during the early signing period, while several other notable recruits have completed their scheduled visits and could opt to announce a commitment over the next week.

Here's everything you need to know about what we're watching over the next week.

1. Upcoming commitments, and who else could pop

As things stand, there is only one five-star prospect with a scheduled commitment during the early signing period: Adan Diggs, the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 10 overall prospect in the 2027 class. He's set to announce his decision Monday. Arizonahas long been considered the favorite for the high-scoring Phoenix native, whose finalists also include Arkansas, Kentuckyand USC. He took official visits to Arizona and Arkansas in the past couple of months. Kentucky isn't thought to be much of a factor in this one, and he hasn't visited USC in almost a year.

Though Diggs is the only five-star prospect set to commit before the end of the period, several high-level recruits have completed their scheduled visits and could commit at any time.

It starts at the top with No. 1 overall recruit, Beckham Black. The 6-foot-3 point guard has gone on trips to Arkansas, Georgetown, Florida, North Carolina, Texasand USC, and it wouldn't be a shock to see him make a decision in the coming days. Arkansas is the favorite to land Black, whose brother Anthony played for the Razorbacks under Eric Musselman.

C.J. Rosser (No. 3) has had a long list of visits: Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC Stateand USC. There has been growing buzz he could opt to end his recruitment sooner rather than later -- and if that's the case, the Tar Heels appear to have the momentum. If Michael Malone gets Rosser -- in addition to the already-committed Demarcus Henry (No. 2) -- his first full class in Chapel Hill could push for the No. 1 ranking.

A.J. Williams (No. 5) reclassified up from 2028 in August and immediately began advancing his recruitment. He has taken visits to Auburn, BYU, Georgiaand Mississippi State, with a couple of other potential trips not coming to fruition over the past few weeks. Kevin Young and BYU have been perceived as the favorite for Williams, who would give the Cougars a five-star recruit for the fourth straight class.

Though he's not a five-star recruit, Jalen Davis (No. 29) is another highly touted prospect with all of his scheduled visits completed. He has been to Gonzaga, North Carolina, Stanford, UCLAand Washington, with the trio of North Carolina, Gonzaga and UCLA emerging as the top tier. There has been talk of a second visit to Chapel Hill, though that hasn't been formalized yet. If it does end up happening, it could be a game-changer for the Tar Heels' chances.

2. Which top prospects appear likely to wait?

Arguably the best player in the country in July, point guard Cayden Daughtry (No. 4) has completed his visits but doesn't look to be on the verge of a decision just yet. He has been to Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Iowa, Louisville, Miami and Tennessee, with the perceived favorites changing a number of times throughout the past few months. Initially, Iowa and Miami looked to be the leaders. Then, Florida and Florida State had momentum. Now, Louisville and Arkansas have generated recent buzz.

It's too close to consider any one school the front-runner for a player who produced one of the greatest single-month runs (a FIBA U17 World Cup gold medal; Peach Jam championship; Peach Jam MVP award; 32.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.1 APG at Peach Jam; 32.7 PPG at Nike EYBL in Las Vegas) we've seen in a long time at the high school level.

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The last remaining five-star to discuss is Nasir Anderson (No. 15). He, too, has taken a handful of visits: Georgia, North Carolina, Providence, Tennessee and Virginia. Anderson's last trip was to in-state Georgia, and word is the Bulldogs have been looking to make up ground on the Volunteers and Cavaliers.

Like Davis, Paul Osaruyi (No. 33) is outside the five-star tier but is worth mentioning. He has gone on trips to Kansas, Kentucky and Mississippi State -- although Kentucky's recent addition of top-10 big man Cherif Millogoprobably takes it out of the running. Could Chris Jans land the highest-ranked commitment of his tenure in Starkville, then?

3. Can LSUhold onto the No. 1 spot?

Will Wade has made his presence known on the recruiting trail since returning to Baton Rouge last spring, securing a trio of five-star prospects and the No. 1 class in the country entering the early signing period. King Gibson (No. 14) got the ball rolling in early October, and point guard Reese Alston (No. 13) and big man Xavier Young (No. 18) -- who had reclassified up from 2028 -- continued the momentum. All three joined rebounding machine Ahmad Hudson (No. 26), a top-30 basketball prospect and also the No. 1 tight end prospect on the gridiron.

Dukecurrently sits right behind the Tigers but isn't expected to land any of the remaining five-stars. The Blue Devils do remain in the mix for Serbia native Matija Lukic. UConnalso has a top class, and is eyeing Lukic, as well as former Wisconsin commit Jack Thelen. Even the potential favorites for five-stars this week -- Arizona, BYU, Arkansas -- wouldn't have enough to jump LSU.

But North Carolina could make a run for the top spot, if the Tar Heels are able to land Rosser, Davis and Lukic in the coming days. Having two of the top three prospects in the country, in addition to another top-30 recruit and a talented international, might be enough to put some pressure on Wade's group.

4. Mid-majors making noise inside the top 100

With the majority of power-conference programs putting a stronger emphasis on experience and the transfer portal, there has been a shift in priorities for both schools and recruits when looking toward the back end of the top 100. On the school's side, a player from the transfer portal might provide a higher floor and more guaranteed production than a freshman ranked in the 80s or 90s. From the player's perspective, going to a place for extensive early playing time could ultimately lead to a bigger financial package after entering the portal down the road.

We're seeing the shift play out in the 2027 class.

Some of the programs to land top-100 recruits this cycle: San Diego State, Utah State, George Mason, Jacksonville, Saint Louis, VCU, South Florida, UC Santa Barbara, Saint Mary's, Kent Stateand Duquesne.

5. Looking to the 2028 class for reinforcements

If you're a power-conference program looking for an impact high school recruit, the number of available prospects is running out quickly. Though there are still six five-star prospects and eight top-35 recruits on the market, that number will inevitably dwindle. And there are only seven other uncommitted players in the rest of the SC Next 100.

Combine that with the idea that high schoolers want to get to college as soon as possible for a hefty paycheck, and the reclassification rumor mill is spinning faster than ever. A.J. Williams and Xavier Young have already done it this cycle.

Among top prospects still in the 2028 class, No. 1 Yann Kamagate, No. 2 Benjamin Berrouet, No. 4 Colton Hiller, No. 6 Bamba Touray, No. 7 Josiah Rose, No. 8 Evan Willis, No. 10 Brady Pettigrew, No. 11 Bentley Lusakueno and No. 16 Isaiah Hamilton have all been linked to potential moves into 2027.