Recruits to watch at all-star games for New Year's Six bowl teams

ByESPN RECRUITINGNATION
December 26, 2016, 9:21 AM

— -- Right in the middle of bowl season comes all-star game season for recruits. In the next two weeks, the top prospects will take part in these exhibitions.

Here are the recruits to watch for fans of the New Year's Six bowl teams:

Numbers reflect final College Football Playoff rankings.

College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide already have an excellent class consisting of 25 commitments including 17 who are ranked in the ESPN 300, but adding LaBryan Ray, the 36th-ranked player in the country, would be icing on the cake. Ray, who will be competing in the Under Armour All-America game on Jan. 1, visited Alabama and Tennessee during the season, and also visited Ole Miss just before the start of the dead period. The four-star defensive end is also schedule to visit Florida before making his final decision. Alabama appears to be in a good position though. -- Derek Tyson

4. Washington Huskies

If the Huskies are going to dominate in-state recruiting, landing a commitment from offensive tackle Foster Sarell is at the top of the to-do list. The nation's No. 12 prospect will announce his commitment at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 7. Sarell took official visits to Nebraska, Notre Dame, USC and Washington and has one scheduled for the following weekend to Stanford. The Cardinal have been the team to beat for Sarell, so it would be a huge statement from Washington if the Huskies can land him. -- Erik McKinney

College Football Playoff semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

2.? Clemson Tigers

One of the five players announcing at the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 1 is safety Xavier McKinney. The former Alabama commitment is considered a lean to Clemson after making official visits to Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama and the Tigers. Roswell High has been good to Clemson in the last two classes with linebacker Tre Lamar having posted 21 tackles this season as a true freshman, and ESPN 300 cornerback LeAnthony Williams on the commit list in the 2017 class. Having two teammates on the Clemson roster doesn't hurt the Tigers chances with McKinney. --? Gerry Hamilton

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

ESPN 300 defensive back Jeffrey Okudah is one of the biggest remaining targets for the Buckeyes. The five-star prospect is participating in the Army All-American Bowl and is planning to announce his commitment on Jan. 7. Okudah has had Ohio State as his leader for quite some time, and at this point it would be pretty surprising to see him land elsewhere. Adding him to this outstanding class would just add more firepower and another potential immediate contributor to the roster. -- Tom VanHaaren

Capital One Orange Bowl

6. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan is going to have quite a few needs after this season with some key contributors leaving on offense and defense. The Wolverines will lose their top two receivers on offense, three starting offensive linemen, a few defensive linemen and the majority of their starting secondary.

ESPN 300 running back Najee Harris is still committed to Alabama, but recently took a visit to Michigan. The No. 3 prospect is planning to enroll early and according to a source, could make his final decision anytime between now and when he enrolls at his school of choice. Harris will have to make his final decision very soon, so Michigan fans are watching his every move to see if he tips his hand one way or the other. --? VanHaaren

11. Florida State Seminoles

In the 2016 class, Florida State ace recruiter Tim Brewster pulled Under Armour All-America Game linebacker Dontavious Jackson out of the Houston area. In the 2017 cycle, it's five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson?who is a top target of Brewster and the Seminoles. The 6-foot-4, 332-pound defensive tackle has made official visits to Florida State, Ohio State and Oklahoma, and still has two trips remaining with one to LSU a lock to be scheduled. The Seminoles have held a lead or been right at the top of Wilson's list since the summer, but LSU is going to make it very difficult on the Seminoles to close. Wilson will announcing his top five at the Under Armour Game, and is set to announce a decision on national signing day on ESPN. --? Hamilton

Rose Bowl presented by Northwest Mutual

5. Penn State Nittany Lions

Fans in Happy Valley are always looking for their next star quarterback and they'll get to see him in the Under Armour Game. Sean Clifford of Cincinnati Saint Xavier High School committed in the summer and hasn't looked back. Ranked as the nation's No. 3 pocket passer, PSU fans should expect big things from Clifford in the all-star setting. -- Jeremy Crabtree

9. USC Trojans

The Trojans usually fare well with commitments at all-star events and they hope that continues at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, as two defensive backs being pursued by USC are set to announce their commitments. Darnay Holmes would be a huge win for USC, as UCLA long held the advantage for the nation's No. 39 prospect and Ohio State is making a strong late charge as well. The Trojans will also need to fend off the Buckeyes for safety Bubba Bolden, the nation's No. 149 prospect and one-time USC commitment. --? McKinney

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

8.? Wisconsin Badgers

The Badgers aren't really represented in either of the major all-star games, outside of Mesa (Arizona) Desert Ridge long-snapper Adam Bay. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Bay is the nation's top long-snapper and turned down offers from Memphis, Missouri, New Mexico and Wyoming to play in Madison. -- Crabtree

15.? Western Michigan Broncos

While you won't find many Western Michigan commits in All-America games, that doesn't mean the class doesn't have outstanding prospects. Quarterback commit Tanner Morgan finished off his high school career with over 10,000 passing yards. His team was knocked out of the playoffs, but in his final game, Morgan passed for over 260 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-40 loss against Scott County. -- VanHaaren

Allstate Sugar Bowl

7. Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners are one of the few Big 12 teams well-represented in the Under Armour Game with five players in the game. Most Sooners fans will be focused on the play of committed cornerbacks Tre Brown of Tulsa (Oklahoma) Union and Justin Broiles of Oklahoma City John Marshall. Broiles recently took an official visit to Arizona State. --? Crabtree

14. Auburn Tigers

Aubrey Solomon, the one-time Michigan defensive tackle commit, is now back open and Auburn is squarely in the mix. The four-star prospect has already visited Alabama and Michigan and will visit Auburn on Jan. 20 and Florida on Jan. 27. The home-state Georgia Bulldogs are also on a recruiting hot streak and are very much in the running for Solomon. This is certainly a battle that could go down to the wire. --? Tyson