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West Spotlight: Predictions for five top unsigned prospects

Here are the five biggest recruitments remaining in the West Region and Adam Gorney's prediction on where those prospects will sign heading into the National Signing Day on Feb. 7.

TOP UNSIGNED PROSPECTS BY POSITION: QB | RB | WR | OL | DL | LB | DB

MORE SIGNING PREDICTIONS: Southeast | Midwest | Mid-Atlantic

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Taylor-Stuart has an SEC flavor to his recruitment, especially as things get closer to National Signing Day. The five-star cornerback took an official visit to USC this past weekend and things went really well, so the Trojans are a serious contender that absolutely could land the San Diego Helix star. There seems to be significant interest in Georgia, though, and the Bulldogs playing for the national title cannot hurt. For the weekend of Jan. 26, Taylor-Stuart has locked in a visit to Alabama. Tennessee is also being considered for a trip. Texas A&M is also a major player in these final weeks. Taylor-Stuart said at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl that as he matures and goes through the process, he’s leaning toward the SEC, but USC is in his backyard and is not giving up.

Prediction: USC

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Oregon and USC seem to be the only major contenders for the five-star athlete and the Ducks still seem like they could be tough to beat. Williams just took his official visit to USC this past weekend and things went well and the Trojans can never be counted out, especially for a local prospect. But Williams has loved Oregon for a long time. He was serious about the Ducks when coach Willie Taggart was there and things haven’t seemed to fall off once Mario Cristobal took over. The Ducks have been involved for so long and the recruitment of Williams did not drop off with the coaching change. This one has absolutely gotten closer since the USC trip, but Oregon probably still has the edge.

Prediction: Oregon

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According to sources, Griffin is very serious about a lot of the SEC and ACC powerhouses that have offered in recent weeks, but others might be pushing him to stay closer to home and that means USC could win out for one of the nation’s best players. Griffin is coming off a fantastic visit to USC this past weekend and could have a busy month ahead with expected trips to Florida, Auburn and possibly others. There remains a very strong possibility that Griffin, who shined at the recent Under Armour game, can end up in the SEC because he could be leaning that way, but the Trojans have some serious pull as well.

Prediction: USC

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One of the craziest recruitments in the West, Sewell is still a guessing game with no coaching staff fully confident it is going to land the massive offensive lineman. Utah, Alabama, Oregon and USC remain the top four and Sewell said at the Polynesian Bowl that he could make a pledge at any time leading up to Signing Day. There’s a rumor Sewell was serious about Nevada - where his brothers play - leading up to an expected late December decision, but then he chose to wait longer to make his pick. Utah makes a lot of sense for the four-star, but Alabama has definitely been pushing and Oregon has always intrigued him as well.

Prediction: Utah

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McKee is the only quarterback among the top 18 at the position not to be committed yet and he’s still not in a serious rush. The reason is because the four-star standout is going on a Mormon mission after high school, so he’s essentially a 2020 prospect and doesn’t seem to mind where quarterbacks are committing this cycle. Stanford recently admitted him and he took his official visit there this past weekend. It went really well. Washington is not giving up and coach Chris Petersen had a recent in-home visit with him. McKee could also take a visit to USC later this month and he’s always had high interest in the Trojans. Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, BYU and others cannot be counted out yet, either.

Prediction: Stanford

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