For the first time, an Early Signing Period has arrived for college football. It's highly anticipated, critically important and yet utterly unpredictable. Because this is the maiden voyage for the event, college coaches don't know quite what the high school prospects are going to do, prospects don't quite know what the colleges are going to do, and a wild coaching carousel has added even more moving pieces to an already volatile situation.

What we do know is that this thing is coming this week whether we're ready for it or not. The three-day ESP kicks off on Wednesday and closes Friday. We are expecting much of the excitement to occur Wednesday, but CBS Sports and 247Sports will be covering every signing (and every signing abstention) all the way through the week.

Here is what you need to know ahead of this first-of-its-kind period.

Commitment watch

In part due to a lot of players hoping to enroll early in college this spring, there are several five-star prospects with decisions slated this week. Here's the most high-profile commitments we expect to see. 

No. 4 Micah Parsons (Harrisburg, Penn.), DE/LB: He already committed to Penn State once. I expect he probably commits to Penn State again Wednesday but this kid is anything but predictable. Georgia and Oklahoma are the other players.

No. 7 Eyabi Anoma (Baltimore, Md.), DE/OLB: The late Alabama rally has begun, and Anoma is one of the most important pieces in that finish. He'll be Nick Saban's highest-rated commit if things go as plan.

No. 8 K.J. Henry (Clemmons, N.C.), DE: All -- 100 percent -- of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions are in favor of Clemson landing Henry. He's just another freak defensive lineman for that roster and part of what could be a huge finish in recruiting.

No. 9 Jackson Carman (Fairfield, Ohio), OT: The top offensive tackle in the country is one of the biggest remaining targets for Ohio State's No. 1-ranked class. The Buckeyes have some real competition in Clemson and Southern California, where he visited over the weekend.

No. 10 Jamaree Salyer (Atlanta, Ga.), G: The top guard in the country has long been thought to be a lean to the in-state Bulldogs, but this one isn't locked up just yet. A late surge from Clemson has this decision much murkier than it once was believed to be.

No. 11 Terrace Marshall (Bossier City, La.), WR: Marshall won't make his decision until Friday, the final day of the signing period. The nation's top-ranked wide receiver is expected to stay in state and land at LSU, but keep an eye on Texas A&M.

No. 16 Cade Mays (Knoxville, Tenn.), OT: The No. 2 offensive tackle in the country is a Tennessee legacy and a Knoxville native that was once committed to the Vols but has since become a casualty of coaching turnover. Clemson has emerged as the favorite with Georgia right there as well. Can Jeremy Pruitt pull of a late miracle and get him back in the fold?

No. 22 Brenton Cox (Stockbridge, Ga.), DE: He was one of the gems of Ohio State's top-ranked class before decommitting earlier this month. Now the Georgia native has turned back to his SEC roots and will choose between Georgia and Alabama.

Signing watch

There are a few high-priority targets that are committed and expected to sign this week, but let's see pen hit paper before we start customizing our jerseys. These guys could sign where they're committed, sign with another program or even hold off and keep us guessing beyond the signing period.

No. 2 Justin Fields (Kennesaw, Ga.), QB: Remarkably, despite the loaded depth chart at Georgia and his talent to start as a freshman, Fields has held firm with his pledge to Kirby Smart's Bulldogs. Dan Mullen at Florida, Willie Taggart at Florida State and Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M have all given him all kinds of new proposals to ponder. Let's see if Georgia can pull this off and bring in the best three-year quarterback recruiting run in modern recruiting history. He's currently scheduled to sign.

No. 27 Jaiden Woodbey (Fontana, Calif.), S: Though he has been committed to Ohio State since February, Woodbey is a USC legacy from the Trojans' backyard. He also took an official visit to Florida State over the weekend and showed up at USC as well. That long-time pledge looks shakier the closer we get to signing day.

No. 28 Brey Walker (Moore, Okla.), OT: The Army All-American out of Oklahoma has been a Sooner commit for two years, but Fisher got him on campus for an official visit to College Station and now the watch is on to see if he signs with the Sooners or holds off and recalibrates.

No. 31 James Cook (Miami, Fla.), RB: Though he has been committed to Georgia since October, Cook is the younger brother of Dalvin Cook, so you would expect Florida State to be a factor right? With the hire of Taggart, FSU has tried to get back in the race. With the hire of Telly Lockette, who coached both Dalvin and James at Miami Central, the Noles might actually pull this off.

No. 40 Emory Jones (Franklin, Ga.), QB: Another Ohio State commit the Buckeyes are scraping to hang on to at this time. He took weekend official visits to Florida and Florida State. Alabama and Auburn are also heavily involved, but the Crimson Tide are reportedly out. Ohio State went ahead and locked up a backup plan two weeks ago in QB Matthew Baldwin out of Texas.

First test for new coaching staffs

So you got your dream job, Willie Taggart. Your first head coaching gig came quick, Jeremy Pruitt. A $75 million guarantee is a lot of pressure, Jimbo Fisher. Well now you have about two weeks to not totally blow it on the recruiting trail. This furious coaching carousel combined with the Early Signing Period has put some new coaches in the difficult spot of closing on a recruiting class within a matter of weeks. And if they can't, the players left over for them to poach in January will be significantly fewer than in years past.

Nebraska's Scott Frost has been maybe the most successful out of the gates early, landing five commits since his hiring, including his quarterback of the future. But most of the new coaches are looking to either score big points during the December signing period or at least hold a few prospects at bay so that they can reel them in come January.

Florida State enters the week ranked 50th in the country in recruiting. Can an official visit weekend that saw a top-100 quarterback and several former Oregon commits out of the state of Florida springboard Taggart's class back into respectability? Fisher heads into the week with his class ranked 16th nationally, but can he find a quarterback or steal any big-name prospects that A&M hadn't previously been in position for? He's taking some big swings at the likes of Brey Walker, Terrace Marshall and Justin Fields.

Chip Kelly looks to be closing strong at UCLA, but can he hang on to Olaijah Griffin or land a guy like Brendan Radley-Hiles? Pruitt has Tennessee in position to recruit at a high level, but he has lost two quarterback commits (one by choice) since taking over in Knoxville and has yet to make a surge. Mullen got off the schneid with a weekend commitment but has yet to make a big splash in Gainesville, Florida. Meanwhile Joe Moorhead is still learning his way around the local roads as he starts at Mississippi State.