In years past, the month of January was a mad scramble in recruiting. In the final charge before signing day, it was as if all bets were off; all verbal commitments were void and all waters were shark-infested. Last year in the first cycle of an early signing period in college football, some of that madness was displaced into November and December as teams geared up for the new calendar. But mostly schools were just learning like the rest of us.

So, what did we learn? That the early signing period is THE signing period. That famous first Wednesday in February might as well be re-named the late signing day. Almost all committed prospects signed, and upwards of 65 percent of the entire pool of prospects will be off the board by Christmas.

Now that we know what's at stake, November and December are about to get much more cut-throat and poaching season is going to get started earlier than ever. Over the next four weeks, here are the committed prospects that are likely to generate the most drama before they sign in late December.

Owen Pappoe (Five-star, No. 1 OLB, No. 12 overall)
Committed: Auburn | Keep an eye on: Tennessee

One of the most athletic prospects in the nation regardless of position, Pappoe was a huge get when Auburn landed him back in May. But five-stars come with some maintenance because opposing programs aren't likely to back down, especially in SEC country. The Atlanta-area prospect chose Auburn over Georgia, but it's another SEC East upstart that is giving the Tigers headaches now in Tennessee.

Pappoe has already visited Tennessee unofficially this fall and the Vols are working to get him back on campus for an official visit in December. If that happens, it would speak to growing momentum for Tennessee and it would be further cause for worry as Jeremy Pruitt has shown the ability to win highly-contested recruiting battles.

Justin Eboigbe (Four-star, No. 4 SDE, No. 66 overall)
Committed: Alabama | Keep an eye on: Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Miami

Back in June, Eboigbe committed to Alabama as a Nick Saban prototype defensive end. This fall, the 6-foot-4.5, 263-pounder has taken an official visit to Florida, unofficial trips to Georgia and Tennessee and has an official scheduled for Miami in December all while posting some of the best senior film in the 2019 class on the line of scrimmage. That senior film, along with that willingness to listen to other coaches has made the Georgia native one of the most highly recruited committed prospects in SEC country.

The good news for Alabama is that Eboigbe is expected to visit Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl. It will also get another shot at him for an official visit in December. That leaves a battle between Auburn and Tennessee to get another shot at him before the December signing period.

George Karlaftis (Four-star, No. 5 SDE, No. 78 overall)
Committed: Purdue | Keep an eye on: Michigan 

Karlaftis is the most highly regarded prospect Purdue has ever landed. He's a mutli-sport star that plays with an outstanding motor, has elite athletic combine numbers and has the size to be an impact guy on Day 1 in the Big Ten at the line of scrimmage. So why is he going to Purdue? Well for one, he's from West Lafayette, but perhaps more importantly is that he's attracted to the same thing that athletic directors all around the country are drawn to in head coach Jeff Brohm. Therein lies the peril for Purdue.

As Louisville tries to attract Brohm to replace Bobby Petrino, Karlaftis will be watching closely. It's unprecedented that Purdue land a player of Karlaftis' stature, yet it is poised to hang onto him as long as it hangs onto Brohm. If Brohm leaves, a continued flirtation with Michigan could become much more serious and a Top-100 level prospect could land at a program that is much more accustomed to landing his kind.

Jordan Battle (Four-star, No. 6 S, No. 95 overall)
Committed: Ohio State | Keep an eye on: Alabama

When Urban Meyer took over at Ohio State, there was an immediate shift in recruiting philosophy to start finding and landing some of the best players in the state of Florida, a state Meyer grew to know well from his time in Gainesville. Battle, a south Florida native out of national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, is one of those critical wins that Meyer has scored out of hostile territory. The downside to recruiting outside of your backyard is when things go bad -- and things have gone bad at Ohio State since Battle's commitment back in June -- the loyalty may not be quite as strong for a guy that didn't grow up with Buckeyes posters on his wall.

Battle has been down to test the waters elsewhere with official visits to Oklahoma and Alabama this fall as well as an unofficial visit to Miami. Alabama in particular has emerged as the biggest threat to Ohio State. He's become a major priority for Nick Saban and he gave his recent trip to Tuscaloosa rave reviews.

Eric Gray (Four-star, No. 3 APB, No. 209 overall)
Committed: Michigan | Keep an eye on: Tennessee

Though he's a Memphis native, Gray always wanted to play at Ohio State. His uncle Maurice Hall played there and he grew up a fan, but the Buckeyes never came calling. Jim Harbaugh did though, and Gray committed this summer. For Michigan, the problem wasn't getting him to commit, it was getting him back to campus. That hasn't happened since his official visit in June. Instead, Gray has been on a visit to Ole Miss with another one scheduled and three trips to Knoxville to see the Vols.

The 247Sports Crystal Ball is trending heavily in favor of Tennessee pulling of a flip which would generate a lot of in-state momentum in Pruitt's first full recruiting cycle at the helm.

Cover 3

The five-stars and All-Americans are all the buzz as the first signing period approaches but we all know that the NFL is loaded with guys that didn't have the extensive offer lists. In that spirit, here are three Big Ten sleeper commits that will surprise college football when they hit campus.

1. Maryland commit Dino Tomlin. I'm not sure how the son of the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach can fly under the radar, but somehow Mike Tomlin's boy managed to pull it off. He actually committed to an interim head coach at Maryland and if he sticks, he may just be the best guy Maryland has got in its class. Tomlin is a 4.5 40-yard dash guy, can project to either side of the football, has great ball skills, has been wildly productive as a senior and is a 300-meter hurdle champion. Clearly he's also got pedigree. Somehow Maryland was one of his only Power Five offers.  

2. Illinois commit Seth Coleman. He skipped his junior season, has a basketball background and brings length and explosiveness that college coaches are always looking for with 11 sacks as a senior edge rusher. The only catch is that he's slender. If he develops right physically, Coleman could become one of those 'where did he come from' stories. Illinois may have a fight on its hands to keep him, but it was a great evaluation by Lovie Smith's staff out of Florida.  

3. Indiana commit Kervens Bonhomme. Though he played his senior season in Florida, Bonhomme is originally from Canada and is part of a growing collection of talent from north of the border making an effort to land at major college programs. He's a big and physical linebacker and has shown explosiveness on film and in combines to further validate good high school productivity (100 tackles, 22 TFLs, 8 sacks).