The college football recruiting process has accelerated so much so that middle schoolers are now receiving scholarship offers. With the tenders to prospects coming earlier, so too are the battles to land the best talent available regardless of when they graduate.
It's not uncommon for players in the recently released ESPN 300 for the Class of 2015 to have 10, 20 and even 30 offers. Don't believe us? Check out the list of schools already jockeying for position to land Jashon Cornell or George Campbell, even though national signing day for the class is still 19 long months away.
And there's nothing better than a recruiting battle -- even if it's one that will stretch through two calendar years -- so that's why we've dedicated this edition of #BlueChipBattles to the Class of 2015.
Here is this week's panel of writers: Brad Bournival (@bbournival), Erik McKinney (@EMcKinneyESPN), Max Olson (@max_olson), Jeremy Crabtree (@JeremyCrabtree), Damon Sayles (@DamonSayles), Kipp Adams (@KippLAdams), Derek Tyson (@DTysonESPN) and Jared Shanker (@JShankerESPN).
GET YOUR TWEET ON
Our reporters have their ears to the streets and will update players' statuses accordingly, but we also want to hear from you, the fans.
Use the hashtag #BlueChipBattles to comment on the list, make a prediction or get more details about any of ours. Your tweet could end up on that week's page.
Hjalte Froholdt | @Y3llur
Warren (Ohio) Harding | DT | 6-4/285 | ESPN Junior 300 rank: 14
Commitment status: Froholdt is uncommitted and back in Denmark, as the foreign exchange student's visa ran out.
Who's in the driver's seat: None
Other candidates: Arkansas, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame
@bbournival's take: Right now, Froholdt's focus is to get back to the States; whether that is this season or as a senior remains to be seen. He has visited every school mentioned above and has offers from all except Notre Dame. He is by no means in any hurry to pick a school and has said it's very difficult to differentiate one school from another. His recruitment is far from over.
@RecruitingESPN ranks Froholdt's recruitment as the No. 10 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles.