#1 OLB Davis to announce on Friday

It will be a sudden and somewhat surprising end to the recruiting process for linebacker prospect Noor Davis (Oxford, Fla./The Villages Charter School) when he announces his college decision at a local country club in his hometown of Lady Lake, Fla. on Friday afternoon. After taking a patient and deliberate approach to narrowing down his list of schools, Davis kicked things into over-drive on Tuesday morning.

LB Noor Davis

First, Davis announced via a Facebook message that he would narrow his list of schools down to five -- a full month ahead of schedule -- and before an expected swing of West Coast schools that would provide the final information he would need in the decision-making process.

Then, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound defender dropped the bombshell around noon:

"I have decided that I would like to make my school selection and verbal commitment this Friday. Please advise if you are interested in attending so my parents can make arrangements," the e-mail said.

Just like that -- in an instant -- the process is winding down to a close for a top prospect not expected to make a decision until the Under Armour All-American Game in January. On Tuesday evening, he was appreciative and reflective for the opportunity that has been presented to him to play college football next year at the highest level.

"Never before has my school had a Division I football recruit," he explained. "This experience is also their first. I carry this distinction proudly and I am happy to represent my school and my community. Hopefully this attention will create future opportunities for others."

"As exciting as it has been to have been recruited and offered by so many outstanding universities, it is equally difficult in narrowing down this amazing list to just five schools. As a 16 year old, this is one of the toughest things that I have ever had to do. My parents have encouraged me, after doing my extensive research...to just follow my heart."

He will do just that on Friday when one lucky school comes away with -- not only a talented football player -- but an excellent student (4.3 GPA) as well.

Davis explained, in great detail, as to why Florida made the final cut for the top-ranked OLB prospect in the country (according to 247Sports).

"The University of Florida has outstanding academic programs and great athletics," he said. "They have an awesome business school and communications department. Coach Muschamp said that I could fit in an impactful way playing the SAM linebacker spot. In the 3-4 I would be down on the line and in the 4-3 I would be back in a stack position. They feel that I can do a lot of things off the edge as a pass rusher, but also as a flat coverage guy. I can do a lot of different things that can throw an offense off. They play in the SEC which is a great conference. Florida is an outstanding school and it is very close to where I live. The place where I live is pretty big Gator Country and all of my friends and neighbors are fans. My parents and especially my little brother could be a part of my college experience."

Undoubtedly, the academic profiles in the schools which Davis was considering would play a huge role in the decision making process, as he expressed to GatorBait in an interview last week.

“The academics are the most important thing, in terms of the me choosing a college,” he told GatorBait last week. “Business is so competitive now, that it's your degree which is important. College isn't a 4-5 year decision – it's a 40-50 year decision. It's something that's going to help me for the rest of my life.”

So, will it be Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, Stanford or USC for Davis when he makes the call later this week? Tune into GatorBait on Friday, just after noon, to find out the answer.

Check out my premium note on Davis from the GB message boards right here