Auburn commitment Jay Hardy among those not signing Wednesday

Two of Tennessee's top three college football prospects have chosen not to sign today.

Neither Ravenwood defensive end Reggie Grimes II nor McCallie defensive tackle Jay Hardy plan to sign on the first day of the early signing period.

The early signing period lasts through Friday. If they don't sign before then, they will have to wait until Feb. 5 when the regular signing period begins.

Grimes, who is the No. 2 prospect in the state according to the 247Sports Composite, has been committed to Oklahoma since Thanksgiving. Hardy, who is No. 3 in the state among college prospects, is committed to Auburn.

Grimes' father told The Tennessean it had been plan when the recruiting process started that his son would wait until February to sign.

"There are no advantages to signing in December," said the elder Reggie Grimes, who played college football at Alabama. "A lot of things happen after the season."

The father was eluding to potential college coaching changes.

But the two prospects' decision may give SEC fans a glimmer of hope that they can sway either to sign with their school. South Carolina was in the running for Grimes and had recruited him as well as any school.

And many believed Hardy would commit to Tennessee when he announced his decision on Nov. 6.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.