Tuesdays with Gorney: Breaking down the 10 biggest commits from the weekend
Nick Lucero/Rivals.com
Over the third weekend of June official visits from Friday through Sunday, 62 prospects committed to Power Four programs. Two weekends ago, there were 54. After the first weekend of June, there were 33.
Advertisement
Things are ramping up as the end of the month gets closer and Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney breaks down the 10 biggest pledge of the weekend in today's Tuesdays With Gorney.
RECRUITING RUMOR MILL: Massive June hits midpoint
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info
Florida snatched the lead in Baker's recruitment but then after taking a visit to Florida State, it looked like the Seminoles were definitely becoming a threat. That's why it was important for Florida to land a pledge over the weekend from the four-star running back out of Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes. Baker is big at 6-foot-2 but has great speed and does not get tackled easily. The Gators have been loading up.
Advertisement
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH FLORIDA FANS AT 1ST AND TEN FLORIDA
Beating SEC teams is not easy, especially for a player deep in the heart of SEC country, but that's exactly what North Carolina did in landing Burns, who had Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Miami and others high on the list. The Monroe (La.) Neville three-star safety planned to commit in early July but after spending time in Chapel Hill, Burns canceled the remainder of his visit schedule and committed to the Tar Heels over the weekend.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH UNC FANS AT TARHEELILLUSTRATED.COM
Auburn and Florida were the two standouts in Daniel's recruitment and it would have been no surprise if the four-star receiver from Tuskegee (Ala.) Booker T. Washington picked the Tigers but he continually got drawn to Florida and chose the Gators over the weekend. That's a huge win for Florida since Daniel is a big, long, rangy receiver with good hands who is not planning a return trip to Auburn. Coach Billy Napier and his staff are on a major recruiting heater now with 10 commitments in June alone and a top-25 class out of nowhere.
Syracuse made a valiant effort to keep the upstate New York four-star receiver home and many others were involved but Oregon was a front-runner for some time and over the weekend he committed. The Rochester (N.Y.) James Monroe standout does a little bit of everything from stretching the field deep to lining up in the slot to returning punts to blocking his tail off. The Ducks will find many ways to get him the ball.
Advertisement
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OREGON FANS AT DUCKSPORTSAUTHORITY.COM
The four-star cornerback from Brownsville (Tenn.) Haywood committed to Vanderbilt in late April but that's when Georgia and position coach Donte Williams really turned up the heat in his recruitment. The Bulldogs got him on campus in early June and then it was only a matter of time until he flipped to the SEC power.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH GEORGIA FANS AT UGASPORTS.COM
Ili visited programs all across the country and at different times it seemed like Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and others were under serious consideration but his recruitment came down to USC and UCLA. The Kahuku, Hawaii four-star linebacker who originally played at Orange (Calif.) Lutheran loved everything about the Bruins, the coaches, how genuine everyone was in Westwood but USC turned it up, he had a great bond with director of high school recruiting relations Aaron Amaama and position coach Rob Ryan as the Trojans became the front-runner in the closing weeks.
Advertisement
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH USC FANS AT TROJANSPORTS.COM
Oklahoma and Texas Tech were the two other programs mainly involved in Kirkland's recruitment but the draw to stay in Waco and play for the hometown team was too much to turn down as Kirkland committed to Baylor over the weekend. The versatile 2027 four-star from Waco (Texas) University can play centerfield as a safety, can go sideline to sideline and come up and hit when needed. This recruiting cycle, the Bears went to Waco University for four-star WR London Smith. Kirkland's commitment only reinforces that connection.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH BAYLOR FANS AT SICEMSPORTS.COM
After his decommitment from Ole Miss earlier this month, Florida looked like a very realistic option for the four-star receiver from Niceville, Fla., with Miami, Mississippi State and Wisconsin the others involved. Landing a commitment from Legree was huge for the Badgers, who had only one plate with four receiving touchdowns last season, so someone with his playmaking ability is needed in Madison. Was this a firm commitment or an overreaction after a great visit weekend? We'll see if those Southeast teams - including the Gators - give up.
Advertisement
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH WISCONSIN FANS AT BADGERBLITZ.COM
Texas, LSU and Florida were the final three for the four-star defensive end from Tupelo, Miss., but all signs pointed to the Gators in the last week as McCoy canceled his Texas visit to return to Gainesville. During a spring visit to Florida, McCoy said he was 'lost for words' at how 'amazing' the trip was and how he was treated there and that's when the Gators really turned the corner as a favorite.
In February, Oklahoma State landed a commitment from Stewart and it looked like the high three-star edge rusher from Pearland, Texas was done with his recruitment. But Stewart started taking visits, was recently at Texas and then Illinois flipped him over the weekend. The Illini have had success developing edge rushers like him and he fits as an outside linebacker in that scheme. With 10 sacks last season, Stewart is productive. It didn't hurt that Illinois linebacker coach Archie McDaniel is a Texas native.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ILLINOIS FANS AT ORANGEANDBLUENEWS.COM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
11 minutes ago
- CBS News
A look at Jomboy Media's rise from podcast to MLB partner
Major League Baseball has struck a partnership deal with Jomboy Media, the sports content company that rose to prominence through viral lip-reading videos and now boasts 2 million YouTube subscribers. The partnership comes as MLB seeks to reach younger audiences through authentic digital content creators. Jomboy Media recorded 93 million social media engagements last year and has grown since its humble beginnings as a hobby podcast in 2017. Co-founder Jake Storiale said the company never envisioned reaching this scale when he and Jimmy O'Brien started their weekly Yankees podcast. "The original dream was maybe like the kooky spring training guys or something like that," Storiale said during an appearance on "CBS Mornings Plus" Monday. "And now it's turned into a 60-person business." The deal represents years of parallel work between the organizations, according to Courtney Hirsch, the CEO of Jomboy Media and O'Brien's sister, who helped broker the partnership. "We both have the same mission to grow the game and to serve baseball fans," Hirsch said. "It took years in the making." What finally pushed the partnership over the finish line after years of discussions was the growing influence of digital content creators in sports, Hirsch said. "I think the power of content creators is really undeniable, and the impact that they're having on sports," she said. "Major League Baseball recognizes that it's important to have authentic voices speaking to fans, and then also creating content on digital platforms like we do to reach people where they're at and create new fans because that's really our superpower." Jomboy Media has expanded beyond baseball commentary to include multiple podcasts, TV shows and warehouse games featuring backyard-style sports competitions. The company's breakdown videos, which often include lip-reading analysis of on-field conversations and confrontations, have become particularly popular for bringing viewers closer to the action. "Sports is the best reality television still," Storiale said. "The breakdown videos that Jimmy does, I mean it brings you on the field and that's kind of what fans want." The company name originated from an iPhone autocorrect error that changed "Jimmy" to "Jomboy," which O'Brien adopted as his social media handle on his mother's advice to use a nickname online, Hirsch said. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
PGA Tour Hit With ‘Bork Bill' Class Action Lawsuit
The list of sports companies sued for sharing users' data with Meta grew last Friday when Tampa, Fla., resident David Britt filed a complaint in a Florida federal court against the PGA Tour. Britt says the PGA Tour disclosed his personal viewing information without his consent. The PGA Tour joins the NBA, NFL, Learfield, Bleacher Report, Paramount Global (247 Sports), NBC Sports and Baseball America, among other big names in sports, that are accused of violating the Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (VPPA). The VPPA makes it illegal for a video tape service provider to knowingly disclose a consumer's personally identifiable information to a third party. The VPPA is sometimes called the 'Bork Bill' because it was a legislative response to the leaking of Judge Robert Bork's video rental history while he was a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Advertisement More from Through Brian Levin and other attorneys, Britt contends that when a visitor clicks on and requests a video, the name of the video and user information is shared with Meta—and this sharing allegedly occurs without consent or notification. Britt, who has a Facebook account, says he subscribed to from 2022 until the day he sued, and that he became a subscriber by providing his name, email address and other personal information. Britt seeks for his case to be certified as a class action on behalf of Americans who subscribed to and obtained prerecorded video materials or services through a browser while being logged into their Facebook account from June 13, 2023, to the present. like many sports websites, allegedly uses pixel tracking cookies. The VPPA calls for damages of $2,500, but that modest figure becomes much more threatening in a class action; Britt argues his class would have 'thousands (and likely millions)' of people. A million people suing for $2,500 makes a class action potentially worth, at least in theory, $2.5 billion. Advertisement The PGA Tour will answer the complaint and seek its dismissal. Expect the Tour to rely on arguments raised by other defendants in VPPA cases. They insist the Reagan-era VPPA has nothing to do with Facebook cookies—it concerns video rental history and, as amended in 2013, the 'liking' and sharing of online movies via social media platforms. The defendants also contend they're not in possession of Facebook data and that cookies transmit the data through internet browsers, which are outside of websites' control. Also stressed: Even if a sports website could be described as a conduit for unauthorized sharing, the VPPA prohibits disclosures that are made 'knowingly,' not inadvertently or even recklessly. VPPA litigation against sports companies has yielded conflicting outcomes over the last year. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit agreed with Paramount that watching sports videos on sports news-oriented websites doesn't make the viewer a 'consumer' within the meaning of the VPPA. The VPPA, the Sixth Circuit reasoned, contemplates more affirmative steps, namely buying, renting or subscribing to audio-visual content. As a result, merely signing up for fan content offered through a league or website newsletter would fall short. But in a case involving the NBA as a defendant, the Second Circuit found a user who subscribes to an newsletter can be a consumer within the meaning of the VPPA based on the language of the statute. The NBA is a key player in how VPPA litigation will play out. The league petitioned the Supreme Court earlier this year to review its VPPA litigation, urging the justices to consider the presence of conflicting case law among the federal circuits on VPPA and the potentially far-reaching consequences of liability for websites that use cookies. The petition is currently pending before the Court. Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jay Monahan to Step Down From PGA Tour at End of 2026
Jay Monahan, the longtime commissioner of the PGA, will step down from his post at the end of 2026. His pending departure was announced alongside the golf circuit's official hiring of former NFL chief business and media officer Brian Rolapp as its first CEO. Monahan, who was part of the CEO search committee, told the board a year ago that he planned to step down after he reached a decade as commissioner. Advertisement More from 'Since then, we've worked together to identify a leader who can build on our momentum and develop a process that ensures a smooth transition,' Monahan said in a statement. 'We've found exactly the right leader in Brian Rolapp, and I'm excited to support him as he transitions from the NFL into his new role leading the PGA Tour.' Though Monahan will still roam the links through the end of 2026, Rolapp will become the lead executive of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Enterprises later this summer, taking on Monahan's day-to-day responsibilities and with tour management reporting to him. Rolapp will report directly to the board of directors for both entities. On Monday, Sportico reported that the NFL will not replace Rolapp in his former role but will divide the responsibilities of his old position among several current league executives. Advertisement Rolapp was long considered a successor to Roger Goodell as NFL commissioner before moving over to the PGA. However, Goodell, who became league commissioner in 2007, has two more years remaining on his deal and it's believed that he will sign an extension. Monahan, who succeeding Tim Finchem as PGA Tour commissioner in January 2017, worked in multiple business development capacities before taking the tour's top job, starting his PGA Tour career as executive director of The Players Championship from 2008 until 2010. After SVP and EVP stints, he became deputy commissioner of the tour in 2013, working under Finchem for two and a half years. His tenure as commissioner has been greatly defined by the still-pending joint venture of the PGA Tour, DP World Tour (European Tour) and LIV Golf. When the PIF-backed LIV began poaching PGA players in early 2022, Monahan took a defiant stance against the new tour by suspending 17 PGA members who defected to LIV, banning them from participating in U.S.-based events. Advertisement 'These players have made their choice for their own financial-based reasons,' Monahan wrote in a memo to players in June 2022. 'They can't demand the same PGA Tour membership benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform as you. That expectation disrespects you, our fans and our partners.' As the battle between the two tours made its way into the courtroom through the remainder of 2022 and early 2023, Monahan continued to publicly commit to the ban. However, in May 2023, Monahan met with PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan, beginning a long series of discreet talks that led to a stunning announcement weeks later that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf (along with the DP World Tour) would work on a new entity with help from the sovereign fund. The actual union has yet to come to fruition. In the process of the pending venture with LIV, the PGA formed the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises, with significant investment from a consortium known as Strategic Sports Group, comprised of team sports owners in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and the Premier League. Launched in January 2024, PGA Enterprises holds the tour's commercial rights, with nearly 200 PGA Tour players sharing more than $1.5 billion in equity in the venture. Advertisement In the meantime, LIV Golf has reshuffled its leadership in recent months, hiring Scott O'Neil as CEO and Chris Heck as president of business operations. Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
