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New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
College football recruiting thoughts: Clemson's surge, QB dominoes, New York's elite prospect
It may be the heart of the offseason for college football, but recruiting never stops. And starting Friday, things are about to get fun. Welcome to June official visits. Outside of December, June is the most chaotic, exciting month of the year for recruiting as prospects across the country head off to official visits and start to narrow down their lists. Commitments are coming. Dominoes are falling. And the drama is just getting started. Advertisement With that in mind, some recruiting thoughts as we head into Friday and kick off the summer. Note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite. 1. It's a big year for USC coach Lincoln Riley as the Trojans look to bounce back from a 7-6 record in 2024 and prove that they can still be relevant on the national stage. Riley has been recruiting like someone who knows what's at stake. The Trojans currently have the nation's No. 1 class, with 16 four-stars among their 26 commitments. They have their quarterback in place after flipping four-star Jonas Williams from Oregon in February and have found some early success with top prospects on defense — by far their biggest need. Of USC's six top-100 commits, four play defense — corners Elbert Hill and Brandon Lockhart and defensive linemen Jaimeon Winfield and Simote Katoanga. Now it's Riley's job to hang onto them. Hill and Winfield are from Ohio and Texas, respectively. 2. The dominoes have started to fall at quarterback, with seven of the nation's top 10 QBs already committed. Five-star California native Ryder Lyons and four-star Alabama native Landon Duckworth are the highest uncommitted prospects at the position. Lyons has kept a low profile but is expected to officially visit USC, Oregon and BYU this month. Duckworth has a top five consisting of Auburn, Florida State, Ole Miss, South Carolina and North Carolina. 3. Speaking of North Carolina, it was fascinating to see Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick go on his inaugural tour of high schools across the state at the beginning of the year as he got acclimated to recruiting for the first time. But since then, UNC has had almost no traction with in-state prospects. Of the Tar Heels' 15 commits, only two are from North Carolina. Three are from California. One high-level in-state coach said Belichick and UNC came through his high school in the spring, but otherwise, it has been 'radio silent on their end, honestly.' Maybe it's too early to question arguably the greatest football coach of all time. And if UNC wins games, Belichick can recruit however he wants. But the Tar Heel state has a decent amount of talent this year, and UNC does not appear to be in position to take advantage of it. Advertisement 4. One team that has resonated with talent in North Carolina? Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish have landed commitments from three of the top 11 prospects in North Carolina, more than any other program. 'It definitely is a trend that I've noticed,' said four-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., a Matthews, N.C., native and the son of former Carolina Panthers legend Thomas Davis. 'It really just goes to show what kind of program (Notre Dame) is and when you can just truly show a kid what you want to bring to the table and why you think they're a fit for your school and they get the opportunity to choose that on their own, Notre Dame is a special place. So a lot of these kids, I think, see that and want to be a part of it.' 5. Davis, who committed to Notre Dame in November, recently landed an offer from Georgia — where his father starred in the early 2000s. The younger Davis is heading to Athens on Friday for an official visit with the Bulldogs — the only other school he plans to visit outside of Notre Dame — and knows how much that will mean to his dad. 'I know (Georgia) has been coming after me,' he said. 'But I still feel pretty locked in with Notre Dame.' Blessed to receive a scholarship to Georgia.🐶 Thank you @CoachSchuUGA !@andycapone_whs @BigDubFootball @RivalsFriedman @Rivals @samspiegs @ChadSimmons_ @On3Recruits @247Sports @247recruiting @AnnaH247 — Thomas Davis Jr (@ThomasDavisJr14) May 8, 2025 6. Clemson is hot again, both on the field — the Tigers are viewed as a likely College Football Playoff team — and on the recruiting trail. Dabo Swinney currently has 15 commits in the Class of 2026, including 10 blue-chippers, for an average player rating of 90.65. The Tigers have five top-200 prospects and two quarterbacks already committed in four-star Tait Reynolds and three-star Brock Bradley. Don't be surprised if there are more fireworks in the coming days. Clemson's only official visit weekend of the summer begins today. Advertisement 7. Looking for an interesting prospect to follow? How about four-star wide receiver Messiah Hampton? Hampton is the nation's No. 100 recruit, No. 11 receiver and the highest-rated prospect out of New York since 2019. He is committing on June 13 and is down to seven schools: Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, Michigan, Miami, Syracuse and Georgia. Fran Brown and the in-state Orange may be fighting an uphill battle considering the rest of Hampton's contenders, but kudos to Brown for making the final cut for a rare top-100 in-state prospect. 8. What's going on with LSU and Alabama? The two SEC powers lead the nation in average player rating at 95.18 and 94.28, respectively, but LSU has just nine commits in its class and Alabama has just five. Neither has a quarterback, either. Expect Brian Kelly and Kalen DeBoer to change that, but the pressure is especially on for Kelly, who lost out on five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood at the last minute a year ago and didn't sign a quarterback in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The Tigers are in good shape this year with Garrett Nussmeier, but Kelly knows he'll need to start looking ahead soon. 9. Ohio State, the reigning national champ, also doesn't yet have a quarterback in its 2026 class. The Buckeyes are in good shape for the foreseeable future with former five-stars Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair both on the roster, but most programs like to take a quarterback every year. The Buckeyes have the nation's No. 3 class with 13 commits, 11 of whom are blue-chippers. 10. It has long been presumed that Billy Napier's recruiting has helped the Florida coach keep his job, especially after he signed five-star quarterback DJ Lagway in the Class of 2024 and finished the 2025 cycle with five top-100 prospects. Coaches can always sell hope. But the Gators have been largely nonexistent in this 2026 cycle so far. Florida has more decommits (three) than it does commits (two). The class right now consists of four-star quarterback Will Griffin from Tampa, Fla., and three-star defensive lineman Jamir Perez from Cleveland. 11. Only two of the top 20 players in Florida are currently committed to an in-state program: four-star linebacker Jordan Campbell and four-star cornerback Jaelen Waters have both given Miami a verbal pledge. Florida State has three of the state's top 50 players, but only one in the top 30, four-star athlete Efrem White. 12. Arizona State appears to be receiving a nice little bump from its College Football Playoff appearance a season ago. Coach Kenny Dillingham's 2026 class has an average player rating of 87.75, which is on pace to be the program's highest since the Class of 2021. Four-star quarterback Jake Fette, the No. 107 prospect overall and No. 10 quarterback, threw for nearly 2,500 yards and 32 touchdowns against just one interception as a high school junior in El Paso, Texas. He also rushed for 589 yards and 11 touchdowns on a 7.6-yard average. 13. Typically, the earlier a recruit issues a commitment, the harder it is for a school to hang onto him. But that doesn't seem to be the case with Texas and five-star quarterback Dia Bell, who has taken on the role of helping recruit talent to Austin around him. Bell, from South Florida, is likely the heir apparent to Arch Manning and committed to the Longhorns almost a year ago. He hasn't wavered in that commitment and is expected to take just one official visit, to Austin in three weeks. Advertisement 14. Five-star offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, at No. 6 overall, is the nation's highest-rated uncommitted prospect. Iheanacho plays high school football at Georgetown Preparatory School in Baltimore and is down to seven schools: Maryland, Oregon, Penn State, LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M and Auburn. He has most recently teased Oregon and LSU on social media, but he isn't announcing a decision until August. Just how good is he? The 6-foot-6 1/2, 345-pounder casually squatted 600 pounds a month ago. 600lb Squat PR @EOLiddy — Immanuel Iheanacho ✭ (@immanueli24) April 30, 2025 15. For those of us who love to follow recruiting, welcome to one of the most fun months on the recruiting calendar. But good luck to all the recruiting, personnel and coaching staffers who, starting Friday, will be consumed by visit itineraries, photo shoots and campus tours. They probably won't sleep until July. As one staffer put it after the chaos of last June: 'I was a tired dude.' (Photo of Dabo Swinney: Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ten players we're watching at OT7 Week 4
DALLAS -- OT7's fourth season of 7-on-7 competition returned to the Lone Star State earlier this spring, and we're gearing up for Week 4 of the competition -- the final weekend of action before the Golden Ticket Tournament next week and the OT7 Championships on June 26-29 in Florida. This season, 18 teams have been competing over this four-weekend season. More on the OT7 Tournament here. Advertisement The field has featured several blue-chip recruits in the 2026, 2027, and even 2028 classes so far. Previous top performing prospects included USC-bound QB Jonas Williams, Texas WR commit Chris Stewart, and five-star CB Havon Finney Jr. Here are 10 more players Rivals will be watching closely during Week 4 action at OT7: FOUR-STAR QB LANDON DUCKWORTH, RWE Landon Duckworth is one of six quarterback ranked inside the top 30 of the Rivals250 in the 2026 cycle. The four-star passer from Alabama possesses as much -- or more -- upside than anyone in this class. Duckworth is an efficient distributor with big-play ability attacking vertically and extending plays outside of the pocket. In this 7-on-7 setting, the elite QB will have an opportunity to showcase his processing and decision-making early and often. FOUR-STAR ATH JOEY O'BRIEN, LEVEL82 Four-star Joey O'Brien has been tabbed as an ATH in the Rivals250 given the 6-foot-3, 180-pounder's ability to make plays at receiver and at defensive back in various settings. The four-star has found a home playing safety and is a prospect with size, range, length, and playmaking ability at the position. O'Brien's should see plenty of action against a stout group of pass-catchers this weekend. FOUR-STAR WR VANCE SPAFFORD (GEORGIA COMMIT), CALIFORNIA POWER Four-star Vance Spafford was absolutely electric in this setting this time last year -- and is very much in the conversation to be the No. 1 SLOT WR in the Rivals250 by the end of this recruiting cycle. The Georgia verbal from the West Coast will get an opportunity to line up against various NICKEL defenders. We're excited to see Spafford at work and how he directs coverages with so much star power around him on the Cali Power offense. FIVE-STAR QB RYDER LYONS, COLD HEARTS Ryder Lyons made his 7-on-7 debut Week 1 of the OT7 season. After two days of action, the five-star QB was well-acclimated to the speed of the game and found a rhythm. Lyons has a live arm and a talented cast of receivers around him. He wasn't shy about taking shots downfield -- and we anticipate seeing a different version of the touted passer this weekend. FOUR-STAR TE MARK BOWMAN, CALIFORNIA POWER Elite TE Mark Bowman is one of a handful of prospects to reclassify into the 2026 cycle. The top-30 recruit from California moves at a different speed at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. He also should be a mismatch in the red zone. Bowman should draw the attention of several talented linebackers and safeties along the way. FOUR-STAR WR JABARI MACK (LSU COMMIT) Four-star WR Jabari Mack has been enjoying a stellar off-season so far -- shining in various settings, including Week 1 of the OT7 season last month. The speedy pass-catcher from The Boot is up to 200 pounds this spring -- and has continued to deliver big plays downfield and highlight catches each and every event this spring. Mack is one of the several elite WR committed to LSU in this cycle. FOUR-STAR ATH SALESI MOA, COLD HEARTS Four-star ATH Salesi Moa was superb in his last outing at OT7 in Week 1. The dynamic two-way player from Utah was one of Lyons' top receiving targets -- making deep catches downfield and also working underneath effectively. Moa was equally as good in coverage playing cornerback. Moa's father played in the NFL and a brother at Michigan State, and he has a skill-set to follow suit. FOUR-STAR SAF JETT WASHINGTON, LO-PRO Jett Washington is known for being the late great Kobe Bryant's nephew -- and he also has an established reputation as one of the top defensive backs at OT7 the past two seasons. The top-100 SAF has outstanding range and length patrolling the back end of the secondary and can fly to the football. Washington, unsurprisingly, is also a standout basketball player. THREE-STAR WR JAMES SCOTT, TUCSON TURF Touted 2026 WR James Scott out of the Lone Star State was one of top performers in OT7 Week 1. The big-framed pass-catcher was outstanding by the goal -- playing above the rim and consistently winning one-on-one matchups inside and also working on the perimeter. Scott was one of the biggest stock-up recruits at the position so far this spring -- and has programs like Houston, , TCU, Texas A&M, and USC in pursuit. THREE-STAR SAF KENTAVION ANDERSON, RWE We're ecstatic about our first live evaluation of touted 2026 SAF Kentavion Anderson. The South Carolina native constantly puts himself by the football. Anderson largely works in in the box and covers a ton of ground -- and his skill-set should translate well in this 7-on-7 setting. Anderson is set to make his college commitment on May 16.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top overall performers, rankings implications from OT7 Week 1
DALLAS -- OT7 kicked off Week 1 of action of a multi-week long 7-on-7 this weekend with a star-studded collection of squads from around the country. The schedule kicked off this weekend at Dallas College Mountain View Campus. Here is all of the Rivals coverage from the event. Here are the top performers from the first weekend of action action headlined by USC-bound QB Jonas Williams. Jonas Williams was Rivals' Day 1 top performer and finished the weekend off as the overall MVP from Week 1 of the OT7 season. We love the future Trojans' arm talent -- and his ability to make high-level throws consistently throughout the weekend of competition. Williams was timely and accurate working in the middle of the field -- and has outstanding arm power and deep-ball accuracy to attack downfield. Williams was able to send out lasers in the red zone and level throws effectively -- and showed excellent chemistry with his receivers, despite being a victim of several drops in on Saturday. More importantly, the USC verbal impressed going through his progressions and delivering big-time throws in timely situations. Williams had 16 tournament in Week 1, including nine on Day 2. Chris Stewart had a busy day on Saturday reeling in nearly 20 receptions in a single game -- and the Texas commitment was even more involved in the offense and more productive on Sunday. The four-star WR excelled in the slot. Stewart sat in zones and picked apart opposing defenses. He's electric after the catch and smooth in open space with the rock in his hands. Stewart was able to get open quickly and carve up zone defenses routinely -- and found the end zone repeatedly. Havon Finney Jr. was on-point throughout the weekend manning an outside cornerback spot for SFE. The five-star CB who reclassified into the 2026 cycle had a game-closing interception along with several timely pass breakups during Saturday's action -- then was equally as impactful on Day 2 with another pick and several strong passes defensed on the day. We love Finney's elite length for the position -- and more so his ability to turn and run and break on the ball at 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds. Samari Matthews was all over the defensive secondary and constantly around the ball during Week 1 of OT7 action. The top-50 recruit from North Carolina manned multiple spots in the secondary -- showing off not only his coverage skills but also his versatility. Matthews stepped in front of several passes in his direction over the course over the weekend, including on Sunday -- coming up with a tipped pass that led to a pick and an. interception of his own. Matthews constantly put himself in the middle of the action. He can cover a ton of ground in a hurry and is sound in coverage and playing the football. Tedarius Hughes was a ball-hawking presence back deep for SFE -- and came away with multiple interceptions over the course of the weekend and especially in Sunday's action. Hughes is hard to avoid at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds -- and he boasts superb range at the back end of the secondary. The four-star SAF committed to Florida State also notched several more pass breakups over the top and was a force on this star-studded defense. Salesi Moa turned heads with big plays on both sides of the ball during OT7 Week 1. The top recruit from Utah saw snaps at wide receiver and at cornerback -- and was up to the challenge at both premier skill positions. The four-star ATH was sure-handed and a playmaker after the catch -- a favorite target for five-star QB Ryder Lyons working underneath and in the middle of the field, coming back to the football, as well as one of his top deep threats in Sunday's action as the offense kicked into gear. Moa also impressed in coverage -- often working opposite opposing team's top receivers and clamping them down along the way. Dia Bell showcased excellent arm talent and his ability to push the ball downfield effectively and deliver in the red zone. The future Longhorn out of South Florida got better as the tournament progressed. Bell was smooth operating and moving within the pocket with outstanding touch on his deep balls. He has a big arm and is able to deliver high-level throws outside -- and do so at a high clip. The Texas verbal was surgical working in the red zone -- and showcased his ability to improvise and operate out of structure rather seamlessly. Steve Sarkisian is getting another good one in Bell -- who has many athletic traits that separate him at this premium position. Eric McFarland was one of a handful of 2028 prospects to take his game to different heights in Week 1 of the OT7 season. No defensive back could contain McFarland for long. The freshman did a little bit of everything -- from stretching the field deep, to turning short receptions into massive gains, and making highlight-level receptions in the end zone throughout the weekend. McFarland is twitchy and can separate with ease as an underclassman. We anticipate hearing his name over and over again in multiple settings the next few years. James Scott emerged as one of the top pass-catchers in this tournament -- finding his rhythm as game action went on. The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder is a mismatch working downfield. Scott is able to play above the rim and make contested catches with defenders in his face. He also came up with some big grabs in the red zone -- working on the perimeter and taking advantage of 50-50 balls thrown in his vicinity. We love the 2026 receiver's range and upside -- and is due for a rankings bump as a true perimeter weapon that can make big plays in various settings. Dakota Guerrant was one of many very productive receivers for SFE. The 2027 top-100 WR from Michigan was incredibly efficient compiling yardage after the catch. Guerrant is elusive in the open field and able to maneuver well working with defenders in his face, too. He has strong hands and is able to play above the rim and work through tight coverage, and made receptions at different levels of the field. He's a stock-up WR in the 2027 class with massive upside playing in the slot or working on the perimeter. --2028 QB Niemann Lawrence: Lawrence was one of the Day 1 top performers. Lawrence took advantage of each the weapons around of him -- delivering accurate throws with fantastic timing and even better anticipation -- for a freshman or a passer at any level. Lawrence can make high-level throws and operates well above the curve for the position, and there is still room for growth for the touted passer slowly becoming a household name --Four-star SAF Chace Calicut: The Texas four-star SAF was another ball-hawk for SFE. Calicut snagged multiple interceptions on Saturday and again on Sunday. He boasts excellent range and length at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds -- with plus coverage skills and an innate feel for the position playing back deep. --Four-star WR Jaylen Pile (Michigan commit): Pile has an extremely high floor and was consistently open for RG3 Takeover this weekend. Pile was impactful working in the slot and also outside. He's sure-handed and a crisp route-runner -- with a professionalism about how he operates. --Four-star WR Daniel Odom: Odom was one of Bell's top pass-catchers for Hellstar and elevated his game in a big way during Sunday's action. The Oklahoma verbal was at his best near the end zone. He comes back to the football very strong and can certainly play above the rim in jump-ball situations. Odom also used his big 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame to work in the middle of the field effectively. --Four-star WR Jabari Mack: No player came up with more highlights grabs over the course of the weekend than Mack, a top-100 WR from The Boot. Mack came away with several touchdowns and several more highlight-reel sort of receptions in Week 1 action -- turning heads a few times throughout the action. --Four-star WR Easton Royal: The 2027 four-star WR from New Orleans was outstanding getting open deep and separating in the middle of the field. Royal is dynamic with the ball in his hands and is a big play waiting to happen. Royal ran fantastic routes and came up with several clutch grabs for Fleaux this weekend. --2029 QB CJ Cypher: As an incoming freshman, Cyper stood tall with several of the nation's best quarterbacks in the 2026 class. Cypher, who will play for Carrollton (Ga.) High in Georgia, was on time and accurate throughout the weekend. He was in-rhythm, on-point, and capable of making throws at all levels of the field this weekend. Our eyes remain on Cypher as he steps into the varsity ranks. --Three-star QB Grant Smith had a massively productive weekend operating the RG3 Takeover. Smith made use of all of his talented receivers -- making tough throws into tight windows for two days in a row. Smith is a big-armed passer that can push the ball downfield -- and did his best operating in the short-passing game and by the red zone making strong decisions time and time again.
