Latest news with #SamSpiegelman
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
SEC Spotlight: Five developing recruiting storylines
Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman examines five developing recruiting storylines in the SEC as June visits loom. MORE SEC: Will No. 1 prospect choose UGA? CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State 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 GEORGIA BEGINNING TO SURGE Don't blink, but all of a sudden Georgia holds a spot inside the top 10 of the Rivals Team Rankings for 2026. The Dawgs have quietly caught fire over the last month, landing commitments from a string of blue-chippers, including five-star quarterback Jared Curtis. Advertisement Georgia isn't done either. The Bulldogs are in pole position for Rivals' No. 1 prospect OT Jackson Cantwell ahead of today's announcement. The Dawgs also have an edge with priority 2026 targets Jae Lamar, Mark Bowman, Kaiden Prothro and Khamari Brooks. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH GEORGIA FANS AT LSU, TEXAS A&M BATTLING FOR FIVE-STAR RECEIVER Boobie Feaster is down to four contenders as official visits near and they loom particularly large for the five-star wide receiver as he sifts through his options and approaches his July 4 commitment date. Of the finalists, LSU and Texas A&M are hovering at the top. Advertisement Feaster has family ties to Louisiana and was moved in a big way by his spring visits back to Baton Rouge. The Aggies have evened this race significantly over the past month, getting him on campus multiple times and moving the needle in their favor in a big way. I shifted my Rivals FutureCast from LSU to Texas A&M earlier this month. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH LSU FANS AT SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH TEXAS A&M FANS AT LONGHORNS STACKING BIG RECRUITING WINS IN LOUISIANA It's difficult for rival SEC programs to come into Louisiana and procure talent. Nick Saban's Alabama program did it best, beating LSU for several notable recruits such as Dylan Moses, Cam Robinson, Landon Collins and Chris Allen. Advertisement No team has done it better the past few years, however, than Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns, who scooped up four-star cornerback Hayward Howard Jr. out of New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr last week. Since Sark arrived in Austin, he's been able to successfully land blue-chippers year in and year out of Louisiana, beginning with five-star QB Arch Manning and continuing with Derek Williams, James Simon and Wardell Mack, among others. Add Howard to that continually growing list. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH TEXAS FANS AT LSU, OKLAHOMA BATTLING OVER FOUR-STAR QUARTERBACK Four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley is down to LSU and Oklahoma following Curtis' commitment last week. LSU and Oklahoma have been in the driver's seat with the touted blue-chip passer, who will make official visits to Norman and Baton Rouge on June 13 and 20 before locking in his college commitment. Advertisement The Sooners laid strong groundwork with Bentley, but the Tigers have closed the gap significantly this spring. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OKLAHOMA FANS AT LSU, TEXAS A&M JOCKEYING FOR ELITE LINEMAN Elite 2026 lineman Lamar Brown is set to come off the board on July 10. The No. 25 overall player in the Rivals250 is down to LSU, Miami, Florida State and Texas A&M, but this race has long been between the Aggies and Tigers. If a decision were made today, it's hard not to like where LSU stands. However, the Aggies have been trending at the top with Brown on various occasions over the past 11 months, including three trips back to College Station this spring. Official visits back to Aggieland and LSU in June loom incredibly large.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spiegelman's Predictions: Notre Dame, Tennessee will land four-stars
Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman has three predictions on Notre Dame beating out Michigan for a top running back target, USC bolstering its class with a receiver commitment and Tennessee finding more success recruiting North Carolina. WHICH METRO AREA PRODUCES THE BEST HS FOOTBALL TALENT? YOU DECIDE MORE PREDICTIONS: Tyler Warren, Ohio State, Illinois CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State 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 NOTRE DAME WILL BEAT MICHIGAN FOR TOUTED RUNNING BACK Javian Osborne is down to Notre Dame and Michigan and a decision is expected sometime later this spring or immediately after his two mid-summer official visits to both finalists. After touring through both campuses, my prediction is sitting on the Irish, who have made a colossal move in Osborne's recruitment and have emerged as the team best positioned to land the blue-chipper. Advertisement SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH NOTRE DAME FANS AT TENNESSEE WILL LAND FOUR-STAR OT LEO DELANEY Nick Lucero/ Leo Delaney is coming off a big spring that included return visits to leading contenders such as Clemson, South Carolina, Michigan and Tennessee. The four-star OT was a teammate of five-star Tennessee signee David Sanders Jr. last year and there's a sense that these two could be playing together again down the line. Multiple sources have pointed to the Vols as the program to beat in Delaney's recruitment, and I've logged a Rivals FutureCast in favor of Tennessee, which has been incredibly successful recruiting North Carolina blue-chip talent under Josh Heupel. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH TENNESSEE FANS AT
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
SEC Spotlight: Programs on a roll in recruiting
The calendar has turned to spring and there are several programs across the country that are riding a wave of momentum in recruiting. Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman looks at four such programs in the SEC. THIS SERIES: Big Ten programs on a recruiting hot streak MORE SEC: 2026 conference recruiting rankings CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State 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 Alabama began stockpiling blue-chip pieces in its 2026 recruiting class on Christmas Eve – edging out Auburn and Tennessee for top-100 cornerback Zyan Gibson out of Gadsden (Ala.) High. The Crimson Tide have been rolling ever since, adding verbals from four-star interior offensive lineman Chris Brooker and locking in four-star edge defender Jamarion Matthews, an in-state target who will play his senior season alongside another priority target Xavier Griffin at Gainesville (Ga.) High. MORE: Alabama's 2026 commitment list SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ALABAMA FANS AT Sam Pittman and the Hogs already hold a top-20 class in the 2026 Rivals Team Rankings and are continuing to pick up steam as the offseason progresses. Since the turn of the new year, the Razorbacks have locked in commitments from stout interior defensive lineman Ari Slocum and talented defensive back Jalon Copeland. MORE: Arkansas' 2026 commitment list SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ARKANSAS FANS AT The Dawgs are just beginning to find their rhythm on the recruiting trail for the 2026 cycle. Kirby Smart has added two new four-star commitments since the start of the new year, including in-state four-star receiver Brady Marchese, who reached 22.3 MPH in GPS tracking last fall as a junior at Cartersville (Ga.) High. Georgia also locked in Rivals250 safety Zech Fort and is sitting with the No. 13 class in the Rivals Team Rankings. MORE: Georgia's 2026 commitment list SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH GEORGIA FANS AT Jeff Lebby hit the ground running to kick off this 2026 class and already has the engine humming in Starkville. Mississippi State has added a trio of verbal commitments since February, including four-star in-state offensive tackle Emanuel Tucker and four-star interior offensive lineman Jakobe Green out of the Florida Panhandle. The Bulldogs hold a top-15 class in the 2026 Rivals Team Rankings midway through the spring. MORE: Mississippi State's 2026 commitment list SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MISSISSIPPI STATE FANS AT
