Category: Recruiting

5-star DL David Hicks picks Texas A&M over Oklahoma

David Hicks, five-star DL recruit commits to Texas A&M over Oklahoma.

David Hicks was expected to commit to Oklahoma, but at the last minute, he changed course and picked Texas A&M. Hicks announced the news yesterday in a ceremony at his high school – Paetow (Texas). Apparently, it came down to the wire, and a late conversation with the coaching staff swung Hicks’ decision.

Hicks (6-foot-4, 270 pounds) was the best defensive lineman in his recruiting class who had yet to commit. According to 247Sports, he is ranked as the top DL in the country and No. 12 overall in the class of 2023.

Hicks says his relationship with Texas A&M defensive line coach Elijah Robinson was a major factor in his decision, per Rivals.

“Me and Coach E are really close, I always went back and visited on June 1 as soon as the dead period was over. Me and him have a really good relationship, it’s like an uncle and nephew… It was really important because I’m really big on relationships. I’ve been tight with them since eighth grade so they’ve seen me develop into the player that I am now.”

A three-sport athlete, Hicks has incredible power for his age and a rare ability to line up at multiple spots along the defensive line and make an impact.

The Aggies now have 12 commitments total for this class. Hicks is the second five-star recruit – the other being Ryan (Texas) linebacker Anthony Hill. He was one of several players who were thrilled to learn the news and shared a word of welcome on social media.

Overall, Texas A&M is ranked No. 18 in this recruiting class.

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5-star USC target is ready to go for Los Alamitos after agonizing delay

T.A. Cunningham, the subject of a major report in The Athletic earlier in September, will finally get to play high school football in the state of California.

Class of 2024 USC target T.A. Cunningham is one of the top junior recruits in California and the nation.

Cunningham moved to California from Georgia in the summer, but he waited weeks to have his transfer approved by the Southern Section. Four games into the season, his high school, Los Alamitos, was informed that Cunningham was deemed ineligible.

The five-star recruit has yet to play a down in California, but that’s about to change. The CIF Southern Section took action on Monday and cleared his transfer from Johns Creek (Georgia) to Los Alamitos (California). This was a moment and a decision many people had waited for, Cunningham most of all. After having to deal with the wrenching scenario of watching his teammates play and not being able to help them on the field in a helmet and pads, Cunningham will finally be able to get in the game. Physically fresh and rested, Cunningham is in position to make a very significant impact on the season for Los Alamitos.

T.A. Cunningham had 66 tackles (22 for loss) and seven sacks as a sophomore last season playing for Johns Creek (Georgia).

The USC target is a 6-6, 275-pound defensive lineman who is ranked 19th nationally and is the No. 1 overall recruit at his projected position, defensive end.

Cunningham will play alongside two top USC commits, Malachi Nelson and Makai Lemon, who are expected to be USC Trojans in December.

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David Hicks commits to Texas A&M

A&M lands one of the top prospects in the 2023 recruiting class.

The Aggies landed one of the biggest commitments of the 2023 recruiting class on Wednesday when David Hicks, the #1 defensive lineman in the nation, and the #1 overall prospect in the state of Texas, announced that he will be an Aggie.

Hicks was projected to commit to the Oklahoma Sooners by many experts, but chose the Aggies in a surprise. The a 6-foot-4 270 pound defensive lineman from Katy Paetow Highschool is the 9th ranked overall prospect in the nation according to 247, and will join fellow top-20 prospect Anthony Hill in the Aggies front seven next year.

Gabe Bock of 247sports describes Hicks’ game:

Flashes throw-aside strength of offensive linemen. Plays violent with consistently hot motor. Sometimes shows some body control wobble that adds a tic to pursuit route. Pass-rush production is strong, but further along vs. run at this point. Flashes disengaging ability and impressive swim, but expanding move set will continue to raise pass-rush ceiling.

Stout, disruptive interior force with athleticism of an edge player in the body of a traditional four-man 3-technique. Again, fits numerous roles and schemes. Combination of physical specs, three-sport athletic profile, and on-field performance provide particularly high long-term ceiling with potential to become a high-round NFL Draft pick.

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Report: Michigan State football to host 2023 4-star DL on official visit

According to a report, Michigan State will be hosting a 4-star prospect that is currently committed to Northwestern on an official visit

Michigan State still has several spots to fill in their 2023 recruiting class, which will make for a busy October and November with official visits to round out the class.

The first domino has fallen according to Justin Thind of The Athletic and 247Sports, as he has reported that 4-star Texas defensive lineman Ashton Porter will be taking an official visit to Michigan State from October 7th to the 9th for the Ohio State game. Porter is currently committed to Northwestern.

Porter should translate to an interior defensive lineman for Michigan State. Porter is from Cypress, Texas, and attends Cy Ranch High School. He is currently ranked as the No. 308 overall recruit in the class.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

First Clemson gameday visit going to be hard to top for rising Alabama lineman

A fast-rising offensive lineman from the Yellowhammer State traveled to Tiger Town for an unofficial visit earlier this month. Daphne (Ala.) Bayside Academy junior Graham Uter – a 6-foot-5, 275-pound prospect in the class of 2024 – made his way to …

A fast-rising offensive lineman from the Yellowhammer State traveled to Tiger Town for an unofficial visit earlier this month.

Daphne (Ala.) Bayside Academy junior Graham Uter — a 6-foot-5, 275-pound prospect in the class of 2024 — made his way to Clemson for the Louisiana Tech game on Saturday, Sept. 17.

“It was really cool to get to meet all the coaches,” Uter told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview recently. “Especially getting to know Coach (Thomas) Austin and Coach (Brandon) Thomas more. The facilities were really cool. It’s probably one of the best facilities I’ve ever seen. The campus was awesome.”

Uter got to eat a pregame meal with Clemson’s offensive line coach and Thomas, who is currently a graduate assistant on Dabo Swinney’s staff. Uter said that they discussed his recruiting stage, how it’s all going to work from here on out and what they’re recruiting him for. 

“For sure,” Uter said when asked if he felt like he strengthened his relationship with Clemson’s staff. “I got to have pretty long conversations with them during the pregame time. Coach Brandon Thomas actually took me around on a tour of the facilities and we met up with Coach Austin.”

According to Uter, both Austin and Thomas showed him how they run the offensive linemen at Clemson. He got to know both coaches pretty well and even got to meet Austin’s kids and his family, which Uter said was “pretty cool.”

Following the pregame festivities with the coaching staff, Uter finally got to experience his first college football game day visit.

“It’s cool to see how the fans all love Clemson,” Uter said of the gameday atmosphere in The Valley. “They’re all fans and nice people up there. It was cool to see how the players, whenever they were warming up, how locked in and focused they were. How important it is to all these coaches — they were all getting hyped and getting their players ready to play.”

Needless to say, his first experience in The Valley set the bar relatively high. 

“I feel like it’s gonna be hard to top that,” he said. “That was one of the cooler experiences in my life. I definitely want to go back this spring and tour the campus more. That would be cool.”

As far as other visits are concerned, Uter is trying to line up gameday visits to Troy and UAB, but right now, he’s focused on Friday nights and an important junior season

“It’s pretty much more local stuff,” Uter said in regards to taking potential visits. “Clemson’s just one of my favorite schools that I’ve been to. It’s an immediate yes whenever they ask me to come for a game day visit.”

Uter feels like he’s “definitely” on Clemson’s recruiting board and that the Tigers will continue to evaluate him as he continues to progress throughout his junior season.

“They told me that if I get some good game film out and I keep doing what they want to see, they’re gonna get me back up there in the spring and I’ll come around the campus on the golf cart and stuff like that,” he said. “That’s what Coach Thomas Austin told me.”

Since Sept. 1, Uter has heard from programs like Troy, UAB and Memphis, in addition to Clemson. He mentioned that a couple of other schools have called his head coach and notified him that they would be recruiting Uter going forward.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

ESPN analysts weigh in on what Clemson needs to fix

During ESPN’s College Football Live on Wednesday, a couple of analysts weighed in on what No. 5 Clemson (4-0, 2-0 ACC) needs to fix to be a serious contender. Roddy Jones pointed to the Tigers’ secondary, which struggled mightily in their 51-45, …

During ESPN’s College Football Live on Wednesday, a couple of analysts weighed in on what No. 5 Clemson (4-0, 2-0 ACC) needs to fix to be a serious contender.

Roddy Jones pointed to the Tigers’ secondary, which struggled mightily in their 51-45, double-overtime win at Wake Forest last Saturday.

“I am still confident about Clemson. But yes, there are things they need to fix, and I think it starts with that secondary,” Jones said. “Wake Forest was really able to take advantage of them down the field in one-on-one coverage, and the Clemson defensive backs committed so many pass interference penalties – ten penalties total, five of them pass interference, a couple more holdings.

“So, it’s a young group right now because they’re banged up on the back end. Guys like Nate Wiggins and Jeadyn Lukus and Toriano Pride, those guys have to show more composure at the top of routes, especially on those jump balls that Wake Forest threw down the field. So, they’ve got to really improve there.”

“Stanford” Steve Coughlin, meanwhile, went on the other side of the ball to highlight the area in which he thinks Clemson must improve.

“I look at the offensive side, and when you look at DJ (Uiagalelei) last week, best game of the year by far. But I also look at the balance of the offense,” he said. “To me, everybody’s going to talk about the quarterback, everybody’s going to talk about the receivers. I’m here to talk about the offensive line. They need to be more consistent, whether it’s run or pass. Only a little over 100 yards rushing against Georgia Tech, who’s not a good team, no offense. I’m not going to talk about my alma mater, either. But then I also look at last week, (Will) Shipley breaks off a big run, (53) yards to start it, and then it’s a little over a hundred yards after that against Wake Forest, who’s a defense that I think can get got.

“So, I look at Clemson’s offensive line as an area for sure that they need to improve on and they have to be better against that front seven against NC State this week if they want to win this game.”

Clemson’s matchup against 10th-ranked NC State (4-0, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday at Death Valley is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

In-state OL very impressed by first gameday visit to Clemson

An in-state offensive lineman, garnering interest from several FBS programs, made his first-ever gameday visit to Clemson for the Tigers’ 48-20 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Sept. 17. Steven O’Dell wasn’t sure what the experience at Death …

An in-state offensive lineman, garnering interest from several FBS programs, made his first-ever gameday visit to Clemson for the Tigers’ 48-20 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Steven O’Dell wasn’t sure what the experience at Death Valley would be like, but the 6-foot-6, 290-pound junior from Broome High School (Spartanburg, S.C.) certainly wasn’t disappointed.

“I loved the visit. It went great,” he told The Clemson Insider. “I had never been to a Clemson game before, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was one of the craziest game atmospheres I’ve ever been in.”

O’Dell, who participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp back on June 1, said the highlight of the gameday visit was getting to speak with Clemson coaches in person again – as well as being able to go into the locker room following the Tigers’ victory over the Bulldogs.

“Everybody was getting hype and the energy was crazy,” he said. “We also got to listen to Coach Swinney’s postgame speech, which was cool.”

O’Dell had the chance to spend time with a few members of Clemson’s staff while he was on campus, including offensive line coach Thomas Austin.

“I got to talk with Coach Austin and the two assistant OL coaches,” he said. “We got to talk about how the season has been going for them and for me.”

“I feel like Clemson likes me and will continue to keep recruiting me,” O’Dell added.

Along with Clemson, O’Dell said he’s drawing interest from UNC Charlotte, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Middle Tennessee and Wofford.

The class of 2024 prospect, who has a family tie to Clemson, is keeping his fingers crossed for a potential future offer from the Tigers.

“I always kept up with Clemson while I was younger. My great grandpa went there,” he said. “It would be such an honor to receive an offer from Clemson. That’s pretty much as big time as you can get.”

O’Dell visited UNC Charlotte the weekend before his Clemson visit and went to App State this past weekend. He is set to visit Coastal Carolina this weekend.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Ohio State football recruiting class of 2023 high school performance tracker

Ohio State football recruiting class of 2023 performance tracker #GoBucks

As we eagerly await the kickoff of the contest between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, we can pass the time by monitoring some of the top high school prospects that have committed to the Buckeyes in the class of 2023. As it stands, Ohio State currently has the fourth-ranked class in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, but the hope is they will rise up these rankings.

This class appears to be offense-heavy with a few stud receivers and some intriguing offensive linemen, but the Buckeyes need to add some more defensive help. I wanted to provide a brief recap of some of the top recruits in the Ohio State class and how they have performed so far during their high school season.

Clemson commit’s teammate reports offer from the Tigers

A four-star prospect from the Peach State and teammate of a Clemson commit announced an offer from the Tigers via social media Wednesday night. Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) offensive lineman DJ Chester reported the offer on …

A four-star prospect from the Peach State and teammate of a Clemson commit announced an offer from the Tigers via social media Wednesday night.

Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) offensive lineman DJ Chester reported the offer on Twitter.

Chester is a teammate of Clemson four-star offensive line commit Zechariah Owens.

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Chester is ranked as high as the No. 51 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports, which considers him the No. 6 offensive tackle and No. 4 prospect in the state of Georgia for his class.

–Photo courtesy of DJ Chester on Twitter (@DJChester6)

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Talented Peach State DL ‘loved everything’ about Clemson visit

A talented defensive lineman from the Peach State traveled to Tiger Town for an unofficial visit earlier this month. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School (Georgia) sophomore Terry Nwabuisi Ezeala – a 6-foot-2, 305-pound prospect in the class of 2025 – made …

A talented defensive lineman from the Peach State traveled to Tiger Town for an unofficial visit earlier this month.

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School (Georgia) sophomore Terry Nwabuisi Ezeala — a 6-foot-2, 305-pound prospect in the class of 2025 — made his way to Clemson for the Louisiana Tech game on Saturday, Sept. 17.

“I mean, it was awesome,” Ezeala told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview recently. “I loved the atmosphere. I loved everything. I mean, the crowd was very nice. The players after the game, they were all turned up. It was very fun to watch.”

“It was very special,” he added of the atmosphere.

Ezeala said that he was able to chat a bit with defensive tackles coach Nick Eason, who coached him up earlier this summer at the Dabo Swinney Camp.

“I had a lot of fun with Coach Eason,” Ezeala said. “He’s a great coach. He taught me some new moves and where I should keep my pad level. It’s really helped me with the season.”

He gave large praise for the speech that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney delivered after Clemson’s 28-point victory over La. Tech.  Ezeala described what he heard in the locker room postgame as inspiring

He was also inspired by the play of Ruke Orhorhoro, who hails from Nigeria.

“Number 33, he was a dog,” Ezeala said. “He just played crazy. I love to see him play.”

While Ezeala was born in Germany, his parents are also from Nigeria. He moved from Germany to the United States just about three years ago. He didn’t pick up football until he moved across the globe, but has played competitively since his freshman year of high school.

Even though Ezeala didn’t spend his formative years in West Africa like Orhorhoro, he found it pretty cool to be seeing a fellow Nigerian living out his dreams. The goal is obviously to play at the next level, so seeing someone like Orhorhoro dominate the interior in place of a then-injured Tyler Davis, was pretty special to Ezeala.

As far as visits to other schools are concerned, Ezeala estimates that he’ll likely take trips to both Coastal Carolina and Kentucky. It also sounds like another trip up to Clemson could be in the cards for Ezeala and some of his Rabun Gap teammates.

He said that he “for sure” can’t wait to get back up to Clemson after what he experienced a couple of weekends ago.

“Clemson’s a great program,” he said when asked about his overall impression of the school. “I can see myself playing there. I love everything about Clemson.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!