Category: Recruiting

Four prospects to watch for after Texas’ big recruiting weekend

Texas’ momentum has no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

No team in the entire country is as hot as Texas is on the recruiting trail. Steve Sarkisian and his staff enjoyed one of the most successful recruiting weeks in recent memory.

The Longhorns’ class ranking is up 22 spots from No. 27 to No. 5 after landing seven commitments in the last few days. Five-star quarterback Arch Manning got the ball rolling with his surprise announcement on Thursday and the domino effect quickly followed.

Texas capped off the weekend by landing a whooping five prospects on Sunday afternoon alone. Kyle Flood pulled off a clean sweep with four offensive linemen joining the class.

The newfound momentum has no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Texas is picking up crystal ball projections left and right for many top prospects in the state of Texas.

Here is a look at four 2023 prospects to watch for that Texas is trending in the right direction for.

Peach State defensive lineman recruit lists Clemson as a finalist

Despite already having four defensive lineman commits in its 2023 class, Clemson is in the mix for another Peach State defensive lineman prospect.

Clemson is in contention for another 2023 Peach State prospect.

Announcing the decision on his Instagram, four-star defensive lineman T.J. Searcy has narrowed his team list down to Clemson, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee. 247Sports Composite ranks the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Searcy as the No. 20 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 153 overall prospect.

Playing for Upson-Lee High School (Thomaston, Ga.), Searcy officially visited Clemson on June 3 and has since visited his other three finalists.

As of Monday, the Tigers have four defensive lineman commits in their 2023 class: four-star Vic Burley, four-star Stephiylan Green, four-star David Ojiegbe and four-star AJ Hoffler. Burley, Green and Hoffler are all from Georgia, meaning if Searcy commits to Clemson, the Tigers would have four defensive line commits from the neighboring state.

Clemson has also been listed as a finalist for four-star defensive lineman Keldric Faulk and five-star defensive lineman Peter Woods, who will commit on July 5 and July 8, respectively.

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Husker’s 2023 recruiting class continues to take shape

Where do the Huskers stack up against the rest of the Big Ten?

Recruiting is an inexact science, and the current state of the Nebraska 2023 recruiting class is a perfect example of that. The Huskers currently have ten commitments to the upcoming class. The three primary recruiting services have very different opinions about how they view these ten commitments. The rankings now are as follows.

Rivals: 30th

On3: 33rd

247Sports: 24th

Five of the ten recruits in the class are in-state, with six of the ten playing on the offensive side of the ball. Also, of the ten commitments across three different services, every recruit listed is a 3-star prospect out of a possible 5-star except for one player in only one service. Lincoln Offensive Lineman Gunnar Gottula is ranked as a 4-star prospect from Rivals.

Regarding Big Ten recruiting class rankings, the Huskers are still trying to crack into the top half of the conference.

Rivals:10th out of 14

On3: 8th out of 14

247Sports: 9th out of 14

Nebraska still has multiple scholarships offers out and waiting to be accepted. The hope is that this class is still taking shape and won’t be ready until signing day, after the season.

Look below at the Nebraska recruiting class of 2023.

Vizzina previews Elite 11 finals, what’s ahead for Clemson’s 2023 class

Christopher Vizzina is set to live out a childhood dream come Tuesday. Long before the five-star quarterback out of Briarwood Christian (Alabama) and Clemson commit reached the Elite 11 finals with his performance at Carrollton High School, he was …

Christopher Vizzina is set to live out a childhood dream come Tuesday.

Long before the five-star quarterback out of Briarwood Christian (Alabama) and Clemson commit reached the Elite 11 finals with his performance at Carrollton High School, he was in middle school watching YouTube videos about his upcoming experience from June 28-30.

“I’m really excited,” Vizzina told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview Friday. “I’ve been training the past couple of weeks for it. I’m ready to compete with everybody. I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun just being around a bunch of guys that have gone through and are going through the same thing I’ve been going through, and so I think that’ll be really cool…this is kind of the last camp for me. It’s almost kind of the championship for your personal quarterback recruiting or training — that’s kind of how I feel about it.”

As far as preparation for the Elite 11 finals goes, there are a lot of under-center drills that take place. Vizzina said that there’s nothing too special about his routine besides staying ready. The QBs hopped on a Zoom call with Trent Dilfer this past Friday night and he taught them the plays. While he wants to see how the plays are going to be, Vizzina doesn’t sense that they’ll be too complicated. He also touched on the mental aspect of things as well.

Vizzina has had a chance to speak with other quarterbacks from the Yellowhammer State — Paul Tyson (Arizona State) and Robby Ashford (Auburn) — who have previously participated in the Elite 11 finals and have let him in on what he should expect out in Los Angeles.

He also has spoken about it in the past with Clemson freshman QB Cade Klubnik, who took home Elite 11 finals MVP honors in 2021. 

What would it mean to Vizzina to become the second Clemson commit in as many years to be named the Elite 11 MVP?

“It would mean a lot,” he said. “Obviously, I’m going in there to win, but I’m also trying to take in the whole experience as well, trying to get better. There’s a lot of stuff that we’re gonna do that’s not necessarily on the field. They told me that just because you had a better weekend spinning it than everyone else, it doesn’t mean you’re gonna necessarily win. It’s kind of everything together, like how you carry yourself, how you act in the meetings, if you know your stuff, and then, of course, how you do on the field.”

Vizzina reiterated that at the end of the day he wants to win, but he’s also looking forward to making relationships with guys he’s heard about but hasn’t had the chance to meet in person before.

Those sentiments were echoed by his future head coach, Dabo Swinney, earlier this month.

“Coach Swinney talked to me about it on the official visit,” Vizzina said. “He just told me that he knows that I’m gonna kill it, that he’s got a lot of confidence in me and just take in the whole experience and just walk away with new relationships and learn new things.”

While Vizzina won’t be recruiting any QBs while he’s out in California, that doesn’t mean he’ll stop plugging away at trying to get some big-name players like Hunter Osborne, Peter Woods and Ronan Hanafin to join Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class.

“It’s been exciting,” Vizzina said of Clemson’s latest recruiting surge. “I’ve been super active on Twitter, but when we get a new commitment — we’ve had so many — I’ve had trouble figuring out what to tweet out now because I’ve said the same thing so many times, but that’s a good thing.”

“We’re gonna keep growing, ” he continued. “I know it’s gonna get exciting and everything and I’m really looking forward to it. I know a lot of Clemson fans are super excited about it as well. It’s not gonna slow down at all…I’m still working on a bunch of people, so we’re definitely going to keep growing. It has been pretty crazy, though. I didn’t think it was gonna happen this fast, but I knew it was gonna be a special class.”

Five-star 2023 Wide receiver Zachariah Branch visits Texas A&M

Five-star 2023 Wide receiver Zachariah Branch visits Texas A&M

Zachariah Branch, the No. 1 wide receiver, and the 6th overall recruit in the 2023 class, is currently verbally committed to USC, but took time over the weekend to visit the Aggies.  Branch’s visit sparked a frenzy of excitement from both the fan base and the recruiting world nationwide.

After committing to USC on December 24th, Branch took the usual “Official visit” to the program on June 16th, which looked to be his only official visit on the calendar for a while, until the Aggies swooped in, that is. Texas A&M offered Branch on May 20, 2021, and looked to be a long shot to nab the highly coveted wideout, but as we’ve stated time and time again, recruiting never stops, giving recruiting ace and wide receiver coach for the Aggies, Dameyune Craig the opportunity to make his pitch and let branch witness how incredible College Station, Texas truly is.

Yes, that is recruiting extraordinaire and current cornerback for Texas A&M, Bobby Taylor, who is officially known to have the magic touch in communicating and spreading the message that CSTAT is where it’s at with some of the top recruits in the 2022 class, now setting his sights on 2023 and beyond.

As a prospect, recruiting analyst for 247Sports Blair Angulo describes Zachariah Branch’s ability on the field:

Smaller, compact build with well-defined muscle tone. Strong lower half. Electric pass catcher with elite speed. Game-breaker in space with potential to score from anywhere. Not just a burner; displays amazing concentration and hand-eye coordination. Flashes ability to sneak through traffic and separate early in his routes. Constant nuisance on vertical routes. Flashes tremendous body control and short-area burst. Special teams ace. Could continue to add bulk and improve durability. Potential multi-year starter at elite Power Five level with Day 1 NFL Draft upside.

This could be the start of a beautiful friendship for Zachariah Branch and the Aggies, and be sure to keep checking back for updates regarding his recruiting status right here at Aggies Wire!

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Alabama Morning Drive: Tide receives a pair of Sunday commitments

Nick Saban and Alabama certainly had a good weekend.

Good Monday morning, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to Alabama Morning Drive! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. And what a massive recruiting weekend it turned out to be for [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The good news started on Sunday afternoon when three-star athlete [autotag]Brayson Hubbard[/autotag] announced his commitment to Alabama. If that wasn’t enough good news for Tide fans, later Sunday evening, five-star defensive back Tony Mitchell also made his verbal pledge to the Crimson Tide.

Hubbard is a talented prospect who plays quarterback for his high school team but will most likely transition to the defensive side of the ball in college and play safety.

Mitchell is an all-world safety prospect who just a couple of weeks ago was receiving a lot of buzz in favor of SEC rival Texas A&M. It appears as if coach Saban and the rest of the staff in Tuscaloosa showed everything they needed to in order to secure Mitchell’s commitment.

Both announcements were made on Twitter.

Let’s take a look at a few other stories that Alabama fans need to be following this morning.

Texas drastically climbs 247Sports’ 2023 recruiting class rankings over the weekend

Sunday was a GREAT day for the Texas football program.

It was a massive weekend on the Forty Acres for Steve Sarkisian and his staff. Continue reading “Texas drastically climbs 247Sports’ 2023 recruiting class rankings over the weekend”

Former Penn State target getting massive NIL deal with Miami

Former Penn State QB target turned down $11 million NIL deal but is still getting massive NIL deal at Miami

The future of the quarterback position appears to be in solid shape for Penn State in the years to come with [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] joining the program in the Class of 2022, so the weekend commitment of a former recruiting target to Miami was hardly anything to get too upset over for the Nittany Lions. [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] gave his commitment to the Hurricanes over the weekend after previously considering Penn State among his top 10 schools and making an unofficial visit to the campus last September.

But what we now know about Rashada’s commitment to Miami is that he is getting quite the sizable NIL package to go along with his commitment. According to a report from On3, Rashada has a NIL deal with Miami booster John Ruiz valued at $9.5 million, which was actually lower than the reported $11 million NIL package being offered to Rashada had he chosen to go to Florida instead.

This, of course, is the new age in college football recruiting that worries some head coaches concerned about the direction of the sport in the NIL era.

It is also another example of how the NCAA failed to provide a structure for NIL that has led to a wild market for the top high school football players to be earning more than a large number of college football head coaches in the game. Say what you will about NIL one way or the other, but the players are certainly taking full advantage of the opportunities placed in front of them.

The NCAA attempted to make it clear that NIL deals are not to be used as recruiting tools, but there is no getting around that is exactly the case unfolding before our very eyes. And because the NCAA waited too long before waving the white flag on the entire situation, these are the types of stories that are going to continue flooding the college football recruiting space.

As a long-time supporter of players being able to capitalize on their own name, image, and likeness and having more power to decide where they will play, I am perfectly fine with what is happening. But it continues to drive home the point that the NCAA had an opportunity to figure this out in a way that works for both the players and the college football programs, and they failed to properly do so. Advantage: the players.

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5-star 2023 EDGE Chandavian Bradley has Aggies in ‘final 3’

5-star 2023 EDGE Chandavian Bradley has Aggies in ‘final 3’

Platte County’s 5-star 2023 EDGE Chandavian Bradley took to Twitter his “Final 3” on Monday morning – Texas A&M, South Carolina and Tennessee.

247Sports has Bradley rated as the 36th overall prospect in the 2023 class (fifth-rated EDGE). This news comes shortly after his official visits at both South Carolina and in College Station on June 24th and June 17th, respectively. Bradley was hosted on an unofficial visit at Tennessee towards the end of May, as well.

As Bradley determines which of these three programs he sees as the best fit for his football future, there’s no doubt Jimbo and Coach Durkin will work tirelessly to earn Bradley’s commitment to continue to build yet another top recruiting class in 2023.

If the Aggies can land a commitment from Bradley, he would be the highest rated member of their 2023 class thus far, and would join cornerbacks Bravion Rogers and Jayvon Thomas as members of the national top-100 prospects in the Aggies class.

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Offer from Clemson ‘would mean a lot’ to Georgia OL, younger brother of current Tiger

Among the standout prospects who participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp earlier this month was the younger brother of a current Clemson defensive lineman. South Gwinnett High School (Snellville, Ga.) offensive lineman Marcus Mascoll – a 6-foot-5, …

Among the standout prospects who participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp earlier this month was the younger brother of a current Clemson defensive lineman.

South Gwinnett High School (Snellville, Ga.) offensive lineman Marcus Mascoll – a 6-foot-5, 297-pound rising junior in the class of 2024 – worked out at the Swinney Camp on Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11.

“It was a very good camp,” Mascoll told The Clemson Insider. “Very tiring, of course… but it was a good experience. Got to talk to Coach TA (Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin). They gave me a lot of help and tips. This is my second year playing the (offensive line) position, so I’ve still got a lot to learn. But it was a good experience.”

Mascoll’s older brother, Justin, is of course a defensive end for the Tigers entering his redshirt senior season in 2022.

“He likes it up there,” Marcus said of his sibling. “It’s a very good place to be at, good atmosphere, and the fans are great. That’s one thing I learned about Clemson.”

This summer marked the younger Mascoll’s first time camping at Clemson.

“I’d say one-on-ones was really the highlight,” he said. “That’s what the coaches mainly wanted to see, how I would do against these older guys and these higher-ranked guys.”

Speaking of the coaches, Marcus had the chance to chat with Austin at the camp, and at the time he spoke with TCI, Marcus was expecting the Tigers’ offensive line coach to follow up and get back in touch with him to speak some more.

“We just talked about stuff I could work on, a lot of little stuff,” Marcus said of Austin. “Coach Ski (Clemson assistant coach Lemanski Hall) told me Coach Austin was supposed to text me at some point in time just to talk to me and stuff.”

Marcus hopes to draw interest from Clemson moving forward after being able to camp there and show the coaches what he can do.

“It would be a good feeling to know that I’m getting looked at by a school my brother attends,” he said. “A lot of people are watching me of course, just because I’m the younger brother of Justin.”

Although Marcus’s recruiting process is just getting started, he picked up his first offer from Pittsburgh in May, and UCF is another school looking at him. He visited UCF in April and was slated to camp at Georgia last week.

“I bring physicality,” he said, describing himself as an offensive lineman. “When I see that person in front of me, I’m going to dominate them, and I feel like I play fast. I’m new to the position, so there’s a lot of stuff I need to learn. But physicality is one of the main things I bring to the table.”

Marcus, who hopes to make it back to Clemson sooner than later, would love to earn an offer from the Tigers in the future and have the opportunity to follow in his brother’s footsteps to Tiger Town.

“An offer from Clemson would mean a lot,” he said. “That’s something my family would be pumped up about, my brother especially. It would be an honor, great feeling.”

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