Category: Recruiting

The Badgers offer 2022’s No. 2-ranked player from Pennsylvania

Paul Chryst, Jim Leohard and the Wisconsin Badger coaching staff continued their recruiting push in the class of 2022 yesterday…

Paul Chryst, Jim Leohard and the Wisconsin Badger coaching staff continued their recruiting push in the class of 2022 yesterday as they sent an offer to cornerback Keenan Nelson Jr.–247Sports’ No. 2-ranked player from Pennsylvania in his class.

Nelson is the No. 84-ranked player in his class and the No. 10-ranked cornerback.

The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native currently has offers from four other Big Ten teams–Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers and Nebraska.

The Badgers are currently without a player in the class of 2022 after four-star safety Braelon Allen reclassified and joined the 2021 group.

Landing Nelson down the road would be a massive addition as Chryst and his staff look to build upon their program-best class of 2021.

Tennessee target, 5-star linebacker makes commitment decision

Tennessee target, 5-star linebacker makes commitment decision.

Smael Mondon Jr. is one of the most coveted defensive prospects in the 2021 class.

The linebacker prospect from Dallas, Georgia is a high priority for several schools, including Tennessee.

The Vols were included in Mondon’s top five schools, however the 5-star linebacker announced his commitment to Georgia.

Mondon is the No. 2 outside linebacker on the 247Sports Composite. He is listed as the No. 3 player in Georgia.

The Paulding County speedy prospect stands at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds.

Mondon is the third 5-star prospect committed to Georgia, along with Amarius Mims, another Tennessee target. The Bulldogs have the No. 5 2021 recruiting class.

Tennessee currently has the No. 11 recruiting class in the 2021 cycle.

Vols’ 2021 football commitment tracker

Blake Wesley Will Stay in South Bend, Signs Letter With Notre Dame

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture.

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture. The recruit out of Riley in South Bend has signed a National Letter of Intent to join Notre Dame next season. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune was on hand when Wesley made his announcement Friday:

Mike Brey had this to say about the consensus four-star recruit:

“We have been watching Blake work on his game since middle school and he has developed himself into a complete guard who has great length with court vision ā€“ and is a big-time defender. He has a natural ability to score the basketball. To welcome in another local basketball talent is exciting not only to our program, but the South Bend area.”

Wesley, who was the area’s leading scorer with 26.0 points a game last season, is the second South Bend product in two weeks to sign a letter of intent with the Irish. J.R. Konieczny of St. Joseph was the first. Clearly, there will be a strong local presence for Notre Dame basketball in the near future. And at least with this particular signing, that’s just fine with former Irish star Demetrius Jackson, who met Wesley at the program’s summer camp years ago:

Blake Wesley Will Stay in South Bend, Signs Letter With Notre Dame

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture.

Blake Wesley won’t have to go far for his next basketball venture. The recruit out of Riley in South Bend has signed a National Letter of Intent to join Notre Dame next season. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune was on hand when Wesley made his announcement Friday:

Mike Brey had this to say about the consensus four-star recruit:

“We have been watching Blake work on his game since middle school and he has developed himself into a complete guard who has great length with court vision ā€“ and is a big-time defender. He has a natural ability to score the basketball. To welcome in another local basketball talent is exciting not only to our program, but the South Bend area.”

Wesley, who was the area’s leading scorer with 26.0 points a game last season, is the second South Bend product in two weeks to sign a letter of intent with the Irish. J.R. Konieczny of St. Joseph was the first. Clearly, there will be a strong local presence for Notre Dame basketball in the near future. And at least with this particular signing, that’s just fine with former Irish star Demetrius Jackson, who met Wesley at the program’s summer camp years ago:

Social media reacts to Texas losing five-star QB Quinn Ewers to Ohio State

Five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers announced his commitment to Ohio State on Thursday and it did not sit well with Texas fans.

The recruiting trail has been a roller coaster for the Texas football program this year. Continue reading “Social media reacts to Texas losing five-star QB Quinn Ewers to Ohio State”

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Scouts view: Notre Dameā€™s newest commit OT Caleb Johnson

What to expect from Notre Dameā€™s newest commit, offensive lineman Caleb Johnson from Florida.

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Brian Kelly and his staff have been hard at work on the recruiting trail and that work has paid off handily this past week. First it was Philip Riley coming back to the 2021 class, then kicker Josh Bryan,Ā yesterday it was a two-fer with linebacker Kahanu Kia Ā and now Caleb Johnson.

The flip of Johnson from Auburn is solidifying the offensive line class, which now has tackles Blake Fisher and Joe Alt, guards Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan.

Letā€™s take a look at what to expect from the latest Irish commit Johnson.

A massive tackle who moves his feet extremely well, constantly finishing his block. When heā€™s not taking down the opposing lineman, Johnson is able to get to the second level allowing his backs to get more yardage. Surprisingly nimble, Johnson is able to pull on some running plays and also lead block on screen plays. Shows great versatility as he has played guard and tackle. His size screams tackle, but if that doesnā€™t work out, Johnson could be a road grader at guard.

Another player with massive upside, as evident by his Alabama and LSU offers, donā€™t be confused by the 3-star ranking. There is potential that he could see the field early, but I bet he getā€™s some freshman playing time, but saves a year by playing under the 4 games to keep his redshirt.

Johnson is another big time addition to the 2021 Notre Dame recruiting class, another piece to an already impressive offensive line haul.

Donā€™t forget to check out our latest recruiting update, the current commitment list and our FIW exclusive interview with 2021 offensive line commit Pat Coogan.

Notre Dame football: red hot run continues as Caleb Johnson commits

Notre Dame football wins again during their bye week, this time flipping an Auburn football commitment to the Irish. Hello, Caleb Johnson!

One of the questions asked by some after Notre Dame upset Clemson less than two weeks ago wasn’t about what it meant for the Fighting Irish program on the field in 2020, but what it meant down the road, specifically in recruiting.

Just 13 days since the 47-40, two overtime classic that saw Notre Dame knock off No. 1 for the first time in 27 years, the returns are already massive.

Notre Dame has started turning that win and the successes of 2020 on the field onto victories in the recruiting world as Philip Riley, Jr. switched his commitment from USC to the Irish earlier this week and then the likes of kicker Josh Bryan and outside linebacker Kahanu Kia announced commitments as well.

Then on Thursday night Notre Dame saw another big-time prospect flip from a football powerhouse and commit to the Irish instead as offensive tackle Caleb Johnson became commitment number 23 in the 2021 recruiting class.

Johnson had committed to Auburn back in May but had a change of heart that will see him be another massive piece on what is an absolute haul of a recruiting class on the offensive line.

Johnson is listed at 6-7, 295 pounds, and comes from Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Florida.Ā  He has a three-star grade according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Related: Meet Notre Dameā€™s 2021 Recruiting Class

As well as Auburn, Johnson held offers from more than 35 programs including big-time programs like Alabama, LSU, Miami, Penn State and plenty of others.

Johnson joins an offensive line class that already includes five-star tackle Blake Fisher, four-star guard Rocco Splinder as well as Minneapolis tackle Joe Alt and Chicago guard Pat Coogan.

What Quinn Ewers had to say about choosing Ohio State

Former Texas commit Quinn Ewers made the decision to choose Ohio State over the Texas Longhorns. Development and winning football games.

On Thursday night the Texas Longhorns fans and staff received the news they have been dreading. Back on Oct. 28 the No. 1 prospect in the state of Texas decommited from the University of Texas, on Nov. 19 he committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Quinn Ewers decided to leave the state much like the No. 1 recruit in the 2021 class decided to do.

Ewers spoke with Steve Wiltfong, a national recruiting analyst with 247Sports. Ewers weighed in on why he chose to go to Ohio State rather than the team he grew up rooting for.

Just their success and ability to go to the college football playoff every year.

It is no secret that the Texas Longhorns are coming off their second-worst decade in their history. From 2010-2019 they won just 55% of their games, it marked the first time since 1930-39 that they didn’t reach winning 60% of their games. Ewers, who is a junior, has really only seen the Longhorns struggle on the football field. The last time Texas played for a National Championship, he would have been around six or seven years old. All he has known is watching Ohio State play for or win National Championships.

2010-2019 Ohio State Texas
Wins 105 71
Losses 17 57
Championship Appearances 1 0
New Years Six bowls 7 1

Those numbers would have been larger if the 2010 season wasn’t vacated. The point here is that Ohio State is consistently playing on the national stage while the Longhorns have had one year where they played for a huge bowl. Outside of that, it is either the Alamo or Texas bowl games.

The main thing I look for when Iā€™m talking to a coach or looking at a University is development of past quarterbacks and who was as successful as they were in years past?

One of the biggest knocks on the Longhorns has been their lack of development at the quarterback position. Vince Young was a top-five selection. Colt McCoy was a third-round pick. Since that time not a single quarterback has been drafted from the University of Texas.

On the flip side of that coin, Ohio State has seen three quarterbacks drafted. The most recent being Dwayne Haskins drafted in the first round during the 2019 NFL Draft. In the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft, Justin Fields is projected to be a top-two selection. Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger? Well, he is likely to be a day three pick.

It isn’t rumors that is killing Texas Longhorns recruiting efforts in football. It has to do with a lack of development. The fact that Texas hasn’t produced a first-round draft pick since 2015. It has to do with not winning football games. That starts at the top, Tom Herman.

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Texas Football Recruiting: Dual-threat quarterback receives offer from Longhorns

Four-star quarterback Conner Weigman picked up a Texas offer on Thursday. The Longhorns will be trying to replace five-star Quinn Ewers.

Entering the season, it seemed as if quarterback was not going to be an issue in Texas’ 2022 recruiting class. Five-star Quinn Ewers was committed and possibly taking the Longhorns’ program to a different level.

A couple of mistakes later, Tom Herman lost the generational talent to the Ohio State Buckeyes. A lifelong Horns fan, Ewers, will be the next example of elite prospects leaving the state of Texas.

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Luckily, the state still has two elite quarterback prospects the Longhorns can duke it out for. Cade Klubnik is a four-star pro-style quarterback out of Westlake High School.

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On Thursday, dual-threat quarterback Conner Weigman joined the mix. Weigman is a four-star prospect, and Texas will be heavily invested in trying to sign both.

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 78 14 4
Rivals 4 189 24 5
ESPN 4 178 29 7
247 Composite 4 136 21 7

Vitals

Hometown Cypress, Texas
Projected Position Quarterback
Height 6-1
Weight 205

Recruitment

  • Offered on Nov. 19, 2020
  • No visit yet

Offers (18 total)

  • Arkansas
  • Auburn
  • Baylor
  • Florida
  • Michigan State
  • Oklahoma
  • Oklahoma State
  • Ole Miss
  • SMU
  • TCU

Crystal Ball

No crystal ball at the time of posting

Film

Twitter

 

Texas Recruiting: Top in-state talent trending outside of Austin

In recent years the Texas Longhorns have been losing out on top talent. Is it a trend or just confirmation bias?

On Thursday night the Texas Longhorns watched as another one of the top recruits in the state decided to play elsewhere. The top prospect of the 2022 class, Quinn Ewers committed to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Which isn’t new territory for Ryan Day and company. They have made a living in the Lone Star State.

Five Star Texas Recruits since 2017

  • Ohio State-5
  • Texas-4
  • Texas A&M-4
  • Alabama-2

The Buckeyes continue to raid top talent from the state as the Longhorns and Aggies alike just watch. The Longhorns have been in a free fall when it comes to talent in the state. As Joel Klatt stated, “Texas has lost its luster.” Which couldn’t be any more of a fact. Early in the Tom Herman era, The Longhorns were putting together top 10 classes every year. As they have failed to deliver on the field, it has shown this year with the 2021 recruiting class. They have missed out on legacy players, a top talent they had committed for months, and now the top player in their 2022 cycle.

2021 Top players in Texas

The Longhorns have one commit in the top 20 players in the state of Texas. The No. 1 player is committed to Alabama (Tommy Brockermeyer). The No. 2 player is committed to Ohio State (Donovan Jackson). The No. 3 player is Ja’Tavion Sanders who is committed to Texas. They are still in the running for L.J. Johnson who ranks in at No. 7 but seems like he is leaning towards the Aggies.

Top 20 Texas Recruits 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Texas 1 12 3 5 1
A&M 1 4 7 3 4
OU 2 1 3 2 6
Alabama 1 1 1 2 2
LSU 3 0 1 1 3
Ohio State 3 0 1 1 1
  • Texas- 22 (4.4/year)
  • A&M- 19 (3.8/year)
  • OU- 14 (2.8/year)
  • Alabama- 7 (1.4/year)
  • LSU- 8 (2/year)
  • Ohio State- 6 (1.2/year)

When you first look at the numbers and see the Texas Longhorns leading with 4.4 it doesn’t look so bad. That number is vastly skewed by the 2018 recruiting year that landed them 12 of the top 20. Outside of that one cycle, the Longhorns average just 2.5 of the top 20 in the state. The biggest two rivals to the Longhorns have out recruited the Longhorns with their top talent in the state.

The Longhorns 2017 class was started by Charlie Strong and Herman had to finish it. He was hired on Nov. 26 of 2016, just two weeks before the early signing period was set to take place. The 2018 season was more or less his. He arrived in plenty of time to get that class together. After seeing three recruiting cycles after 2018, it seems that year was an aberration.

Since 2018, the Longhorns are currently third in terms of landing Texas talent. Given they are getting beat at home in recruiting, and getting beat on the field it doesn’t leave a lot of hope for the Horns.

Texas Football Recruiting: Five 2021 prospects the Longhorns need to push for next