Tag: 2022 recruiting

A look at 2025 TE Chase Loftin, who picked up a recent Oklahoma offer

Oklahoma becomes the first college to offer 6-foot-5 2025 TE prospect Chase Loftin out of Nebraska.

2025 tight end Chase Loftin has knocked down a significant hurdle in becoming a collegiate athlete. He has finally secured his first scholarship offer, and it came thanks to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Loftin hails from Omaha, Nebraska. He played for Elkhorn North High School, where he grabbed 39 catches for 577 yards and five touchdowns. He also had duties as a punter, averaging almost 41 yards per punt.

Loftin showed up in Norman looking to compete at Brent Venables OU Camp, and Loftin did just that. At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, he has the requisite frame to grow into a collegiate tight end. Loftin has football in his DNA and a brother who is a redshirt freshman tight end at Oklahoma’s Big 12 foe, the Kansas State Wildcats.

As it stands, Oklahoma doesn’t have a tight end committed for 2025. Their top target has been five-star Davon Mitchell. Mitchell is a prospect that Oklahoma is the perceived leader for, but no commitment has happened just yet. Oklahoma could take Mitchell and a second commitment from another tight end like Loftin based on numbers. Mitchell is the caliber of player that is a take no matter the numbers, and you figure out the logistics along the way. Mitchell has been rumored to reclassify to the 2024 cycle, opening the door for Loftin to be the target in 2025.

Loftin will have a bit more of a magnifying glass on himself in the future. Now that he has an Oklahoma offer, his recruitment should see an uptick.

“It was awesome,” Loftin shared with Sooners Illustrated’s James D. Jackson about receiving the Sooners offer. “Probably the best moment of my life so far. When they brought me up, I wasn’t expecting it. It took me by surprise, for sure. It’s one I’ve wanted my whole life, so it’s a dream come true. It’s a dream school, for sure.”

Oklahoma is fresh off back-to-back years in landing a tight end from the state of Nebraska. [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] in 2022 and [autotag]Kade McInytre[/autotag] from the 2023 class hailed from Nebraska.

Can Oklahoma’s budding relationship with Chase Loftin help them go 3/3 in the Cornhusker State recruiting tight ends? We’ll find out over the next 18 months.

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Longhorn signee Brenen Thompson shows off blazing speed at Texas state track meet

Speeeeeeed.

There has been many differences in the ways Tom Herman and Steve Sarkisian recruited the wide receiver position.

The disparity is evident in Sarkisian’s first class of recruits and transfers, as he values blazing track speed that translates to the field regardless of how big the pass catcher is. One of the two receivers that the Longhorns are bringing in as member of their 2022 recruiting class, Brenen Thompson, is the fastest player in Texas.

Thompson showed off his speed that will be on campus in fall, as he won the 3A 100m gold and 200m gold.

Thompson’s speed could easily help him see the field in 2022, even with all of the talent in front of him.

His 200m championship marks his second of his high school career as he won last year as well, and the 100m championship avenges his second place finish that he had in last year’s race as well.

2022 juco TE commits to Alabama after not being on program’s radar

In a very unusual way, Alabama lands a commitment from a 2022 TE with some size!

Miles Kitselman is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end who just recently played for Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. The Crimson Tide program did not have Kitselman on its radar, but extended an offer while visiting one of his teammates at Hutchinson, as reported by Jerell Rushin of the Tuscaloosa News.

“Bama didn’t even know who I was,” Kitselman told the Tuscaloosa News. “I was working with the wide receivers in pre-practice, and then all of a sudden they were like, ‘Hey, who’s this No. 87? Is he a big wide receiver or is he a tight end working with wide receivers?’

“Just went from there. Luckily Alabama needed a tight end. A lot of the situations (with colleges recruiting my position) it doesn’t even matter how good you are. If a team is set on tight ends they’re not even going to look at you. Lord willing, Alabama needed a tight end, I was available and they chose me, so I just committed on the spot.”

According to Rushin, Kitselman had reportedly been planning visits to Tennessee and was in talks with Florida State and others.

Currently, Cameron Latu is the starting tight end for Alabama heading into the 2022 college football season, but who knows what the future hold for Kitselman in Tuscaloosa.

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2022 signees that will likely start for Texas next season

These freshman have a chance to start from day one!

The Longhorns were able to pull in a very strong class in what is Steve Sarkisian’s first full recruiting class.

There were major needs all over the roster, and outside of the linebacker position which the Longhorns were bailed out by DeMarvion Overhsown returning, they addressed every need.

When Sarkisian said that he wanted to add around 36 new scholarship players, it seemed like a fever dream, but now the Longhorns are one player away from that mark and are still in the mix for a transfer in Ochuan Mathis.

Texas will most certainly be relying on multiple youngsters to come in and not only contribute, but some will be starters from day one. While that may seem like the expectations are too high for this 2022 class, this class is viewed as a program changer. The staff and the program itself, badly need for this class to be a major success, as the Longhorns are still plagued by the major flop that is the 2019 class.

While not every member of the class will start, there is certainly a handful that has the makings of someone who can come in and take a spot right away. Here are five players from the 2022 class that will likely start next season as true freshmen.

Kyle Flood named Big 12 recruiter of the year by Rivals and 247Sports

Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood is earning his paycheck.

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Texas offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Kyle Flood has been named Big 12 recruiter of the year by both Rivals and 247Sports.

He was also mentioned among the best recruiters in the country by On3.

What On3 Says…

Texas signed arguably the best offensive line class ever, and Kyle Flood had a huge hand in it.

Campbell, the five-star offensive lineman from Arlington (Texas) Bowie, was a significant head-to-head recruiting win over rival Oklahoma. But that wasn’t the only major recruiting win on the offensive line for Flood.

Five-star offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, four-star offensive tackles Cameron Williams and Malik Agbo and four-star interior offensive linemen Neto Umeozulu, Cole Hutson and Malik Agbo were all recruited personally by Flood.

Banks’ flip from Oregon was an especially satisfying recruiting win for the Horns. And that alone might have been enough to his name on the list of top recruiters.

Flood put together the best offensive line class in the nation. Texas signed seven talented prospects in the class:

  • Five-star Devon Campbell
  • Five-star Kelvin Banks Jr
  • Four-star Neto Umeozulu
  • Four-star Malik Agbo
  • Four-star Cole Hutson
  • Three-star Cameron Williams
  • Three-star Conner Robertson

Texas could not afford to miss on many targets after only signing two linemen during last season’s transition class.

Campbell and Banks are two of the best offensive line prospects Texas has signed since 2000 while big Camerson Williams has an NFL frame that just needs to be developed.

Flood has flipped the outlook of one of the weakest positions on the Texas roster by signing one of the best offensive line hauls Texas has ever put together.

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WATCH: Kyle Flood and the staff react to Devon Campbell committing

The Longhorns staff was elated to add Devon Campbell this year’s haul.

The Longhorns 2022 class was pretty much all wrapped up by the time the second signing day came around.

However, there was still a major recruit that the Longhorns badly wanted, and quite frankly needed to add to their class in five-star Devon Campbell.

The No. 9 overall player in 247Sports’ composite rankings was deciding between the Longhorns and their most hated rivals Oklahoma. Campbell made his decision, and decided to join what likely will be considered Texas’ best offensive line recruiting class ever assembled.

Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood, and the rest of the staff were thrilled at the announcement and were recorded celebrating as it happened.

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The Campbell signing helped solidify Texas as the No. 5 class in the nation, while also helping Texas secure the top recruiting class in the Big 12 Conference.

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Don’t be surprised if Campbell and a couple of other freshman offensive linemen are in the starting lineup next season for Texas, as that was likely the worst position group on the team in 2021. The Longhorns have their trenches solidified for years to come.

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Follow Kevin on Twitter @Kevin_Borba to continue the discussion on the Longhorns 2022 class. 

With 3 Oregon commits, Dan Lanning proved that keeping in-state talent matters to the Ducks

Dan Lanning immediately proved he values in-state talent by signing three of the state’s four top players.

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In Oregon Duck football’s recent history, in-state high school talent hasn’t exactly been a priority. Beginning with Willie Taggert and then Mario Cristobal, the recruiting emphasis has been to go more cross-country with a focus on Texas and SEC country.

To be fair, the state of Oregon hasn’t been a huge hotbed of talent, but even those kids who are the best the state has to offer haven’t been a top priority of the Ducks.

New coach Dan Lanning intends to change that trend and change it immediately.

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“We’re going to battle to keep the best in our state, and we think that we should be able to keep the best in our state,” he said as Oregon announced its 2022 signees. “Obviously (Lake Oswego wide receiver Justius Lowe) is in that category. I think before the day is over with people will realize that we were able to be really competitive in our state and get guys on board on our team.”

Lake Oswego’s Justius Lowe and Oregon Duck signee. Photo by Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Lowe was ranked as the state’s No. 3 rated player, and he was just the appetizer. True to his word, Lanning later secured the commitment of the state’s No. 2 rated player in safety Trejon Williams, a defensive back from Jefferson High in Portland, followed by linebacker Emar’rion Winston, Oregon’s No. 4 prep player out of Central Catholic who also committed to the Ducks.

“My very first day recruiting, the very first time I could get on the road, I spent that day in Oregon, and in Portland, and in the area. That will always be a priority for us, and obviously, for us, we have the ability to go anywhere, and that’s a blessing. But we have to win home first,” Lanning said.

The state’s No. 1 player, wide receiver Darrius Clemons from Westview High, signed with Michigan back in December before Lanning was the Oregon coach. If the timing had been different, Oregon might have been able to land what could have been the Fantastic Four.

But Lanning and his staff have to be overjoyed with the haul they were able to pull in on this late signing day. The Ducks were able to get every single player they expected to sign and even a couple of nice surprises. Running back Jordan James flipped from Georgia to the Ducks and offensive lineman Dave Iuli, a previously verbal commit, spurned Cristobal and Miami, as well as USC and signed with the Ducks.

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Where the Notre Dame 2022 recruiting class ranked according to the experts

It was a solid “first” cycle for Freeman

It was once called Christmas in February, when there was not an early signing period in college football. When it first started, no one really knew what to expect, but after the first one in 2017, the precedence was set.

The majority of athletes would go on to sign in December, making the first Wednesday in February not nearly as exciting. That was exactly the case for Notre Dame, who entered the day with 21 commits and will finish the day with the same number.

Even though there wasn’t much excitement, there Irish still finished among the top class in the county and here is where they ranked according to 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.

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Oregon expected to add preferred walk-on OL Ben Hartman in 2022 class

The Ducks are adding some depth to the offensive line, getting Ben Hartman to join the team as a PWO.

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It’s always nice to add depth.

Oregon had to mix and match along the offensive line last season with injuries, but the Ducks are hoping not to have to piece the unit together any time soon. But if they have to, stockpiling talent is the right thing to do.

Offensive lineman Ben Hartman, a 6-foot-4, 295-pounder out of Austin, Texas, and Milton High School announced he intends to join Oregon as a preferred walk-on.

Under Mario Cristobal, the Ducks began building a wave of offensive line talent. Even though new coach Dan Lanning is a defensive coach, he certainly will not be ignoring the other side of the ball in recruiting top talent. Oregon is heavily recruiting offensive linemen Dave Iuli and Josh Conerly. Whether they sign with the Ducks remains to be seen, but Lanning is definitely covering all of his bases with his first recruiting class.

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BREAKING: 4-star corner Khamari Terrell commits to Oregon

Dan Lanning has secured the commitment of four-star corner Khamari Terrell to become an Oregon Duck.

This is one of the main reasons Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens hired Dan Lanning. Oregon wanted to get someone who is a premier recruiter who can convince the top defensive talent to come to Eugene.

So far it seems like Lanning is producing.

With the February signing day coming up next week, Lanning has acquired the verbal commitment of four-star cornerback Khamari Terrell. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder from Texas is rated as the No. 43 corner in the country. Oregon was battling Baylor for his services and it seems as the Ducks have come out on top.

The Ducks are hoping Terrell is just the first part of a possible dynamic duo at corner as Oregon is one of just two schools four-star corner Jahlil Florence is considering with USC also in the mix. Florence has been a top priority of Lanning’s since he arrived in Eugene. If Florence does sign with the Ducks, the new coach would have salvaged a recruiting class that was once in flux.

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