Tag: 2024 football recruiting

Florida jumps into top 10 of ESPN’s recruiting rankings

With national signing day approaching, Billy Napier has positioned Florida to finish the 2024 cycle with a top 10 class, per ESPN.

Just days ahead of national signing day, the Florida Gators have jumped up five spots to No. 10 on ESPN’s 2024 recruiting rankings.

At one point, the Gators were ranked second on this list, but the post-early signing period update had Florida at No. 15 overall. Fortunately, the Gators managed to hang onto a pair of five-star and sign two four-stars who submitted letters of intent elsewhere.

D’antre Robinson jumped ship from Texas on Jan. 16 and Alabama cornerback Jameer Grimsley transferred after Nick Saban left the program. Grimsley is ranked No. 267 overall and No. 25 among receivers in the class. Robinson is outside the ESPN 300, but he’s the No. 22 defensive tackle in the class.

The other major catalyst for Florida’s five-spot jump was LJ McCray establishing himself as a five-star talent. He finished the season ranked No. 10 on the ESPN 300 and quarterback DJ Lagway ended as the top quarterback in the class.

Barring any surprises on national signing day, Florida should finish the recruiting cycle ranked inside ESPN’s top 10.

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LSU’s Frank Wilson ranked as a top five recruiter in 2024 cycle

LSU’s Frank Wilson was one of the top recruiters in the country this cycle.

When [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was hired at LSU, one of the first things he did was bring back running backs coach [autotag]Frank Wilson[/autotag].

Wilson was at LSU from 2010-15. During that time, he was one of the top running backs coaches and recruiters in the country.

Wilson is doing more of the same in his second tenure, ranking as the fourth-best recruiter in the country, according to 247Sports.

Some of LSU’s top recruits can be attributed to Wilson, including five-star defensive tackle [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] and four-star running back [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag].

Wilson is credited as the primary recruiter on nine of LSU’s commits, with five of them ranking as blue-chips.

Quarterbacks coach [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] is also looking to finish off a strong cycle, currently ranking as the 10th best recruiter in the country.

Looking ahead to the 2025 class, Wilson is off to another hot start and currently ranks as the top recruiter in the country next cycle.

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Florida signee DJ Lagway ranked No. 1 QB by On3

On3 soured on DJ Lagway through the first half of 2023, but the Florida quarterback signee changed minds with a season for the ages.

Florida quarterback signee [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] had perhaps the best high school season of any player in the country last year, and he surged up the final On3 rankings as a result.

On Monday, On3 updated its rankings, moving Lagway to the No. 2 spot overall on the On300, behind only Ohio State wide receiver signee Jeremiah Smith. The On3 industry ranking, which considers the other three major services, has him at No. 3 behind Smith and Georgia cornerback signee Ellis Robinson IV.

That means Lagway will end the 2024 recruiting cycle as the top quarterback in his class, surpassing Alabama‘s Julian Sayin and Nebraska‘s Dylan Raiola. He started the cycle at No. 7 overall in Dec. 2022, dropped to No. 46 by July and began climbing back up in September at No. 20 overall.

Lagway threw for 4,631 yards and 58 touchdowns in 2023, adding nearly 1,000 more yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. He was named the MaxPreps Player of the Year and the Gators Player of the Year in Texas.

An enrollee, Lagway is already in Gainesville with his new team. He’s viewed as the future of the program and might be the most hyped quarterback to sign with the Gators since Tim Tebow.

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Elite five-star athlete, Texas A&M commit Terry Bussey visiting LSU on Wednesday

Can LSU pull off one more coup from Texas A&M in the 2024 cycle?

There are only a few days left before National Signing Day on Feb. 7, and the Tigers have a top-10 class in the 2024 cycle. But they may have one more coup up their sleeve involving a prized Texas A&M recruit.

LSU is hosting five-star athlete [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag], who is committed to the Aggies, for one final visit on Wednesday. Bussey has taken numerous trips to Baton Rouge, including an official visit in September and an unofficial trip the following month.

Now, the Tigers will get one last shot to sway the Timpson, Texas, prospect after he took a trip to Georgia this weekend. After visiting LSU, he will take one final stop to see Texas A&M next weekend ahead of signing day.

LSU has already flipped a trio of blue-chip prospects from Texas A&M including five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], who switched up his commitment on New Year’s Eve and will sign on Feb. 7 along with Bussey.

The No. 11 prospect nationally per On3, Bussey plays all over the field at the high school level, but the consensus opinion is that he projects as a defensive back at the next level.

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LSU finishes with a top-three class in 2024 according to On3

Despite a slow start, LSU ultimately finished with one of the best classes in America.

While it looked like the Tigers may struggle to land a top 10 class in the 2024 cycle, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the staff closed things out nicely.

Some moves late in the cycle, including some Texas A&M flips headlined by five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], changed the class’ trajectory. Now, as things are set to wrap up next week, On3 has released its final recruiting rankings.

That included a boost for tight end signee [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag], who became a five-star recruit, and that gave LSU the No. 3 class in 2024, according to On3. The On3 industry rankings are currently not as high as the site’s own rankings, putting the Tigers at seventh.

LSU’s class currently sits behind just Georgia and Alabama.

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LSU signee Trey’Dez Green finishes as five-star in final On3 rankings

An LSU signee picked up his fifth star this week.

An LSU signee picked up his fifth star this week per On3’s updated rankings.

The recruiting service released its final prospect ratings for the 2024 class, going from 21 five-stars to 32. LSU’s [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag] was one of the beneficiaries, now ranking 32nd overall with five stars.

Green had always been one of the top-ranked tight ends, but a five-star rating was elusive as he hovered around the 35-45 overall range. Now, he has it.

On3 is the only service to give Green five stars, but he is a consensus blue-chip recruit and top 100 across the board.

According to On3’s Charles Powers, “Green will have some growing pains as a blocker, but his ability to move and go up and get the football with his size is rare for the position.

Green continues LSU’s run of success recruiting tight ends. Two years ago, LSU added [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag]. Last year, the Tigers signed [autotag]Mac Markway[/autotag] and [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag].

With Taylor, Markway and Pimpton set to return, along with the addition of Green, LSU’s tight end room is prepared to take center stage this fall.

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Top 25 college football programs in 247Sports’ 2024 recruiting rankings

Get a gander at where the Gators land in 247Sports composite’s recruiting rankings for the 2024 cycle.

Florida football took a punch to the gut back in December during the early signing period, watching its rankings sink from the top three to the middle of the teens following the Gators’ third-straight losing campaign.

It was brutal attrition for Billy Napier and Co., who ground hard on the prep prospect front in efforts to restore glory to the Orange and Blue. Alas, all is not lost as the team boasts a pair of five-star signees in the 2024 cycle, but there is still some work left to be done.

Take a look below at the latest top-25 rankings from the 247Sports composite for the 2024 cycle as of Thursday, Jan. 25, based on each program’s overall points value. Note that a handful of schools — including Florida — still have plenty of room to move by the end of the official national signing period.

Where LSU stands in On3’s 2024 recruiting rankings after release of final Rivals250

With an adjustment to On3’s Industry Rankings, here’s where the Tigers stand.

Though the focus has now largely turned to the 2025 class with early signing day in the rearview, we haven’t entirely closed the book on recruiting in 2024.

LSU is still in pursuit of a five-star athlete in [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag], who is currently committed to Texas A&M. It also has an unsigned five-star recruit who it will need to get to the finish line [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag].

On Tuesday, the final Rivals250 rankings were released, and that resulted in some adjustments to the On3 Industry Rankings, both in terms of player and team rankings. As we’re now just two weeks out from national signing day, here’s how things stack up in On3’s rankings.

Florida football lands commitment from legacy EDGE

Florida just landed a commitment from legacy defensive lineman Titus Bullard, the son of Thaddeus Bullard, better known as WWE’s Titus O’Neil.

Berkeley Prep (Tampa) defensive end [autotag]Titus Bullard[/autotag], the son of WWE ambassador and former Florida defensive lineman Thaddeus Bullard (better known as Titus O’Neil), has committed to the Gators.

Bullard committed to the Orange and Blue as a preferred walk-on in the 2024 class on Tuesday. He posted a graphic to social media to break the news.

“Thanks to my coaches, teammates and fam,” Bullard began the rhyme “Helped me become the person I am. All Glory to God, He is major. Thanks to him, I am now a Florida Gator.”

Bullard will play off the edge for the Gators. He’s listed at 6-foot-3-inches and 215 pounds. He recorded 69 total tackles (57 solo), 22 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a senior. He helped the Buccaneers to a Class 2M state title in Florida.

Bullard received offers from Group of Five programs, but he opted to follow in his father’s footsteps without a scholarship. His older brother, TJ, plays for the UCF Knights, so the brothers will be against each other in some capacity when Florida hosts UCF later on this year.

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Where Florida stands in 247Sports recruiting rankings ahead of NSD

Ahead of national signing day, the Florida Gators appear poised to finish the 2024 recruiting cycle with a top-15 class, per 247Sports.

National signing day has lost much of its shine thanks to the early signing period, but it is still a chance for college football programs to put the finishing touches on their recruiting classes before officially turning the page over to the next cycle.

At one point in the 2024 cycle, Florida looked like it would finish with a top-three class, but things changed quickly in December and now the Gators are hoping to hold on to a top-15 ranking. With just over two weeks left before national signing day, the 247Sports composite ranks Florida No. 15 overall in the country with 19 commitments and 262.73 points.

Florida has a better average recruit score (91.31) than No. 5 Miami (90.78)m No. 8 LSU (90.80), No. 9 Oklahoma (90.81), No. 10 Florida State (91.09), No. 12 Clemson (90.39), No. 13 Tennessee (91.07) and No. 14 Penn State (90.63); however, each of those programs features a minimum of 21 commitments.

There’s no doubt the mass exodus of commitments in December hurt Florida’s 2024 class, but Napier managed to retain five-star quarterback DJ LAgway and five-star defensive lineman LJ McCray.

The recent addition of three-star defensive lineman D’Antre Robinson doesn’t seem to have moved Florida up or down too much in these rankings.

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