Tag: Benedict Umeh

One of Wisconsin’s top remaining 2024 targets commits to Stanford

Umeh would’ve been a huge get for the Badgers…

Wisconsin’s class of 2024 is on the rise after a slew of four-star commitments in the last week. The group is up to No. 21 nationally and now boasts a blue chip ratio of 35%, both marks that would put the class among the best we saw during Paul Chryst’s tenure as head coach.

The class had a chance to rise even further today, as the program was hot on the trail for four-star defensive lineman Benedict Umeh. The Avon, Connecticut native visited Madison in early June and the Badgers were believed to be in the running along with Stanford, Duke and Penn State.

Well, not all recruiting battles can be won. Umeh announced his commitment to Stanford earlier this afternoon.

Defensive line is a weakness for Wisconsin in its class of 2024, with three-star Hank Weber being the only commitment at the position. Needless to say, Umeh would’ve been a massive get for Fickell and his staff.

Instead, the four-star defensive lineman commits to play for former Wisconsin assistants Bobby April and Ross Kolodziej at Stanford.

Fickell and company will now turn focus to their other top targets in the class.

Wisconsin class of 2024 top target Benedict Umeh sets commitment date

Umeh would quickly become the highest-rated player in Wisconsin’s class of 2024…

Head Coach Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football program hope the class of 2024 grows sizably in the next week. First, we heard top target Darrion Dupree will announce his decision on July 7.

Now there is another impending commitment date to monitor. It’s four-star defensive lineman Benedict Umeh, who announced July 8 as his decision date.

Umeh is the No. 81 player in the class of 2024, the No. 12 defensive lineman and the No. 1 recruit from his home state of Connecticut. Defensive line is still a position of need for Fickell and his staff, as three-star Hank Weber is the class’ only commitment at the position.

Umeh, who wrapped up an official visit to Madison in early June, does have four crystal ball predictions listed on 247Sports.com for Stanford to be his choice.

It is worth noting Stanford’s defensive line is currently coached by former Wisconsin assistant Ross Kolodziej, and the defense as a whole coached by former Wisconsin assistant Bobby April.

Wisconsin’s class of 2024 currently ranks No. 29 in the nation after a couple decommitments a few weeks ago. Umeh would quickly become the highest-rated player in Wisconsin’s class if that turns out to be his choice.

Crystal ball forecasting Penn State landing a 4-star defensive lineman

Penn State trending toward a possible commitment from four-star edge rusher

Penn State has been trending in the right direction for multiple prospects on the defensive line. As it currently stands, there is only one defensive lineman currently committed to Penn State in the class of 2024.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and first year defensive line coach [autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] are looking to change that as they’ve ramped up their focus on top targets.

One of these targets is four-star [autotag]Benedict Umeh[/autotag] out of Toronto, Canada. Umeh plays his high school football in Connecticut and is considered the best prospect in the state.

On3’s industry rankings have him rated as a consensus four-star prospect, the 10th best defensive lineman and 62nd best player in the entire class of 2024. On3 themselves are much higher on Umeh, rating him as the 29th best player in the country.

Now, 247Sports’ Crystal Ball seems to think that Penn State will land the coveted 6’5″ 240 pound defensive lineman coming out of his official visit on June 16th.

Umeh has also taken official visits to Wisconsin and Duke, with an official visit scheduled to Stanford on June 23rd.

Despite that, 247Sports’ National Recruiting Analyst, Brian Dohn, predicts Penn State will get a commitment from the four-star defensive lineman. This looms large because Dohn is a perfect 48 for 48 on his predictions in the 2024 class.

Umeh would be a monster signing for Penn State. There’s a chance he could turn into a five-star prospect and give the Nittany Lions their highest rated player in the class.

In addition to that, this would be a huge boost for defensive line coach Barnes in his first recruiting cycle. Landing a player of Umeh’s caliber would be a great sign going forward for what type of players Barnes can get into the program.

There has not been a commitment date set by Umeh as of now.

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Gators hosting blue-chip defensive lineman on first visit

The Florida Gators are doing some recruiting up north and will host the top recruit from the state of Connecticut over the weekend.

Avon Old Farms (Avon, Connecticut) defensive lineman [autotag]Benedict Umeh[/autotag] will be in Gainesville this weekend for a Saturday visit with the Florida Gators, according to Corey Bender of Gators Online.

Umeh hasn’t been to the Swamp before, so this visit will be a first for him. He’ll join teammate [autotag]Jack Hines[/autotag], who is also visiting over the weekend. Florida defensive line coach Sean Spencer offered Umeh in January, but the Gators haven’t really been a factor in the race until now.

Penn State currently leads the On3 recruiting prediction machine with 39.0% odds to land him. Duke (25.8%), Bowling Green (7.8%) and Stanford (6.5%) round out the top four, but the Florida visit could change things.

Umeh is 6 feet-5 inches tall and 260 pounds of mostly muscle. One describes him as a “genetic freak,” and he’s an excellent student, which helps with the admissions process at Florida.

He is a consensus four-star recruit that is ranked as high as No. 29 overall in the country by On3. 247Sports and Rivals are less bullish on him and have him at Nos. 134 and 139, respectively.

The On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of the four major services, ranks Umeh at No. 52 nationally and No. 9 among defensive linemen in the class of 2024. He’s also the top recruit out of the state of Connecticut.

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Tennessee offers 4-star defensive lineman Benedict Umeh

Tennessee offered a scholarship to four-star defensive lineman Benedict Umeh. Umeh is the No. 1 player in the state of Connecticut.

Tennessee offered a scholarship to four-star defensive lineman Benedict Umeh on Tuesday.

“After a great call with Coach (Evan) Crabtree, I’m honored to announce I have an offer from the University of Tennessee,” Umeh announced on social media.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive lineman is from Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Connecticut. Umeh is originally from Toronto, Canada and played his first two seasons at Toronto Prep School.

Umeh is the No. 24 player in the class of 2024. He ranks as the No. 4 defensive lineman and No. 1 player in the state of Connecticut, according to On3 Sports.

He was ranked the No. 1 player from Canada before his transfer.

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UGA football offers DL Benedict Umeh

UGA football has offered a scholarship to elite defensive line recruit Benedict Umeh.

The Georgia Bulldogs and defensive line coach Tray Scott have offered a scholarship to talented defensive line recruit Benedict Umeh.

Umeh is a member of the class of 2024. The junior defensive lineman plays high school football for Avon Old Farms High School in Avon, Connecticut. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive lineman is ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 45 player at his position in the class of 2024, per 247Sports.

The three-star defensive lineman is an excellent student. He has scholarship offers from Louisville, Colorado, Pittsburgh, SMU, Ole Miss, and more top college football programs.

Umeh has a muscular build and also wrestles. He has over 20 scholarship offers. The Avon standout has excellent strength and is a great run defender. Umeh does a good job of shedding blocks.

The three-star has impressive highlights from his junior season:

Benedict Umeh announced his scholarship offer from Georgia football via Twitter:

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Rutgers football offers Canadian defensive lineman Benedict Umeh

Benedict Umeh offered by Rutgers football this week.

Rutgers football went up to Canada again with an offer, offering Benedict Umeh this week.

Umeh, who hails from Toronto, will be at Avon Old Farms (Avon, CT) this season. He is a class of 2024 prospect.

At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Umeh has some ideal size to play defensive line in the Big Ten.

The offer for Umeh signals a renewed emphasis for the Scarlet Knights in Canada. In late June, Rutgers football got a commitment from a class of 2023 athlete at Royal Canadian Collegiate of Canada, Dariel Djabome. The linebacker is listed as 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds and can run a 40 in 4.5 seconds.

Rutgers has a strong connection to Canada via assistant coach Jamal Westerman. A former standout defensive end at Rutgers, Westerman was born in Canada (Brampton, ON) and after several years in the NFL he played six seasons in the Canadian Football League.

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He tweeted about the offer from Rutgers football on Monday night:

 

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