Tag: ESPN 300

ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill on why Rutgers football signee Gabe Winowich is a four-star

Tom Luginbill highlights Rutgers football commit Gabe Winowich as a promising player.

Tom Luginbill is a big believer in Gabe Winowich, the four-star running back who is signed and sealed for Rutgers football. Winowich may not have an impressive offer list, but the ESPN analyst believes he is a standout player and an elite talent.

Winowich is a four-star running back with just two Power Five offers (Maryland and Rutgers football) but he is a four-star and part of the ESPN 300. Originally from Michigan, he moved to New Jersey for his senior season and played at Notre Dame Prep (Lawrenceville).

There he partnered with quarterback A.J. Surace (a three-star ranked seventh in New Jersey by Rivals), also a Rutgers commit. Both players are expected to enroll at Rutgers in January.

On Tuesday, Luginbill was asked about his thoughts about Winowich and why the future Rutgers running back was a four-star by ESPN despite only holding a pair of Power Five offers.

“We really liked him. He’s in our ESPN 300 – we don’t care about offers, we care about what he shows us. And we just liked him on film,” Luginbill said.

“We thought he was a really good high-end player and you know what, listen in recruiting and these cycles now, there’s roughly 2,800 kids that will sign an FCS letter. You’re sometimes you’re going to miss on guys and you’re going to pick a guy instead of looking at another guy – and that happens with programs across the country each and every day of the year. So the fact that he didn’t get a lot of attention, I think is a win for Rutgers because they get a really, really good player that they didn’t have to fight over really hard for and he is in their footprint.”

The changing landscape of college football, headlined by conference expansion, is impacting Rutgers. If Rutgers is to continue their progression and their rebuild following a 7-6 season and a win over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl, they will need to continue adding quality recruits from ‘The State of Rutgers.’

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“I think was what’s happened with the Big Ten with conference realignment and expansion, you know, for schools like Rutgers who like Minnesota, Maryland to some degree…the landscape just got more competitive,” Luginbill said.

“It just got more difficult, right? And in New Jersey, where there’s generally each and every year a high level of quality of player, the more those guys Rutgers can get home and prevent leaving, the better chance they have of competing and being relevant on the field. So my take is Greg Schiano knows that, he knows that as well as anybody else. He knows it isn’t the Big East anymore.”

Luginbill will be on the call for the Under Armour All-America Game on Wednesday, January 3 at 4:00 pm EST (ESPN). The annual all-star game features another very strong roster.

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One player, four-star wide receiver Braylon Burnside, is set to commit during the game. Burnside is down to Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Sooners land commitment from versatile LB Michael Boganowski

Oklahoma is the choice for four-star linebacker Michael Boganowski, who picked the Sooners over Kansas, Kansas State, and Florida State.

Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting journey may be winding down, but there’s still room for a few more arrivals. On Thursday evening, the Oklahoma Sooners picked up another commitment, this time from four-star linebacker Michael Boganowski. Boganowski picked Oklahoma over Kansas State, Florida State, and the Kansas Jayhawks.

Boganowski’s path to his recruitment wasn’t direct path to the Sooners. They had to fend off the overtures from Kansas State and Florida State and to a lesser extent Florida State. It always felt like it was going to come down to Oklahoma and Kansas State.

The Wildcats boasted several advantages, from proximity to personal relationships with people on the Wildcats staff.

Boganowski visited for the [autotag]Party at the Palace[/autotag] event over the summer. Then, after seeing Norman for a game day, things started tilting back in favor of Oklahoma.

In Boganowski, the Sooners get a talented and athletic linebacker. He looks like a player who projects best as a cheetah in Brent Venables’ defense.

The versatile athlete is everything to his Junction City High School team, where he finished the 2022 season with 123 total tackles (67 solo, three for loss), four interceptions, one forced fumble. He also threw a touchdown and rushed for a score last season.

ESPN and Rivals have Boganowski as the number one prospect out of Kansas. With his commitment, the Sooners inch closer to eclipsing Florida State for No. 6 in 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings. His pledge also brings Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting class to 26 commitments.

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Oklahoma offers four-star WR and Texas Tech commit Ivan Carreon

Oklahoma offered Ivan Carreon, a four-star receiver from Odessa, Texas. Carreon was previously recruited by Emmett Jones at Texas Tech.

Oklahoma has already secured commitments from two 2024 wide receivers, four-star [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag] and three-star [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag]. Both players are talented and have tantalizing traits that the Sooners should be excited about.

Oklahoma remains in an intense battle for five-star receiver [autotag]Bryant Wesco[/autotag], and while the Sooners have done a lot of heavy lifting, the battle is far from over.

While that recruitment rages on, Oklahoma will continue to recruit other receivers.

Their latest offer goes to another 2024 receiver, Ivan Carreon, a 6-foot-6 playmaker from Odessa High School. Carreon is currently a Texas Tech commit and was recruited at Texas Tech by none other than current Oklahoma wide receivers coach Emmett Jones. There’s quite a relationship between the two, and after coming to compete at an Oklahoma last week, Carreon received an offer.

It remains to be seen how Jones’ new location may affect his relationship with Carreon. Still, if anything, the familiarity between the two is noteworthy and could play a significant part if this is to move just past the offer phase.

Carreon finished his junior season with 51 catches for 1,168 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns on a 22.9-yard average per catch. He plays basketball and runs track, in which he was a Texas 5A regional qualifier as a sophomore in the 110-meter hurdles.

Ivan Carreon’s Recruiting Profile

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ESPN’s early Junior 300 rankings includes two Oklahoma commits

While they continue to build their 2024 class, Oklahoma is off to a promising start to 2025 with two commits in ESPN’s Junior 300.

The class of 2024 is the recruiting class at the forefront of the college football world. Those student-athletes are preparing for their final years of high school football and looking to decide where their next destinations will be. Oklahoma already has a top 30 class, and you can be sure they will continue to ascend as the months wear on.

The 2025 class is starting to see their recruitments pick up. The contact between players and coaching staff transitions from preliminary introductions to building bonds and trust. Plenty of players have committed to schools despite being unable to take any official visits yet. Oklahoma has put in work for the class of 2025 and is one of schools with multiple commitments so far. ESPN published its first iteration of the ESPN Junior 300, and a pair of Oklahoma commitments are represented.

Oklahoma’s chosen QB for the class of 2025 and its first commit, [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag], checks in at No. 131. [autotag]Gracen Harris[/autotag], one of Texas high school football’s best slot receivers, checks in at No. 101. Both prospects are rated four-star recruits by ESPN.

Oklahoma joins Georgia, Alabama, and Penn State as schools with multiple commits from ESPN’s Junior 300. Georgia leads the way as the reigning national champions already have seven commitments from the ESPN 300  for 2025.

Outside of the two commits the Sooners already have, there are some notable names in the rankings that the Sooners actively recruiting.

[autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag], a five-star tight end in the rankings, is among the most notable of the uncommitted. Mitchell is the best friend and former teammate of Oklahoma’s four-star 2024 QB commit [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag]. Mitchell has been projected to land with the Oklahoma Sooners for some time. That would be a significant commitment marking Jeff Lebby’s second five-star commit as offensive coordinator.

Five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore from Duncanville High School has a well-known connection with Sooners wide receivers coach Emmett Jones. Oklahoma figures to be prominent in recruiting the Texas powerhouse due to Jones’ ties with the school and the North Texas area.

Oklahoma has also offered four-star receivers [autotag]Andrew Marsh[/autotag] and [autotag]Isaiah Mozee[/autotag]. The early commitments from Kevin Sperry and Gracen Harris will help them, especially amongst prospects from the state of Texas.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Where did Oklahoma signees from the 2023 recruiting class land in the final ESPN 300?

Which Oklahoma Sooners were ranked in the final ESPN 300 for the 2023 recruiting class?

The Oklahoma Sooners had a field day in the 2023 recruiting cycle, closing with a recruiting class that ranked in the top five according to 247Sports and ESPN and were seventh nationally according to On3 and Rivals.

With the early signing period, much of the 2023 cycle is finished, which has led several publications to release their final player rankings for the class. Over at ESPN, 13 of Oklahoma’s signees for the recruiting class were ranked inside their top 300. By comparison, Alabama had 23 players and Georgia had 21 of the top 300. The Sooners still have a ways to go to get the number of top recruits like the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs. Another team relevant to the Sooners, the USC Trojans, only earned signatures from five players in the ESPN 300.

Led by Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma had seven players in the top 100, including four on the defensive side of the football. And that’s the biggest difference in this recruiting class compared to those from the past. The Sooners added a ton of defensive talent, 10 blue-chip prospects on defense, according to 247Sports.

Here’s a look at where each player ranked in the ESPN 300 and where they ranked at their position.

Where does Oklahoma land in ESPN’s 2023 recruiting rankings?

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners land in ESPN’s 2023 team recruiting rankings ahead of the early signing period?

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the final stretch of the 2023 recruiting cycle with the early signing period just a few weeks away and national signing day two months away.

Brent Venables and his crew are sitting in a great spot led by five-star commitments from Jackson Arnold and Adepoju Adebawore. Oklahoma has 22 commitments in the 2023 cycle at this point and a strong chance to add several more as they look to close out their first full recruiting cycle.

In recent weeks, the Sooners began to trend in a positive direction with five-star safety and Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen. Though five-star defensive tackle David Hicks is still committed to Texas A&M, the number of decommitments and transfer portal entries potentially puts that pledge on shaky ground.

After finishing with the No. 8 recruiting class in the 2022 cycle, per 247Sports, the Sooners have a chance to do something special if they can earn flips from the highly-coveted five-star players on their radar.

With the regular season out of the way, recruiting jumps to the forefront as Brent Venables and company try to improve the foundation of Oklahoma Sooners football.

The Oklahoma Sooners currently have 12 commitments inside the ESPN 300, which is the seventh-most in the nation. That’s headlined by Arnold on the offensive side of the ball, and ESPN currently ranks Jacobe Johnson as their highest-rated defensive player.

Here’s where the Sooners rank in ESPN’s team recruiting rankings ahead of the early signing period.

Rutgers football lands five of the top 100 players in the East according to ESPN.com

Rutgers football has done a solid job in recruiting the East this year according to ESPN.

Rutgers football currently has a solid 2023 recruiting class, boosted by several in-state commitments. There is an emphasis on speed and athleticism in this class along with once again beefing up the offensive line.

According to ESPN.com, Rutgers is doing among the best in the country with five commitments in the top 100 in the East region.

Last season, Rutgers had the No. 33 recruiting class in the nation per 247Sports. This year, they are No. 38 with 15 commitments.

Here are the five Rutgers football verbals who are top 100 in the East according to ESPN.com:

Among the uncommitted players that Rutgers is in the mix for who remains uncommitted but are ranked by ESPN includes sixth-ranked in the region Chase Bisontis. A Don Bosco Prep offensive lineman, Bisontis has Rutgers in his top five and recently took an official visit to the program this summer.

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Another player who cracked the list who took a recent official visit to Rutgers is No. 14 Dylan Gooden.

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Oklahoma offers 2023 4-star DL Johnny Bowens, a former Texas A&M commit

Oklahoma offers four-star defensive line prospect Johnny Bowens out of Converse, Texas, who recently decommitted from Texas A&M.

Oklahoma is picking up some serious momentum on the recruiting trail and they look to capitalize on it in any way they can. While they might have started slow, the Sooners have a plan and are content to let that plan manifest itself. Aside from quarterback, every position group could very well use another commitment or two in the Sooners’ 2023 recruiting class.

There is currently no defensive line commits for 2023 but Oklahoma continues to recruit and reach out to prospects almost daily. The latest defensive line prospect they issued an offer to was four-star DL Johnny Bowens. Bowens hails from Judson High School in Converse, Texas.

Bowens was previously committed to Texas A&M but backed off the commitment on June 28th. The Sooners swooped in with the offer on June 29th.

At 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, Bowens was a Texas 27-6A first-team all-district selection at DE as a junior. He plays multiple spots along the defensive front lining up with his hand in the ground, rushing standing up, and playing in the interior as well. That versatility will serve him well in college as modern defenses love positional flexibility from their defensive linemen.

While the Sooners are getting a late start, they have a chance here. They also have the added bonus of having already seen Bowens before as they’ve scouted his high school well considering they are also recruiting his high school teammate wide receiver Anthony Evans. The Sooners are looking for a rare two recruits from one high school in the same class. It won’t be easy but the next step is getting Bowens on campus

Johnny Bowens’ Recruiting Profile

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Four-star cornerback Jasiah Wagoner earns an Oklahoma offer

The Oklahoma Sooners send offer to the Pacific Northwest for four-star cornerback Jasiah Wagoner.

Here at Sooners Wire, we’ve documented just how different the recruiting strategy has been for the Oklahoma Sooners in short order under Brent Venables.

For most of the new staff, their recruiting prowess and success have been on targeting the southeastern. They’ve maintained a similar strategy for the most part, targeting their old stomping grounds from their time at Clemson.

However, that doesn’t mean they’ll ignore other regions like the Pacific Northwest, which is where the latest Oklahoma offer is headed.

Four-star corner Jasiah Wagoner hails from Spanaway, Washington, and reeled in an offer from cornerbacks coach Jay Valai recently. Wagoner is a playmaker on the backend and showcases the ability to attack the ball in the air. He isn’t afraid at all of getting his pads on someone, making plays as a tackler. Wagoner also made plays as a receiver and on special teams as a punt returner.

The list of offers that have been sent to cornerbacks for the 2023 class has erupted to 19 and the Sooners look determined to sign multiple players considering they could lose at least two or three cornerbacks following the 2023 season and that’s not accounting for possible transfers.

Jasiah Wagoner’s Recruiting Profile

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See where Florida’s lone 2023 commit ranks in ESPN’s top 300

See where ESPN ranked Florida’s lone commit four-star athlete Aaron Gates in its newest rankings.

Florida still only holds one verbal commit from a 2023 class but that should change after coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and staff have knocked several recruiting weekend visits out of the park. The Gators’ lone commit four-star athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] found himself ranked 157th in the new ESPN 300 that was released recently.

Gates committed to Florida back on Aug. 26 when head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] still ran the program. Despite a coaching change, he is still locked in with the Gators.

He most recently visited Florida and Napier back on Feb. 12 and told 247Sports afterward that it eased his concerns about the coaching change.

The Gators like Gates as a defensive back and so far cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] has led the charge in his recruitment.

Even though he is still committed, Gates hasn’t stopped taking visits. He stopped by Florida State on March 18.

Napier and Raymond will need to keep recruiting him and make him feel wanted if they hope to hang on to his pledge.