Tag: football recruiting

Dooley’s Dozen: Looking back at Florida’s 5-star recruits since Urban Meyer

Pat Dooley looks back at all of Florida’s 5-star recruits since the end of the Urban Meyer era.

Do you remember the old days Florida used to sign five-star recruits as if the Gators were shopping at a convenience store?

Those were the days of [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag], [autotag]Ron Zook[/autotag] and [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag], the two-time national titlist who used to text recruits while he was in church.

During that stretch of those three coaches (and you have to include the Zooker because he set Meyer up with the talent to win it all in 2006), Florida won 78.7% of its games.

Since then, Florida has won 55.3% of its games and fired three coaches.

Coincidence? We think not.

The latest Dooley’s Dozen looks at the last 12 (with a caveat) five-stars who have signed with Florida and how they did at UF. We do that while waiting for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] to sign his first.

We’re using the 247Sports composite rankings and we’re not counting transfers for this list.

Malachi Nelson has the mark of an NFL QB according to one recruiting analyst

National recruiting analyst Greg Biggins of 247Sports is sold on Malachi Nelson’s upside and overall ability.

Five-star Los Alamitos (Calif.) quarterback Malachi Nelson is officially a Trojan after signing his National Letter of Intent for Wednesday’s signing day, which began the early signing period for the offseason cycle. Nelson is an early enrollee for the Trojans.

There is nothing but love for the five-star California signal caller.

Malachi Nelson is already being anointed as the heir apparent to 2022 Heisman winner and superstar USC signal caller Caleb Williams for the year after next season. The 2024 campaign would be USC’s first season in the Big Ten Conference.

Nelson received 25 offers from schools such as Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia, but chose to stay in his home state of California and head to USC.

As a early enrollee Nelson will have a chance to compete for the backup job to Williams in 2023. USC currently has two scholarship QBs on the roster, former four-star prospect Miller Moss and JUCO transfer Jake Jensen.

Greg Biggins, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports, has high praise for Nelson.

[mm-video type=video id=01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa-5f1ce800029f353b16aab280fdc8f9aa.jpg]

[listicle id=54551]

Malachi Nelson, USC’s No. 1 recruit in 2023, begins the ultimate football education

Malachi Nelson begins his football education at #USC. Dean of the School of Football: Lincoln Riley. Lead professor: Caleb Williams. Time to soak up knowledge.

Malachi Nelson is the ESPN number one overall recruit in this 2023 class. The California native is also a consensus top-three quarterback alongside Dante Moore (UCLA) and Arch Manning (Texas).

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound quarterback is drawing comparisons to former Oregon Duck and Heisman Trophy Winner Marcus Mariota.

Nelson received offers from schools such as Alabama, Oklahoma and Georgia, but chose to stay in his home state of California and head to USC with teammate Makai Lemon, a five-star receiver.

Nelson will sit behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams for a year, before taking the reins as the Trojans’ signal-caller in Lincoln Riley’s offense. It is notable that Nelson was willing to accept that his freshman season in 2023 will be a learning experience behind Caleb. His time to shine will be in 2024, when the Trojans move to the Big Ten. It will be very important for him to soak up knowledge from Caleb and Lincoln Riley next year, in words but more centrally in how they carry themselves on the field during games.

Malachi Nelson will need to study Riley’s offensive concepts, but more than that, he will need to see how Caleb Williams studies defenses and makes pre-snap reads. All of that is coming Nelson’s way in 2023, and we’re not likely to see the fruits of that process until the Trojans are in the Big Ten.

Nelson threw for more than 2,800 yards while compiling 35 touchdowns and only four picks, completing a career-high 67.1 percent of his passes and setting a career-best in yards per attempt (9.73).

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound QB has elite arm talent and has a smooth yet quick delivery. He has shown he can make all the NFL-level throws down the field.

[mm-video type=video id=01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa-5f1ce800029f353b16aab280fdc8f9aa.jpg]

[listicle id=54255]

Matayo Uiagalelei commits to Oregon Ducks over USC

Matayo Uiagalelei, as was the case with D.J. Uiagalelei, leaves Southern California to play major college football. @Ducks_Wire is throwing a party, again.

2023 Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei has committed to the Oregon Ducks. His coach from St. John Bosco, Jason Negro, announced his commitment during a signing day ceremony on Wednesday.

USC was absolutely a big-time player late in his recruitment and some sources felt up until Tuesday night that’s where he was headed. Ohio State definitely held the lead earlier, but at the end the Oregon Ducks won out.

Uiagalelei is rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 EDGE in the 2023 class, and the No. 17 player in the nation. He is now the second-highest-rated commit in Oregon’s class, behind only 5-star WR Jurrion Dickey. Oregon and Dan Lanning have landed multiple five-star recruits on Wednesday and have flipped multiple recruits in the past 24 hours.

The Ducks are surging on the recruiting trail, and in this particular case, it’s not as though USC didn’t have an attractive program and a solid situation. The Trojans had restored themselves under Lincoln Riley. When D.J. Uiagalelei rejected Clay Helton, USC’s overall situation was in shambles. No matter. Matayo Uiagalelei still thought going outside Southern California was the right move for him.

Comparison: Kayvon Thibodeaux

[mm-video type=video id=01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa-5f1ce800029f353b16aab280fdc8f9aa.jpg]

[listicle id=54551]

USC football 2022-2023 early signing period tracker: the latest Trojan commitments

We will add names to this list as the early signing period moves toward national signing day in February of 2023. Stay tuned. Refresh. Update. #USC

It’s that time of year: The early signing period is here.

When we went to bed on the night of Tuesday, Dec. 20, USC football had 20 commitments for the Class of 2023. The Trojans are trying to maximize the value of their first full recruiting cycle in the Lincoln Riley era. Riley had to hit the ground running 12 months ago and scramble to assemble a recruiting class. This is the first year in which Riley and his operations team had a chance to map out a complete plan and zero in on prime targets.

As the names keep coming in, we’ll update them. Stay tuned for more additions to this list as the signing period continues through national signing day in February of 2023:

The top-ranked 2023 recruit in each state represented in the recruiting rankings (plus D.C.)

USA Today High School Sports takes a look at the top-ranked class of 2023 football recruit in each state represented in the recruiting rankings.

The class of 2023 is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, including a quarterback group that gained national attention before the season even kicked off.

Now that the 2022 season has neared an end, the early signing period and national signing day will become the primary focal point of high school football. So USA TODAY High School Sports is keeping an eye on where the top recruits in the country are headed to begin their college careers in 2023.

Related: USA TODAY High School Sports Top 100: 2023 Recruiting Rankings

Based on the composite recruiting rankings, here is the top recruit in each state plus Washington, D.C. Note: With no recruits ranked in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and New Mexico, those states were excluded for the list.

Five-star pass rusher, USC target Matayo Uiagalelei is down to 3 schools

Matayo Uiagalelei has narrowed his list to three schools. #USC is one of them. Another #Pac12 school is also in the hunt.

The USC Trojans are in the mix for one of the highest-profile recruits in the 2023 class. He’s from Southern California, which should help out the Trojans with his decsion. Five-star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei announcing the final three schools in his recruitment.

USC target and Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco ATH Matayo Uiagalelei has cut his list to three schools: Oregon, USC and Ohio State. He is set for a signing day decision.

Matayo Uiagalelei is ranked the No. 28 player in the nation in the 247Sports Composite.  He’s a two-way player who would be a top-five player at his position as an edge rusher and a tight end, but is being recruited primarily as an defensive end/pass rusher. 

His brother is another former five-star player, quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who recently entered the transfer portal and is looking to leave the Clemson Tigers. Some have speculated that D.J. could land at UCLA. It will be interesting to see if that story and the N.I.L space have a huge impact on where Matayo Uiagalelei lands in 2023.

[mm-video type=video id=01gka0mc78xrs1z0qtrx playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gka0mc78xrs1z0qtrx/01gka0mc78xrs1z0qtrx-5357f75dc515c2fef3aa78aae70f1274.jpg]

[listicle id=53792]

Friday Night Notes: Alabama nabs 5-star QB, Desmond Ricks sets his date and more

Big weekend awaits in the football recruiting world.

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

Alabama already has the lead in the recruiting race in 2023. They’re over 15 points ahead of second-ranked Georgia in those rankings, thanks largely to having five five-star recruits when no other team has more than three.

This week the rich got richer, as Alabama got a head-start on next year’s recruiting class by securing their first five-star prospect of the class of 2024 in quarterback Julian Sayin.

247 Sports

Sayin (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) is a Junior at Carlsbad (Calif.), where he’s led his team to a 9-1 record thus far this season. He’s completed 68.7% of his passes, totaled 2,032 yards, 25 touchdowns and just three interceptions. This follows an equally-strong Sophomore campaign that saw Sayin post a 71.5% completion rate, 2,769 yards, 34 touchdowns and four picks. A dual-threat QB, Sayin has also added 399 yards and four scores as a rusher.

According to 247 Sports, Sayin is ranked No. 2 at quarterback in his class behind Dylan Raiola of Chandler (Ariz.), who’s committed to Ohio State. Sayin is also the consensus top player overall in the state of California.

Sayin had also been considering Georgia and LSU. Here’s what he told Hank South of BamaOnLine on Wednesday following his decision.

“I would say Bama is the standard for college football. When you go on Saturdays and turn on the TV and see that crimson, you think of Alabama. Coach Saban, being the greatest coach of all time, how could you not want to play for a guy like that? And then just the ability to produce NFL talent they have there. Their track record for quarterbacks is second to none.”

Alabama is currently placed at No. 5 in the recruiting rankings for 2024. Notre Dame is still on top.

Viral sensation Tyler Parker — the “Teen Hulk” — loved his visit at USC

He has the personality. He has the nickname. Tyler Parker will now try to build himself into an elite prospect.

Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.) defensive lineman Tyler Parker has made a name for himself. He is one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2025 class and all of high school football.

A shirtless photo of the high school sophomore went viral, which led to dozens of nationally-distributed articles, the nickname “Teen Hulk” and an appearance on “Access Hollywood.” 

The 6-foot-1, 300-pound lineman holds early offers from Arizona, California, Colorado, Miami, Jackson State, Notre Dame and others.

Last weekend, Tyler Parker checked off another major box, taking his first trip to USC.

“It was really special,” he said. “It was just really special for me to be a part of that. It showed that USC has major interest in me and wants me to stay home. They invited me to a big event with a lot of their guys.”

Coming into the trip, Parker was already excited because he’d never been to a college football game.

Expect the “Teen Hulk,” Tyler Parker, to move up the boards and rankings in the coming year after he attends camps all over the country. He’s still growing and has a lot of raw talent. He does have a long way to go in his development, but Parker could end up being a five-star very soon.

[mm-video type=video id=01gemmzdjf6wv429gkx3 playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gemmzdjf6wv429gkx3/01gemmzdjf6wv429gkx3-2474bfdd6f26d65864de7d2031f7bc20.jpg]

[listicle id=49601]

USC 2023 target R.J. Jones is the X-factor for Bosco against Mater Dei

.@DonJamesSports examines some of the key players who will decide the outcome of the 1-vs-2 Bosco-Mater Dei main event.

There are many USC-related storylines in the upcoming high school showdown between St. John Bosco and Mater Dei. R.J. Jones is connected to a few of them.

R.J. Jones is a 6-foot-1, 193-pound free safety from Mission Hills, Calif., who starts in the secondary of the No. 1 high school team in the nation, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).

He has offers from USC, Oregon, Louisville, Arkansas, Washington, BYU, and UCLA. He was previously committed to play with Cal, but he changed his decision on August 18 before the season started.

According to On.3Sports, the USC Trojans are at the top of his list.

He stated that Cal is still very much in consideration for his final decision, and mentioned USC, UCLA, Washington, Oregon State, and Louisville as programs that have been the most active in his recruitment.

“The culture there I would say that they’ve built since before I was even born has never changed,” he said of the Trojans. “Donte Williams, he’s been recruiting me since my freshman year when he was back at Oregon. Him being from the LA area — he’s a real close guy, he’s a real cool guy and I love love Donte.”

Jones plays as a free safety for the Bosco Braves. In their defensive scheme this primarily places him as the single-high safety responsible for locking down the deep middle of the field.

Jones is currently ranked as the No. 90 prospect in the country for the class of 2023, according to @247Sports 

Look for the strong safety next to Jones, Ty Lee — who has over 22 offers including UCLA and Louisville — to also be a central key to beating Mater Dei Friday night in the highly anticipated No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup in the Santa Ana Bowl.

[mm-video type=video id=01gemmzdjf6wv429gkx3 playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gemmzdjf6wv429gkx3/01gemmzdjf6wv429gkx3-2474bfdd6f26d65864de7d2031f7bc20.jpg]

[listicle id=49470]