Tag: in-state

In-state 4-star EDGE commits to UGA

Georgia gets a major commitment in the class of 2023

Sunday, Gabriel Harris Jr, a four-star EDGE from Valdosta, Georgia, has decided to stay home and commit to the Georgia Bulldogs.

The 6-foot-4, 237-pound EDGE ranks as the nation’s No. 90 overall player and No. 8 outside defender in the class of 2023, per 247Sports composite. He chose to commit to UGA over schools such as Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, and eight others that he received offers from.

Harris transferred from Thomas County Central to Valdosta for his senior season. During his junior season at Thomasville County Central High School, Harris Jr. accumulated 49 tackles – 12.5 of which were for a loss – and he had seven sacks in nine games. In addition, the standout defensive player was named a top performer at the Under Armour Atlanta Camp last month.

Harris Jr. announced his commitment on Twitter Sunday.

Harris Jr. first received an offer from the Bulldogs in early 2020, and he traveled to Athens twice on unofficial visits in November 2021 and March 2022.

Per Kipp Adams of Dawgs247, the commitment is thanks in part to UGA’s new outside linebacker coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe, who listed Harris Jr. as one of his top prospects when he arrived in Athens.

With his size and ability to play multiple positions, Harris Jr. is sure to be a valuable addition to the Bulldogs’ defensive edge.

Texas Football Recruiting: Four-star outside linebacker commits to Texas over Georgia, LSU

Texas landed a commitment from four-star prospect Terrence Cooks. Expected to play OLB for UT, the commitment is a big win for Chris Ash.

Texas’ 2021 recruiting class got a major boost on Saturday afternoon, landing a commitment from four-star prospect Terrence Cooks. Expected to play outside linebacker for the Longhorns, his commitment is a big win for defensive coordinator Chris Ash.

Cooks committed to the Longhorns over Baylor, LSU, and Georgia. Coming from Pearland, Texas, it is another in-state recruiting win for Tom Herman.

Listed at 6-2 and 210 pounds, Cooks is the No. 20 outside linebacker in the country. Nationally, he ranks as the No. 302 player and the No. 46 player in the state of Texas. All rankings come from the 247Sports composite.

A proven winner, Cooks and Shadow Creek High School is looking for back to back 5A-DI state championships. During his senior season, the new Texas commit has posted 24 tackles, one sack, and three quarterback hurries.

This has been a position of need for the Texas Longhorns as they have limited depth behind Juwan Mitchell and DeMarvion Overshown. Cooks is a great pickup for the Chris Ash defense as they try to mold the unit in his vision.

With the way the Longhorns have been hemorrhaging in recruiting, this was a must need move for Tom Herman and his staff.

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Texas Football Recruiting: Longhorns land third commitment of 2022 class

Texas has landed a commitment from cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau. A four-star prospect, Guilbeau is the first defensive prospect in the class.

Texas has landed its third commitment of the 2022 recruiting class in cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau. A four-star prospect out of Port Arthur, Texas, Guilbeau is the first defensive prospect in the class.

“I’m 120% committed,” Guilbeau said on Twitter.

Cornerbacks coach Jay Valai strikes again, landing a top in-state defensive back. In the state of Texas, Guilbeau is the No. 2 cornerback in the state of Texas, only behind Denver Harris of North Shore High School.

Of the three commits, Guilbeau and wide receiver Phaizon Wilson are four-stars. Quarterback Quinn Ewers is a five-star and the No. 2 overall player in the country.

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 57 9 8
Rivals 4 177 21 21
ESPN 4 233 33 24
247 Composite 4 144 21 15

Vitals

Hometown Port Arthur, Texas
Projected Position Cornerback
Height 5-11.5
Weight 175

Recruitment

  • Committed on Sept. 19, 2020

Offers

  • Alabama
  • Georgia
  • Kansas
  • LSU
  • Oklahoma State
  • Oregon
  • Penn State
  • Tennessee
  • Texas A&M
  • USC

Crystal Ball

Film

Twitter

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Four-star wide receiver Ketron Jackson commits to Arkansas over Texas

Texas took another recruiting blow on Thursday, with WR Ketron Jackson committing to Arkansas. Jackson was a primary target for Texas.

Texas took another recruiting blow on Thursday with wide receiver Ketron Jackson committing to Arkansas. A four-star wide receiver, Jackson was an in-state miss for wide receivers coach Andre Coleman.

Coming out of Royse City, Texas, Jackson is seen as a longed framed receiver with incredible hands. Listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 186 pounds, his speed on the outside would have caused problems for Big 12 defenders.

Instead, Jackson will be heading to Fayetteville with newly hired head coach Sam Pittman. Former Baylor offensive coordinator Kendal Briles was one of Jackson’s main recruiters.

Ranked the No. 150 player in the country, Jackson is Arkansas’ highest-rated commit in its 2021 class. The Razorbacks rank No. 8 in SEC recruiting according to 247Sports.

Jackson is also the No. 25 player in the state of Texas and the No. 26 wide receiver in the class.

The Longhorns’ 2021 class contains one wide receiver. Casey Cain, a three-star out of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been committed to Texas since May.

Now, if Texas wants to add another wide receiver to its class, J.J. Henry will be the primary target. Another in-state product, Henry is a four-star from McKinney.

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In-state recruiting key for Florida’s growing momentum

That class formed the basis for much of the team’s dominance 2008-09, leading to a national championship and SEC title in the former season.

Despite earning double-digit wins in each of his first two seasons at the helm of the Florida football program, coach Dan Mullen has received criticism for his recruiting success (or lack thereof). The Gators have landed top-10 recruiting classes in 2019 and 2020, but those classes weren’t elite in terms of the rest of the SEC, falling fifth and sixth, respectively.

But in the last week, Mullen received pledges from a pair of Miami prospects and teammates at Palmetto High School — five-star cornerback Jason Marshall and four-star safety Corey Collier. Those two additions became the highest-rated prospects in the class on the 247Sports Composite, and they bumped UF’s class up to the No. 6 spot in the nation.

A major reason for Florida’s success in this recruiting cycle is its ability to keep top Floridian prospects in-state. Nineteen players in the 2021 class hail from the state, the most since Urban Meyer’s 2007 class.

That class featured Sunshine State prospects like the Pouncey twins, Major Wright, Ahmad Black and Chris Rainey. It formed the basis for much of the team’s dominance in 2008 and 2009, leading to a national championship and SEC title in the former season.

Recruiting the state is much harder than it was a decade ago, as top out-of-state programs like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and LSU all have made in-roads at high schools throughout the state. If Mullen begins to retain state talent at similar rates to what Meyer did in the late 2000s, it would bode well for the future of the UF program, which is still searching for its first conference title since 2008.

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The top 10 in-state recruits and where Texas stands with them

Tom Herman and UT have made in-state recruiting a priority. Here are the top 10 in-state recruits and where Texas stands with each of them:

Since Tom Herman took over as head coach in 2017, he has made in-state recruiting a priority. In Texas’ 2019 class, all but one signee was an in-state prospect, giving the Longhorns another top-ranked class in the Big 12.

This year’s recruiting cycle is no different: Nine of the 11 commits are from Texas. The Longhorns want to not only going after the best players but also do so within their area of expertise.

Looking at the top 10 in-state players of 2020, the Longhorns have struggled. They have commitments from only three, and rivals such as Oklahoma and Texas A&M have seen opportunities to swoop in. If Texas wants to make late pushes for the recruits, the recruiting staff will have to fight off some of the best in the game.

Here are the top 10 in-state recruits and where Texas stands with each of them:

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