Tag: Kayden McDonald

This 4-star defensive lineman pushing back Swamp visit

An unofficial visit for an entire weekend is a heck of a way to make up for having to reschedule!

The Florida football program was set to host four-star North Gwinnett (Georgia) defensive lineman [autotag]Kayden McDonald[/autotag] on an unofficial visit Tuesday, but those plans fell through. The good news is that McDonald has already set new dates for his first trip to the Swamp. He’ll be in Gainesville for the weekend of June 3, according to 247Sports.

McDonald paid close attention to what Billy Napier accomplished at Louisiana and believes that the new Florida head coach has built up the right kind of staff to fit his liking. It took some time for the staff to work through his film, but McDonald came out of the process knowing that everyone liked what he had to offer and that he liked them. Now he just has to meet everyone in person.

“Coach Napier ran the Sun Belt (Conference),” Mcdonald said. “So, I believe in Coach Napier. And then Coach Chaos ([autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag]), he coached one of the best d-linemen out there in Dexter Lawrence. We have talked a lot. I want to check them out.”

After McDonald stops by Florida, he’ll head up north to Michigan State for an official visit on June 24. There’s plenty of competition for the 6-foot-3-inch, 310-pounder. Georgia and Texas A&M hosted him on unofficial visits during April, and Oklahoma has also recently been linked with the Peach State recruit.

It’ll be interesting to see where Florida stands after getting McDonald for a full weekend and if an official visit is scheduled as a result. He’s the No. 247 overall recruit in the class of 2023, according to 247Sports, and is ranked 35th among defensive linemen.

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4-star DT with Clemson connections reacts to new offer from the Tigers

Clemson handed out its latest scholarship offer to a big-time Peach State defensive tackle on Tuesday evening. The Clemson Insider recently caught up with North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) four-star Kayden McDonald, who reacted to the offer and gave the …

Clemson handed out its latest scholarship offer to a big-time Peach State defensive tackle on Tuesday evening.

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) four-star Kayden McDonald, who reacted to the offer and gave the latest on his recruitment and where Clemson currently stands in the mix of things.

“It’s a blessing,” McDonald told TCI Thursday. “Clemson’s a school that doesn’t really throw out a whole lot of offers. Clemson is a great, top-five program. In the last five years, they’ve won nattys. It’s a great program that doesn’t really throw out offers, so it’s a blessing to have an offer.”

McDonald’s relationship with Clemson goes back to the previous defensive coaching staff, but after Brent Venables and Todd Bates departed for the University of Oklahoma, he had to build new relationships with some new faces.

The relationship(s) that McDonald has built with both defensive tackles coach Nick Eason and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn, helped lead to Tuesday’s offer.

McDonald’s head coach at North Gwinnett is really good friends with Conn, who has served as his primary recruiter up until this point. At the same time, Eason recruited McDonald back when he was at Auburn, so the relationship was already there.

A significant portion of Clemson’s recruiting pitch to defensive tackles, like McDonald, in the 2023 recruiting class, is that the Tigers are expecting a total of seven defensive linemen to move on after this season.

That’s exactly what Conn told him over the phone Wednesday, that if McDonald comes in and works, he’d have a chance to make an early impact at Clemson. That’s why he’s very high on the Tigers.

“That’s very big,” he said. “Playing early is going to be a very big decision that I’m gonna discuss. That makes Clemson an even higher school for me because they’re losing a lot.”

McDonald considers Clemson to be a top school for him, but he just has to get to know the staff more. He wants to get back to campus and see if the Tigers can climb up because Clemson is already high up on his board.

He has more connections to Clemson than meets the eye.

McDonald has been going to Clemson since his brother was participating in the youth camp.

He’s also best friends with Avieon Terrell, who is also a four-star recruit in the class of 2023, and the brother of former Clemson standout A.J. Terrell. He went to go watch A.J. play with the Terrell family and was also in attendance for Clemson’s 44-7 win over UConn on Nov. 13, 2021.

“I know a lot about Clemson,” he said.

McDonald was also teammates with Clemson sophomore linebacker Barrett Carter at North Gwinett and is close friends with a class of 2022 men’s basketball signee in R.J. Godfrey.

As far as his visit to Tiger Town this summer is concerned, McDonald told us that he will be going to the All-In Cookout in July. Additionally, he’ll be visiting the University of Florida on June 1 and will later be taking an official visit to Michigan State on June 24.

McDonald indicated that he’ll likely schedule another official visit sometime this summer and take the remainder of them (three) during the season.

In any event, it appears that Clemson has firmly cemented itself in McDonald’s recruitment.

— Photo for this article courtesy of @_kmcdonald55 on Instagram.

Big-time Peach State DT reports Clemson offer

Clemson handed out a new scholarship offer to a prospect in the class of 2023. North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) four-star defensive tackle Kayden McDonald reported the offer on social media Tuesday evening. McDonald (6-3, 310) is a composite four-star, …

Clemson handed out a new scholarship offer to a prospect in the class of 2023.

North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) four-star defensive tackle Kayden McDonald reported the offer on social media Tuesday evening. McDonald (6-3, 310) is a composite four-star, who currently ranks as the No. 35 defensive lineman and the nation’s No. 247 overall prospect in the class of 2023, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

We first reported that McDonald was a defensive tackle target worth monitoring back in January. Now, he has a Clemson offer in hand.

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Oklahoma Sooners summer recruiting primer for the 2023 recruiting cycle

With the summer on the horizon, we took a look at the names to know as the Sooners look to make a push on the recruiting front for 2023.

Brent Venables and Co. are weeks removed from their first spring as a staff together. It was a successful one with no notable injuries and some standout performances across the board. All told, things went as well as they could’ve hoped considering the positive reviews from the media and recruits in attendance.

The spring game served as an eye-opener for recruits and gave the Oklahoma Sooners some significant momentum to ride as they head into the most crucial time of the year for recruiting. With spring ball done and the team going home to recharge before fall camp, the staff will be all in on recruiting. With that in mind, it’s time to map out the targets to watch as the 2023 class begins to materialize this summer.

A star studded recruiting weekend has recruits buzzing in favor of the Sooners once again

A major recruiting weekend took place in Norman, Oklahoma headlined by at least five five-star talents from the 2024 class.

March has been an excellent month for the Oklahoma Sooners. They’re making the most of their opportunity to showcase the program to the nation’s best recruits. Players, family members, and coaches are getting an idea of what the Oklahoma Sooners will look and feel like under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag].

Nearly every weekend this month has been seen elite talent from the 2023 and 2024 classes descend upon Norman to take in everything that the University of Oklahoma has to offer.

This latest iteration may be the best version of it so far as the Sooners had a ridiculous collection of talent across the several recruiting classes including the 2025 cycle. All three classes got to visit while the Sooners put on their first padded practices.

As it stands right now, no new commitments manifested from this weekend’s activities. However, visits from 2023 guys like Derrick LeBlanc and Cayden Green showed that the Sooners are  in the race for their commitments. Both have now unofficially visited Oklahoma multiple times.

Below, we’ve listed the 2023 names that were in Norman this weekend:

Names like Caleb Otlewski, Devin Strange, and Jacobe Fowler won’t be too familiar to those who follow Sooners recruiting as none have offers from the Sooners. However, it’s smart for Oklahoma  to keep casting a wide net.

Kayden McDonald has a close relationship with 2023 commit Jackson Arnold and that could help the Sooners in their pursuit of the talented defensive lineman from Georgia.

On the 2024 side, the Sooners are becoming more and more active as they continue to lay their foundation with the rising juniors of high school football. Here are the names of some of the 2024 prospects in attendance this weekend:

The 2024 class was absolutely the standout group of the weekend if nothing else for the volume and the quality of players that were in attendance.

D.J. Lagway is one of the best quarterbacks in the state of Texas regardless of grade and getting him on campus is a big accomplishment. He already has offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Florida.

Brown-Shuler, Simmons, Cunningham and Umeozulu represent some insane five-star talent on the defensive line in attendance. All three will be household names by the time their recruiting processes come to an end.

Johnson-Rubell is another five star defensive talent with 21 offers already from some of the elite programs in the country. He plays at IMG Academy which has an incredible amount of talent, and features David Stone, a former Oklahoma prep star who transferred to IMG and a player the Sooners are also heavily recruiting.

All in all, the Sooners are trying to make connections with some of class’s most elite defensive talent in 2024 and this weekend was a perfect time to showcase that.

Lastly, there were a few 2025 prospects in attendance of note:

Knighten and Larry are in-state products and players the Sooners should have in-roads to as they are the in-state favorites. However, both running backs are young and have a significant amount of time before their recruitments gain any heavy movement. But in the case of Oklahoma, it’s never too early to get involved,  especially if Knighten and Larry become national names.

The foundation they build now will go a long way over the next few years.

Now that the weekend has come to an end, the next few days will allow recruits the opportunity to sit and think about the time they spent while in Norman. Some of the early returns and reactions have been overwhelmingly positive and we’ve chronicled those right here.

Expect for the Sooners to keep this level of momentum on the recruiting trail as they push through the spring on their way to their first spring game under Brent Venables. Oklahoma will be welcoming a number of prospects on campus for the April 23 spring game in Norman.

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Newly offered defensive lineman already planning trip to Florida

Kayden McDonald is planning a visit to Gainesville sometime in April after he was offered by the Gators on Monday.

Florida extended an offer to four-star North Gwinnett (Suwannee, Georgia) defensive line prospect Kayden McDonald on Monday and he’s already working to schedule a trip to Gainesville.

He told 247Sports that he’ll be visiting Oklahoma on March 4 and intends on taking trips to Arkansas, Auburn and Georgia during that month. However, he called his Florida offer a “dream come true” and said he plans to take a visit sometime during his spring break in April.

McDonald said he plans to take his official visits during the summer.

The No. 223 player in the 2023 class (and No. 33 defensive lineman) plans to narrow his list down in June and will make a decision when he feels ready, though he said he feels like he’s quite a way off from that.

While the Gators seem to be in good position, McDonald’s stock is quickly rising. In the last week, he’s picked up offers from a trio of SEC schools with LSU and Auburn joining the Gators.

Florida will hope it can use that visit in April to sway the Georgia prospect who has offers from many top programs in the region.

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Auburn targets another four-star defensive tackle from Georgia

Auburn targeting another four-star defensive tackle.

The hunt for defensive line help continues for the Auburn Tigers staff and new defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding.

The staff recently ventured into Georgia to extend an offer to four-star defensive lineman, Kayden McDonald, of North Gwinnett. The outlook at the position beyond the 2022 season is rather bleak. Schmedding and defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh has made a very concerted effort to add depth to the position.

The Tigers recently offered Jamaa Jarrett and Sydir Mitchell. Hopefully as Auburn continues to stockpile offers in the 2023 cycle, they can load up on a few commitments to give the unit some depth and flexibility.

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Kayden McDonald’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 225 25 31
Rivals 4 155 16 5
ESPN 4 288 27 20
On3 Recruiting 4 273 28 36
247 Composite 4 223 22 33

Vitals

Hometown Suwanee, Georgia
Projected Position Defensive Tackle
Height 6-3
Weight 310
Class Four-Star

Recruitment

  • Offered on Feb. 17, 2022
  • No visit scheduled

Offers

Crystal Ball

Film

Twitter

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A comprehensive look at some of Oklahoma Football’s recent offers

Oklahoma has been busy on the recruiting trail. Here’s a look at some of the recent offers OU has sent out to 2023 and 2024 prospects.

National Signing Day is swiftly approaching on Feb. 2 and that means the 2022 class is just about finished.

With that date within shouting distance, it’s time for Oklahoma to turn its collective attention to the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes.

OU has been busy sending out offers and looking to establish momentum in both of their upcoming classes. Here’s a look at some of the names the Sooners have offered recently.

Oklahoma offers four-star 2023 DT Kayden McDonald out of Suwanee, Ga.

Oklahoma offered four-star 2023 defensive tackle Kayden McDonald out of North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Ga.

It’s nearly curtains on the 2022 signing class. National signing day is rapidly approaching on Feb. 2 and that means attention will rapidly shift over to continuing to add to the Sooners’ 2023 recruiting class.

New Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates brings with him a pedigree of landing top defensive line prospects. Alongside Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables, Bates and the Sooners should have a serious shot at luring some of the nation’s top defensive talent to Norman.

That’s why OU hasn’t been bashful about sending out offers to some of the top defensive players in the 2023 class. The latest offer went to four-star defensive tackle Kayden McDonald out of North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Ga.

McDonald is rated as the nation’s No. 153 player overall and the country’s No. 5 defensive tackle by Rivals. 247Sports puts McDonald No. 226 overall and ranks the 6-foot-3, 325 pound prospect as the No. 33 defensive lineman in the 2023 class.

ESPN ranks McDonald as the country’s No. 20 defensive tackle and 290th player overall in its 2023 rankings.

In the 247Sports composite rankings, McDonald sits at No. 214 nationally and the nation’s No. 34 defensive lineman. On3‘s consensus rankings have McDonald as the country’s No. 268 player overall and the No. 37 defensive lineman nationally.

Kayden McDonald’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247Sports 4 226 26 33
Rivals 4 153 17 5
ESPN 4 290 27 20
247 Composite 4 214 21 34
On3 Recruiting 3 N/A N/A N/A
On3 Composite 4 268 27 37

According to 247Sports, McDonald also holds offers from the likes of Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

The Sooners have also sent out offers to 16 other 2023 defensive linemen. That list includes names like Lebbeus Overton, David Hicks, Peter Woods and Kelby Collins. Here’s a look at Oklahoma’s full list of 2023 offers via 247Sports.

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Wisconsin offers 2023 four-star DT Kayden McDonald

The Wisconsin football program continued their 2023 recruiting push today, this time going to the state of Georgia to do so. The newest

The Wisconsin football program continued their 2023 recruiting push today, this time going to the state of Georgia to do so.

The newest offer is four-star defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.

McDonald is 247Sports‘ No. 136 player in the class of 2023, No. 11 defensive tackle and No. 17 recruit from his home state of Georgia.

There are three other schools on the tackle’s offer list thus far: Georgia, Michigan State and Tennessee.

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