Tag: Keon Keely

Keon Keely will make a second visit to see Ohio State battle Wisconsin

The No. 1 edge rusher in the nation will be making his second visit to Columbus in just four weeks. #GoBucks

Well, well, well… would you look at that? Five-star recruit, Keon Keely will make a second trip to Columbus to see Ohio State when they take on Wisconsin this coming Saturday.

Keely is listed as the No. 1 edge rusher in the nation according to 247Sports composite rankings. The Florida native had been a long-time Notre Dame commit but decided to reopen his recruitment in late August. As soon as Keely decommitted from the Irish, nearly every expert in the country pegged the coveted defensive end to Alabama.

Keely could very well end up in Tuscaloosa, but he has maintained that he is considering three options including the Buckeyes, the Tide, and his home state Florida Gators.

Keely raved about his official visit to Ohio State sharing how much he loved the game day atmosphere, the way the team prepared for the game, Larry Johnson, and how much passion Buckeye fans have for Ohio State football. Apparently, he loved it so much that he’s coming back for another tour around campus, but this time on his own dime as an unofficial visit.

The fact that Keely’s second visit is so close to the first has to say something about how much he’s considering OSU. Of course, he still has an official visit locked in with Alabama for October 8 when the Tide will take on Texas A&M.

To be sure, the Buckeyes will be rolling out the red carpet for Keeley as he visits for the second time in just four weeks. A commitment would help bolster an already outstanding class but would be a much-needed addition to the defensive side of the ball.

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Friday Night Notes: Florida Gators climbing, top ’24 recruit makes his case, plus more

Florida also got commitments from two highly-ranked defensive tackles from the 2023 class.

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

Last week in the recruiting landscape, the biggest riser was Texas, which scored a commitment from top-two running back recruit Cedric Baxter Jr. This week, the biggest beneficiaries of the news cycle were the Florida Gators, who had a very strong run of recruiting.

Over the last several days, Florida’s defense has scored commitments from three of ESPN’s top 300 recruits.

The most recent addition to the pool is Woodward Academy (Ga.) linebacker Myles Graham, who is the son of former Florida and NFL running back Earnest Graham. Graham (6-foot-1, 212 pounds) is a four-star recruit who is composite-ranked No. 2 among linebackers and No. 52 overall in the nation.

Hale McGranihan, 247Sports

Florida also got commitments from two highly ranked defensive tackles from the 2023 class: Kelby Collins from Gardendale (Ala.) and Will Norman from IMG Academy (Fla.). Collins posted 16 sacks last season and is their highest-ranked recruit among Seniors.

Together, these two recruits helped push the Gators up three spots from No. 13 to No. 10 in 247Sports’ composite team rankings.

Billy Napier might also be in a position to snap up another top 2024 recruit who just changed his mind about his college commitment…

Notre Dame lands commitment from a Wafle

Notre Dame’s defensive line for the 2024 recruiting class is already off to a nice start!

For the second recruiting class in a row Notre Dame‘s first two verbal commitments come on the defensive line.  Last year it was [autotag]Keon Keely[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenan Vernon[/autotag] getting the cycle started with spring commitments and at this past spring game [autotag]Brandon Davis-Swain[/autotag] announced his commitment to the 2024 class.

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Joining Davis-Swain in the 2024 recruiting class will be defensive lineman [autotag]Owen Wafle[/autotag] who announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Monday.  Wafle is rated as a four-star prospect by both 247Sports and Rivals while On3 pegs him as a three-star talent.  The 6-2, 267-pounder from Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey chose Notre Dame over scholarship offers from Boston College, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Rutgers, and others.

According to MaxPreps, Wafle recorded 47 total tackles and five tackles for loss as a sophomore last season.

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Top Notre Dame recruiting target visiting SEC powerhouse this weekend

How do you feel about Notre Dame’s chances of landing it’s biggest offensive fish in 2023?

The young man hasn’t made a commitment to any college yet and doesn’t appear about to do so but that hasn’t stopped Notre Dame fans from envisioning what could come if five-star quarterback Dante Moore ends up wearing blue and gold.  Already a stellar recruiting class, a commitment from the King High School (Detroit) star would be huge in its own but would also likely boost the offensive side of the class for Notre Dame by drawing in more interested star talent.

Moore doesn’t appear near announcing a commitment very soon however and will be visiting the University of Florida this weekend.  The Gators join the list of recent visits from Moore that includes Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, and LSU in recent weeks.

Related – Notre Dame’s 2023 quarterback scholarship offers

Moore isn’t alone in being courted heavily by both Florida and Notre Dame as five-star defensive lineman Keon Keely, a current Fighting Irish commitment, recently visited the Gainesville campus.

Hopefully Moore has fun but not too good of a time down south this weekend.

Related:

Notre Dame offers over 60 high school prospects on St. Patrick’s Day

Meet Notre Dame’s stellar 2023 recruiting class commitments

Star Notre Dame commitment set to visit SEC program

Will Notre Dame ultimately keep his commitment?

Notre Dame’s loaded 2023 recruiting class is certain to draw interest from other programs nationally.  If Marcus Freeman and company want to keep it among the top classes in all of college football this recruiting cycle they’ll have much work to do but with landing more commitments and in keeping their own commitments committed.

Perhaps the biggest prize in Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts this cycle has been defensive end Keon Keely.  Keely is the 16th ranked player nationally in the 2023 class and the top-rated edge rusher according to the 247Sports Composite.  It’s understandable that he’s is drawing significant attention nationwide.

We now know that he’ll soon be visiting the University of Florida and their new head coach Billy Napier.

From our colleagues at Gators Wire:

This will be Keely’s first opportunity to meet with the new UF staff in Gainesville. He was offered by Florida on April 16 and took two unofficial visits with the previous staff, first in June for a junior day event and again in September for the game against Alabama.

Keely remains committed to Notre Dame but like I said previously, keeping him in this class is going to require a ton of work by Freeman and his staff as the services of one of the best players in the entire nation is at stake.

Related:

How much longer until Notre Dame and Florida are set to finally meet?

Meet Notre Dame’s star-studded 2023 recruiting class commitments

Top 25 winningest Power Five programs of the last decade

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Nick on Twitter: @nickshepkowski

5-star Notre Dame commit sets visit date with Gators

Tampa prospect Keon Keely is one of many talented players that will be on campus on March 5.

The Gators will make a push to steal a player currently committed to Notre Dame, as Tampa Berkeley Prep edge rusher Keon Keely has planned an official visit for the weekend of March 5, according to 247Sports’ Blake Alderman.

Keely, who is the No. 16 player in the country in the 2023 class and the No. 1-rated edge rusher per the 247Sports Composite, will be one of several five-star recruits on campus for what will be a busy recruiting weekend for coach Billy Napier.

This will be Keely’s first opportunity to meet with the new UF staff in Gainesville. He was offered by Florida on April 16 and took two unofficial visits with the previous staff, first in June for a junior day event and again in September for the game against Alabama.

Keely committed to the Fighting Irish shortly following his first visit to Florida, and though he’s held firm on that commitment, that hasn’t stopped him from visiting other schools, most recently the Crimson Tide on Jan. 29.

He grew up a fan of the Gators, and they will have an opportunity to try to flip him from Notre Dame, who he intends to visit on March 22. However, they will also have to contend with schools like Michigan, Ohio State and ‘Bama for the elite edge rushing prospect.

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