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It was a good weekend for the Irish
The end of the spring is always a big time draw for many recruits and Notre Dame’s Blue vs. Gold game is no different. Committed and uncommitted prospects share their experiences along with new offers as well. Find out below the latest on Irish recruiting post-spring game.
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A look at the top 10 uncommitted offensive linemen in the 2023 recruiting class per 247Sports.
The Oklahoma Sooners have had some of the best offensive lines in the country over the last decade. Some of that is due to the talent they’ve pulled in, but the Oklahoma Sooners have also had some of the best coaching in the country during that time.
Brent Venables’ decision to retain Bill Bedenbaugh was huge for the Sooners. It helped maintain continuity on the recruiting trail and in the offensive line room. This year as the Sooners look to replace Marquis Hayes and Tyrese Robinson, two of their more seasoned players over the last couple of years, having a steady and proven voice coaching the offensive line will help with the turnover.
Looking ahead to the future, the Oklahoma Sooners brought in two four-star offensive linemen, Jake Taylor and Jacob Sexton, as part of their 2022 recruiting class. So far in 2023, they’ve got interior offensive lineman Joshua Bates committed and will likely land the commitment from the No. 8 offensive lineman in the country, Cayden Green.
With just four commitments in the 2023 class at this time, the Oklahoma Sooners are still putting together their recruiting class for the next signing day cycle.
As the Sooners continue to build their 2023 recruiting class, let’s look at the country’s top 10 remaining uncommitted offensive linemen, according to 247Sports.
The Clemson Insider recently caught up with one of Clemson’s priority offensive line targets in the 2023 recruiting class who has held an offer from the Tigers since June 2021. Monroe Freeling, a four-star offensive lineman out of Oceanside …
The Clemson Insider recently caught up with one of Clemson’s priority offensive line targets in the 2023 recruiting class who has held an offer from the Tigers since June 2021.
Monroe Freeling, a four-star offensive lineman out of Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), gave the latest on his recruitment and where Clemson currently stands in the mix of everything.
Freeling made his way to campus for Clemson’s second junior day of the year on Saturday, March 5.
“It was my first time up there since Coach (Tony) Elliott left and the whole coaching staff change,” he said. “From a first-day-of-practice standpoint, that was my first actual practice, so it was hard for me to take a look and see where they’ve come. I like the environment that’s being created at the moment and seeing Coach (Thomas) Austin coach is pretty cool.”
What did he hear from Clemson’s coaching staff while he was back on campus?
“They kind of just treated me like I’ve been there,” Freeling said. “It was really just catching up and feeling like I was back up there once again like it was no big deal.”
Every time he hears from Clemson, the Tigers always make sure to reinforce that he’s a priority for them in this recruiting class.
Freeling had a chance to sit in on some of Clemson’s offensive line meetings and he was able to understand what was going on because his offensive line coach at Oceanside coached in college. A lot of the terminology is pretty similar, so he feels like he could pick up on everything pretty quickly.
It was hard for Freeling to get up in the practice because they were bouncing all around, but what he can remember from participating in the Dabo Swinney Camp this past summer is that he was really only getting coached by Austin. Needless to say, he’s a fan of Clemson’s newly-minted offensive line coach’s coaching style.
As far as his recruitment is concerned, it’s hard for Freeling to say that he can make a decision soon. However, he does know that when he does make a decision and even when he starts to narrow down his list, Clemson is going to be there for a while.
Because of the ever-changing coaching landscape in college football, it sounds like Freeling wants to see how the coaching changes are impacted at the schools he’s considering throughout the season and evaluate his options from there.
When Freeling knows what school he wants to go to, he’ll make his decision. He doesn’t want to rush anything and make a mistake that he’ll regret.
Where does Clemson currently stand in his recruitment?
“Clemson’s there,” he said. “I like Clemson. I like the culture they have there and the energy they create. I mean, they’re there for sure.”
Freeling estimates that he’ll be back on campus this summer.
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Four-star offensive tackle Monroe Freeling quickly scheduled a visit to Florida after receiving an offer.
Florida and offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton have extended several scholarships offers this past week, They understand that the talent level among the offensive line needs to be raised significantly if the Gators want to compete for a national championship again. One offensive tackle to receive an offer recently is four-star Monroe Freeling out of South Carolina. He wasted very little time scheduling a visit to the Swamp after earning the green light, according to 247Sports.
Sale has run point for Freeling so far from coach Billy Napier‘s staff. Freeling said he likes the former New York Giants assistant coach even though their relationship is in the infant stages.
With this upcoming visit, Freeling looks forward to learning more about the Orange and Blue.
“I do know they just got a new head coach and they are really trying to rebuild to get back to where they were years back,” he said. “I really don’t know much about them other than that, but Coach Sale has told me some things. I like how they are a little close to home, even though travel has never been a big deal to me. It’s always an addition to be able to be close. Florida has been known to develop offensive linemen, so that is a plus. Coach Sale was telling me they have a new engineering facility, which is good because I want to major in math and science.”
Florida may have just offered Freeling but that hasn’t stopped him from including the Gators among teams he feels that are recruiting him the best. Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State are some other schools he mentioned. Finally, he said he doesn’t think a decision will be made this spring and that he wants to visit some more schools.
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Four-star offensive tackle Monroe Freeling added a scholarship offer from Florida on March 4.
Four-star offensive tackle Monroe Freeling has seen his recruitment blow up over the last couple of weeks. Ohio State, LSU and Louisville have offered him scholarships recently, and now he can add Florida to his list as coach Billy Napier and Co. offered him on March 4. Freeling is the nation’s fifth-best offensive tackle, according to the On3 Consensus rankings.
After his offer, he spoke to Gators Online and told them that offensive coordinator and line coach Rob Sale has run point for Florida so far. Freeling hasn’t talked to him much but his first impression of the former New York Giants assistant is that he’s “cool”.
Even though he hails from South Carolina, he said he still knows a good bit about Florida. Freeling said the Gators are a good football program and that they send a lot of players to the NFL.
Player development isn’t the only thing he is looking for in his recruitment. He wants to major in math and science and is looking for a school with a strong department in that area.
Freeling added that even before the offer that he wanted to visit the Swamp, but now the offer gives him extra motivation to make the trek to Gainesville. While he looks into scheduling a Florida visit, he is set to visit Clemson and Miami later this month.
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Each week The Clemson Insider brings you the latest Inside information on the Clemson Tigers in The Insider Report. Feedback from seven top prospects that visited Clemson this weekend. What is the latest on a priority OL target? How did 2024 elite …
Each week The Clemson Insider brings you the latest Inside information on the Clemson Tigers in The Insider Report.
Feedback from seven top prospects that visited Clemson this weekend. What is the latest on a priority OL target? How did 2024 elite corner Tavoy Feagin enjoy his first visit to Clemson? All of this and more in this week’s edition of The Insider Report (FREE).
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Clemson is set to host a slew of top prospects today for its second junior day of the year, which the Tigers are dubbing their “spring elite day” for recruits in the class of 2023. Among the headliners expected to be in attendance is Central (Phenix …
Clemson is set to host a slew of top prospects today for its second junior day of the year, which the Tigers are dubbing their “spring elite day” for recruits in the class of 2023.
Among the headliners expected to be in attendance is Central (Phenix City, Ala.) five-star A.J. Harris, the nation’s No. 2 cornerback and No. 17 overall prospect in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder has made multiple trips to Tiger Town and is a priority target for the Tigers. Last September, he released a top seven comprised of Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio State.
Harris will be joined on campus by a host of other talented defensive backs, including Harris’ teammate at Central, cornerback Quintavious Billingsley; Lake Mary (Fla.) four-star cornerback Braedan Marshall; Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) three-star cornerback Colton Hood; Daniel (Central, S.C.) cornerback Misun Kelley; North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.) cornerback Khalil Barnes; Loachapoka (Auburn, Ala.) cornerback Jacorious Hart; Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) three-star safety Robert Billings; and A.C. Reynolds (Asheville, N.C.) safety Dashawn Stone.
Another headliner slated to be on hand for the spring elite day is Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) four-star offensive lineman Monroe Freeling.
It will mark his first visit to Clemson since attending the Florida State game in late October of last year. He was also on campus last June to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp, after which he picked up an offer from the Tigers.
Freeling said during a recent interview with The Clemson Insider that the Tigers “stand highly” in his recruitment heading into today’s visit.
“I really loved the culture there when I first went up and I’ve been maintaining a good relationship with (offensive line) coach (Thomas) Austin,” he said, “and I’m just looking forward to growing it some more when I get out there.”
Along with Clemson, which is heavily pursuing Freeling, he named Miami and Notre Dame as a couple of schools that have been recruiting him the hardest.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Freeling is the No. 1 prospect in South Carolina, No. 9 offensive tackle nationally and No. 82 overall prospect for the 2023 class.
South Point (Belmont, N.C.) four-star offensive lineman Sullivan Absher will also return to Clemson after picking up an offer from the Tigers in February – an offer that he told TCI he “had been working for, for a very long time.” He previously traveled to Clemson twice during this past season – first for the Boston College game in October and then for the Wake Forest game in November.
Another big-time offensive lineman will be on campus today as well in Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) four-star tackle Zechariah Owens.
As for the defensive linemen expected to be among the junior day visitors, there are several prominent prospects, namely St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) four-star David Ojiegbe, Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.) four-star Hunter Osborne, Rome (Ga.) four-star Stephiylan Green, Upson-Lee (Thomaston, Ga.) four-star T.J. Searcy and Woodward Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) four-star A.J. Hoffler.
A bunch of other standout class of 2023 prospects are on the expected guest list for the spring elite day, as well, including Hickory Ridge (Harrisburg, N.C.) four-star wide receiver Christian Hamilton; Bridgeland (Cypress, Texas) four-star tight end Reid Mikeska; Denmark (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star linebacker Dee Crayton; Fairfax (Va.) four-star linebacker Tony Rojas; F.W. Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.) three-star wide receiver Creed Whittemore; Maiden (N.C.) High School three-star wide receiver Chris Culliver; Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) three-star athlete Jordan Bass; Sumter (S.C.) athlete Zyeir Gamble; and Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.) running back Jarvis Green.
A few notable 2024 prospects are planning to visit Clemson today, too, in Carrollwood Day (Tampa, Fla.) four-star defensive back Tavoy Feagin, Weddington (Matthews, N.C.) tight end Brooks Mauk and Towers (Decatur, Ga.) wide receiver/cornerback Keshawn Weathers.
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We love Hiestand too
There is an elite camp happening today, the Under Armor All-American Camp in Atlanta and there is some intel coming out on a Notre Dame recruit. Andrew Ivins of 247Sports got a chance to speak with offensive tackle Monroe Freeling of South Carolina and was told to expect a visit to South Bend in April.
The six-foot-seven-inch and 283-pound offensive tackle has an impressive offer list which includes Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Texas A&M and others. There is another tidbit that Ivins had regarding Freeling’s thoughts on Notre Dame, that he “sounds like he’s big on (Harry) Hiestand.”
No doubt that is good news for the Irish, as Freeling would be coached by Hiestand if he opted for Notre Dame. Hopefully his April visit is the start of much bigger relationship.
Love the upside of OT @FreelingMonroe – @UANextFootball @JohnGarcia_Jr #UnderArmour pic.twitter.com/rVLlF9SPXk
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) February 27, 2022
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A priority Clemson offensive line target from the Palmetto State will soon return to Tiger Town. Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) four-star Monroe Freeling – the Palmetto State’s No. 1 prospect and a top-100 national prospect in …
A priority Clemson offensive line target from the Palmetto State will soon return to Tiger Town.
Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) four-star Monroe Freeling – the Palmetto State’s No. 1 prospect and a top-100 national prospect in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings – plans to be at the Tigers’ junior day March 5.
It will mark his first visit to Clemson since attending the Florida State game in late October of last year. He was also on campus last June to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp, after which he picked up an offer from the Tigers.
“I’m excited,” Freeling said of the upcoming junior day visit in a recent interview with The Clemson Insider. “I’m excited to get up there, especially with all the (coaching) changes that have happened since the last time I went there.”
Freeling (6-7, 287) looks forward to experiencing Clemson again – but this time around the Tigers’ new-look coaching staff, which now features Brandon Streeter in the offensive coordinator role as Tony Elliott’s replacement, and Wes Goodwin and Mickey Conn as co-defensive coordinators in place of the departed Brent Venables.
“I think it’s just to feel the difference between the culture then and now, because they lost Coach Elliott and Venables,” Freeling said when asked what he hopes to get out of the upcoming visit. “So, it will be interesting to see how the culture has changed, because those are two important coordinators that were essential to their staff the past couple of years. So, I just want to see how everything’s doing right now, really.”
The March junior day visit will also give Freeling another opportunity to build upon his bond with Thomas Austin.
Freeling hung out with Austin after the FSU game and really got to know him, and their relationship has only kept growing since Austin took over for Robbie Caldwell as Clemson’s offensive line coach. Freeling estimated that he communicates with Austin every week and a half or so, and he wants to work out with Austin at the Dabo Swinney Camp this summer so he can get a taste of what it would be like to have Austin as a coach.
“I think he’s a great person. I really like him,” Freeling said. “I like hanging out with him, I liked his vibe. I probably want to get up to another camp this summer, just so I can feel what it’s like to be coached under him a little bit. Because I remember the first time I went up for their camp, I wasn’t really sure who he was at the time, and then I got to know him. And now that I do know him, it will be interesting to see the coaching side from actually knowing him as a person first.”
What is the overarching message that Austin has conveyed to Freeling during their conversations?
“I’m just their number one guy for offensive line at least, and that they really want me,” Freeling said.
“It feels good,” he added of hearing that from Austin. “It does feel good to know that the home state loves me a lot.”
During the season, Freeling made visits to North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Notre Dame, in addition to Clemson. He hasn’t been able to check out any schools since the college football season ended due to his high school basketball schedule, but he’s looking to visit schools such as Notre Dame, Miami, Florida, Michigan and Penn State this offseason. He also hopes to make a West Coast swing this spring to schools like Oregon, Stanford and Southern Cal.
Along with Clemson, which is clearly hard after Freeling, he named Miami and Notre Dame as a couple of schools that have been pursuing him most heavily.
Freeling feels it’s too early for him to release a top schools list, though he wants to narrow things down in his head soon.
As for Freeling’s commitment timeline, he doesn’t have a firm date in mind and is simply trying to take the process slowly right now.
“I think for me it’s just when I know, I’ll know,” he said. “Because I’ll get to the decision eventually, I just don’t want to really restrict myself. I can give myself a deadline, but I kind of want to go slow through it and really figure out where I really want to go and really feel like I’m a fit at.”
A few factors will play a prominent role in Freeling’s decision-making process as he weighs his college choices.
“I think number one for me is development and academics,” he said. “Because football is not for long. That’s what NFL stands for. … As good as I am now, I want to be the best, so I want to be developed to be the best. Again, football’s not for long, and I work so hard in school right now to get good grades. So, I think they should pay off at a school that provides those opportunities. And lastly is probably just the culture and the feel of the school.”
Along with Clemson, Freeling’s offer list features Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Virginia among others.
Where do the Tigers stand in his recruitment heading into next month’s visit?
“I’d say they stand highly,” he said. “I really loved the culture there when I first went up and I’ve been maintaining a good relationship with Coach Austin, and I’m just looking forward to growing it some more when I get out there.”
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Freeling is the No. 1 prospect in South Carolina, No. 9 offensive tackle nationally and No. 93 overall prospect for the 2023 class.
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