Tag: Payton Pierce

Oklahoma Sooners land commitment from four-star LB James Nesta

James Nesta committed to Oklahoma over UNC and Miami. Nesta also plans to play baseball at OU.

Oklahoma is starting to reap the benefits of its major recruiting event, the ChampU BBQ. Oklahoma just landed the commitment of four-star James Nesta. This talented dual-sport athlete is expected to play linebacker at Oklahoma and spend time on the diamond with the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team.

Nesta hails from North Carolina, where he plays at Hough High School just outside Charlotte. Nesta is a talented linebacker/edge who could play in the box and provide run support while rushing off the edge in clear pass-rushing situations. His athleticism and ability to play in space make him a possible cheetah candidate in Brent Venables and Ted Roof’s defense.

He finished his junior season with 41 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown. His team made a deep run into the playoffs before being defeated by the eventual state runner-up.

Nesta’s commitment is significant for Oklahoma in 2024 because the Sooners’ board at linebacker was extremely open. The commitment of Payton Pierce to Ohio State and Sammy Brown to Clemson threw a wrench in Oklahoma’s plans.

Oklahoma sold Nesta on his role in Brent Venables’s defense with the development to match and the ability to play baseball on an SEC team. Nesta is a talented pitcher, and his commitment is a win for head baseball coach Skip Johnson.

The University of Miami was the leader heading into Nesta’s trip to Norman for the ChampU BBQ. However, the conversations and his time spent in Norman moved the needle in Oklahoma’s favor, and the talented rising senior never looked back.

With Nesta, the Sooners get the No. 347 player, according to the 247Sports composite. The composite also has him as a four-star and the No. 12 prospect in North Carolina. Nesta wasn’t beholden to playing his college ball in North Carolina, so the battle came down to Oklahoma and Miami in many ways. In the end, the appeal of the SEC and being developed by one of the best defensive minds in the game, Brent Venables, won out.

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Who does Notre Dame turn to at linebacker now that a top target is off the market

Who do you think the Irish should turn their attention to?

If you didn’t know, Texas linebacker [autotag]Payton Pierce[/autotag] did not select [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag], he chose Ohio State, and you have to wonder how much of an impact [autotag]James Laurinaitis[/autotag] had.

The former Irish grad assistant was the leader behind Pierce’s recruitment, and once Laurinaitis left for his alma mater, he seemingly took the middle linebacker with him.

Unfortunately, this leaves the Irish without a commit at the position and a reordering of their recruiting board. It’s not bare, and Notre Dame has more than a few offers out to other linebackers. Find out who they could turn their focus to now that Pierce is off the board.

(All rankings are via the 247Sports composite.)

Ohio State rises to No. 2 nationally after latest 4-star 2024 commitment

Since the new year began one could argue no other program has done a better job.

Ohio State suffered a significant loss in December when No. 1 overall 2024 recruit Dylan Raiola decommitted. However, since the recruiting cycle got busy, no other program has done a better job of accumulating high-end high school football talent from around the country.

Over the last two weeks, the Buckeyes have gotten a flurry of new commitments from blue-chip recruits, including four-star twin offensive tackles Deontae Armstrong and Devontae Armstrong from St. Edward (Ohio). They have also replaced Raiola with Langston Hughes (Ga.) four-star quarterback Air Noland.

The latest addition is Lovejoy (Texas) four-star linebacker Payton Pierce.

According to On3, Pierce had offers from nearly 40 other schools, including Texas, Baylor, North Texas, TCU and Texas A&M. However, Pierce told Nick Harris at Rivals that Ohio State is a special opportunity.

“I have a really great relationship with Coach Laurinaitis. He’s done it at the highest level and he’s done it the right way. I think it’s really cool to have someone who knows how to do it at that university and at that position so I think it’s just a really special opportunity. Their defense fits me real well.”

Pierce (6-foot-1, 225 pounds) is ranked No. 15 among linebackers in his class and No. 27 overall in the state of Texas.

Ohio State’s class of 2024 now has 10 hard commits, with nine of them having a four or five-star rating. This group ranks No. 2 in the nation.

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Scout’s view: Ohio State’s newest commit, linebacker Payton Pierce

Could Pierce have a similar career as another former Buckeye from Texas? #GoBucks

It should come as no surprise that Texas linebacker [autotag]Payton Pierce[/autotag] chose Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are getting a linebacker that has an incredibly high ceiling and is ranked as one of the best players in the country. The 247Sports Composite ranks Pierce as the No. 15 best ‘backer and 151st overall recruit.

The 6-foot, 2-inch, 225-pound defender chose Ohio State over offers from Oklahoma, Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan, and others.

Pierce became the 10th commit in the 2024 recruiting cycle for [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag], who looks to have turned the recruiting focus to defense after a recent run of offensive stars.

Although [autotag]Garrett Stover[/autotag] is listed as a linebacker, he could end up at safety, which could be a similar case with Pierce. Find out below what the Buckeyes are getting from their most recent commitment.

Notre Dame linebacker target set to announce commitment tonight

The Irish will have a hat on the table

[autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] has a stellar start to their 2024 recruiting class and will be adding more big time prospects to the current 9 player class.

One of those targets is Texas linebacker [autotag]Payton Pierce[/autotag]. The 6-foot, 1-inch and 225 pound ‘backer is rated as the 15th best at his position and 151st overall player according to the 247Sports composite rankings will make his decision tonight.

At one point during his recruitment, it looked like Pierce would end up wearing Blue and Gold but a key recruiter, [autotag]James Laurinaitis[/autotag], left Notre Dame to take a position at his alma mater, Ohio State.

The relationship between the two continued and at the current moment, all signs point to Pierce committing to the Buckeyes later tonight.

Although the Irish have their hat on the table, don’t expect him to select Notre Dame later tonight. There are still plenty of big time linebacker targets still considering the Irish.

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Latest 247Sports rankings highlights prospects Oklahoma is pushing for

A number of 2024 targets of the Oklahoma Sooners were featured in the latest Top247 update from 247Sports.

For the first time since the end of November, 247Sports updated its 2024 rankings ahead of a busy spring and summer for the next crop of prospects.

Oklahoma is looking to assemble another top-five recruiting class to follow up on their 2023 one that finished as a fourth-ranked class in the 247Sports composite. In looking at these new 247Sports Top247 rankings, there are quite a few targets of the Sooners featured throughout the top 247 prospects in the country.

Among the 32 prospects 247Sports has given five-star rankings, names like [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag], [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Bryant Wesco[/autotag], [autotag]Sammy Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Kobe Black[/autotag], and [autotag]Eddrick Houston[/autotag] have visited or have been linked to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Nwaneri and Stone are priority prospects for Oklahoma, and if the Sooners landed just one, let alone both, you could already pencil them in as the jewels of the class. Nwaneri is third best prospect in the Top247, while Stone comes in at No. 7 in the update. Bryant Wesco, Oklahoma’s top wide receiver target, moved up to No. 9.

Black and Houston have visited Oklahoma since the start of 2023 and came out of the visits with good things to say about the Sooners’ coaching staff. Sammy Brown, an elite linebacker from the state of Georgia, has Oklahoma on his radar for a visit. He’ll likely be in Norman in April. A good impression there could give Oklahoma their window to sneak in and grab an official visit from Bown.

Plenty of Sooner targets showed up elsewhere in the rankings. Wide receiver [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag] slotted in at No. 89, and offensive tackle [autotag]Bennett Warren[/autotag] is ranked No. 82. Safety prospect [autotag]Aaron Flowers[/autotag] is at No. 109, while DL [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag] is right behind him at 110. Oklahoma leads in the race for Flowers and Smith.

One shocking drop is Sooners’ priority quarterback prospect Michael Hawkins is no longer rated a four-star by 247Sports. He’s now a three-star and sits as the No. 26 QB in the nation. Hawkins transferred to Frisco Emerson high school in December but has been showing out in the 7-on-7 circuit this spring.

Two prospects that Oklahoma currently leads for, RB [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] and LB [autotag]Payton Pierce[/autotag], remain the No. 160 and 164 prospects, respectively.

This spring and summer will allow these prospects to improve their rankings by participating in camps, 7 v 7 tournaments, and other recruiting events. For Oklahoma, the race to earn commitments from these talented young players is a long one. Where they are now in these rankings doesn’t reflect where they will end up when their high school careers conclude in December.

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Ohio State football sends out a flurry of offers to top prospects

The Buckeyes stay active on the recruiting trail again #GoBucks

The phones at the [autotag]Woody Hayes Athletic Center[/autotag] must be going off the hook for the [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] staff. The Buckeye brass has been super active on the recruiting trail the last few days, with one of the highlights being an offer to 2026 quarterback Julian Lewis.

The action didn’t stop with Lewis. Many more offers have gone out over the last day or so. There wasn’t a specific focus on who the offers went out to — or even a specific class. They were all over the board.

Find out below who [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] and his staff have recently offered.

Recruiting expert ‘crystal balls’ 8 prospects to Notre Dame

Who will be the next to commit to Notre Dame?

There is no such thing as the off-season when it comes to college football.  Although games won’t be played until late August, plenty is still occurring.  The second signing period for the 2023 recruiting cycle opens in just a couple of weeks, the transfer portal seemingly never lets things sleep, and coaching changes can happen at any time.

Furthermore, recruiting for the 2024 class is all systems go.  Notre Dame started this past weekend by blitzing the locals in Indiana and Chicagoland before hosting a huge recruiting weekend on campus.  Now predictions for who the next Fighting Irish commitments might be are rolling in.

Tom Loy of Irish Illustrated and 247Sports is as respected of recruiting reporter/analyst as there is in Notre Dame football.  He made nine crystal ball predictions for 2024 recruits on Monday (Jan. 16, 2023), eight of which he pegged to Notre Dame.  Here is a little info on those eight Irish targets.

Texas among top schools for 2024 four-star LB Payton Pierce

Payton Pierce announced the top 10 schools left in his recruitment on Friday. Five Big 12 programs are included.

Texas is currently finalizing their 2023 recruiting class and have their sights set on compiling another impressive haul for the 2024 cycle. Continue reading “Texas among top schools for 2024 four-star LB Payton Pierce”

Recruiting update: Multiple future recruits will attend Ole Miss game this weekend

Eight 2023, 2024, and 2024 recruits will attend the Aggies’ primetime matchup with the 15th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday

The Aggies are gearing up for their primetime matchup with the 15th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday night in what should be a packed Kyle Field as the team hasn’t played in front of the 12th man in 42 days, one of their longest stretches in the program’s history.

Since the start of one of the busiest news weeks for the Aggies season, ranging from player suspensions to season-ending injuries, one of the stories that fell under the radar came to light later in the week, as eight 2023, 2024, and 2024 recruits will visit College Station this weekend, and attend the Ole Miss game set to kick off at 6:30 PM CT. on the SEC Network.

The eight players who will be attending the game are listed as current Texas A&M commit, 2023 defensive tackle David Hicks Jr., 2023 Texas commit Malk Muhammad, 2023 Edge Tomarrian Parker, 2023 Michigan State commit, running back Kedrick Reescano, 2024 quarterback DJ Lagway, 2024 defensive tackle T.A. Cunningham, 2024 linebacker Payton Pierce, and 2025 quarterback Bekkem Kritza.

Yes, Texas A&M is 3-4 and 1-3 in the SEC, but this is one of the most important weekends not only for a team looking to win their first game in nearly a month, but for a staff that needs to impress the eight highly touted recruits in attendance enough for them to really consider the Aggies late in the recruiting process. Gig ’em, and BTHO Ole Miss.

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