Notre Dame is among many in pursuit of the four-star offensive tackle
Samson Okunola is among the top offensive line recruits in the 2023 class and of course, Notre Dame is in hot pursuit of his talents. Okunola ranks in the top-five offensive lineman in the 247Sports composite rankings and is graded as the top player from Massachusetts in next year’s class.
Kristian Dyer, our friend and colleague at Rutgers Wire, recently chatted with the high school star and found out what he had to say about a few of the many programs currently chasing his talents. Here’s what Okunola told Dyer of Notre Dame:
“Their offensive line coach – he has a history of sending offensive linemen to the NFL and developing them. Their message is that you get to play football at a higher level and get to be developed by one of the top offensive line coaches but also get a good education.” – Samson Okunola to Rutgers Wire
Five-star offensive tackle Zach Rice, who ranks seventh overall in the 2022 247Sports Composite rankings listed Notre Dame among his five finalists, but the Irish didn’t win his services Thursday night as he announced his plans to attend North Carolina.
Joining Notre Dame and North Carolina as finalists were Alabama, Ohio State, and Rice’s home-state Virginia.
Rice becomes North Carolina’s 15th overall commitment in the 2022 class that is currently ranked ninth nationally by 247Sports. He’s also their second five-star recruit in the class based off those same Composite rankings.
Notre Dame currently checks in fifth in the 247Sports team rankings that include five-star linebacker Jaylen Sneed of Hilton Head Island.
Georgia is No. 1 in the polls and recruiting. What a time
What a week this has been for Kirby Smart and Georgia’s 2022 recruiting efforts.
On Monday, Georgia picked up a commitment from 3-star offensive tackle Aliou Bah. Wednesday, UGA received a commitment from 5-star defensive lineman Mykel Williams.
Four-star DL Justice Finkley’s commitment boosts Texas’ 2022 class to No. 3 in the nation.
Texas’ elite recruiting success under Steve Sarkisian continued on Thursday when four-star defensive lineman Justice Finkley announced his commitment to the University of Texas over Alabama and Colorado.
His commitment marks the fourth four-star commit in the last two weeks across the defensive line for the Longhorns. It boosts Texas’ 2022 recruiting class ranking three spots from No. 6 all the way up to No. 3 in the nation.
The Trussville, Alabama native decided to turn down Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide to play for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. During his commitment on CBS, Finkley stated that he has kept in contact with Sarkisian multiple times a week.
The Longhorns are getting a player who has played all positions across the defensive line, and his great play and productivity as a junior earned him a first-team selection on the MaxPreps Alabama all-state team.
Thanks to Finkley’s commitment, Texas’ recruiting class not only moved to No. 3, but they leapfrogged Alabama. It also puts the first full recruiting cycle for Sarkisian ahead of schools such as Ohio State and Georgia.
Big things are happing in Austin, and seeing how the remaining few targets on the board play out for Texas will be fascinating. Sarkisian wasn’t joking when he said the program will take a “All Gas, No Brakes” approach to everything that they do.
The 2022 Crimson Tide recruiting class continues to grow!
The 2022 Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting class currently ranks No. 11 in the nation and No. 3 in the SEC, but there’s plenty of time left for Nick Saban to get those rankings up. His latest recruit to commit is Amari Niblack, a three-star athlete from Clearwater, Florida.
In a post to Twitter, Niblack shared a photo of him in an Alabama uniform and a message that thanks his family, coaches and supporters for helping him get to this point.
At 6-feet-5-inches, Niblack is a massive offensive target. He identifies his skillset as a “hybrid wide receiver” and tight end.
While those positions may be crowded at Alabama, it’s all about who outworks those around them. Niblack will definitely have an opportunity to see the field if he puts in the work.
Where former No. 1 overall picks ranked as high school recruits.
It isn’t where you started but what you do when you get the opportunity. Not every player that is selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft is a highly touted recruit coming out of high school. While we can be infatuated with the numbers and recruiting rankings, they don’t mean everything. Player development and their own drive are the keys.
Bradford was just a three-star prospect when he came out of high school. He would become the Heisman Trophy winner in 2008 and would find his way to the podium as the top selection. What plagued him in college would follow him through his nine-year career in the NFL.
Despite rehabbing a shoulder injury, he was drafted first overall and earned Rookie of the Year honors. Talent was never a question. When healthy, Bradford showed flashes of why he was so highly touted coming out of college. But he could never shake the injury bug, starting all 16 games in a season just twice in his nine-year career.
Baker Mayfield (Three-Star Walk-On)
(AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Mayfield never received any major offers but decided to head to Texas Tech to learn from Kliff Kingsbury. After just one season, he left for Norman, Oklahoma. He would be coached by Kingsbury’s former backup in Lincoln Riley. Despite being a walk-on, Mayfield did what he always did in proving doubters wrong.
He ultimately walked on at Texas Tech, where he proved detractors wrong, making several starts and earning Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. Mayfield transferred to Oklahoma and blossomed there, leading the Sooners to three straight conference titles, setting several school and conference records and departing college with over 14,000 yards passing. As history has shown, Mayfield has proved skeptics wrong and made it clear he was one of the top prospects in class.
Kyler Murray (Five-Star)
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Murray was a completely different story than that of Bradford and Mayfield. He was a five-star prospect and the No. 1 overall dual-threat quarterback of the 2015 recruiting class. After transferring to Oklahoma from Texas A&M, Murray would win the Heisman Trophy and prove he was worth the hype as he was taken by the Arizona Cardinals in the draft.
A high-level two-sport athlete, Murray was named an Under Armour All-American in both football and baseball, finishing the 2015 cycle as the top-rated quarterback in his recruiting class. He signed with Texas A&M and contributed as a freshman, but transferred the next year to Oklahoma, where he initially sat behind Mayfield and then demonstrated why he was so highly ranked coming out of high school, earning the Heisman Trophy in 2018. Murray was also a first-round pick in the 2018 MLB draft, but has gone on to have success under center with the Arizona Cardinals.
With Stewart now reconsidering his options, Texas has taken a dive on the 247Sports composite team rankings.
Texas’ 2022 recruiting cycle was off to a hot start in Steve Sarkisian’s two months in charge. The discussions of how good the class was going to end up were reaching maximum hype levels, but it all came crashing back down to reality on Thursday afternoon.
Four-star wide receiver Evan Stewart announced his decommitment, citing his desire to take in-person visits as the main reason. The speedster was the biggest pledge Sarkisian had gotten. Stewart’s ability and quickness were projected to change Texas’ wide receiver room for the better. It’s a rather big loss for the Longhorns.
With Stewart now reconsidering his options, Texas has taken a dive on the 247Sports composite team rankings. Texas A&M rose above the Longhorns with a commitment from Isaiah Sategna and bumped them down to No. 5 in the country. Now without Stewart, Texas has dropped to No. 8, behind Oklahoma.
Texas’ average score is 95.03, only behind Ohio State and Georgia. Every other team ranked inside the top 10 has at least seven commitments, while Sarkisian has reeled in six so far.
Maalik Murphy remains the headliner of the 2022 class from a rating standpoint. Running back Jaydon Blue may be the best overall player, being a burner himself. The Longhorns have plenty of options at wide receiver, but Stewart projects as the top receiver of the cycle. It stings.
There will still be an opportunity for Sarkisian and Andre Coleman to get Stewart back in the class. Alabama and Oregon were seen as the biggest competitors before his original commitment in February. However, going against Nick Saban in a recruiting battle usually ends poorly for everyone not named Alabama.
