Tag: Rivals

Notre Dame trying to snag elite LSU quarterback commit?

So you’re saying there’s a chance? Irish to host top current 2022 @lsutigerswire commitment.

For what will likely end up being the biggest home game of the 2021 season Notre Dame will be hosting several big-time recruits as the Irish take on Cincinnati this Saturday.  Now among them will be five-star quarterback Walker Howard who is currently committed to LSU.

Mike Singer of BlueandGold.com reports:

Howard is considered very strong in his commitment to the Tigers, but because he has not visited another school for a game day experience, the family wanted to see Notre Dame.

We are told that LSU is aware of this visit and that there are no issues on that end, but Howard seeing the Fighting Irish at least opens the door should something change in his recruitment.

Notre Dame has a 2022 recruiting class quarterback commitment already from Steve Angeli of Bergen Catholic in New Jersey but if you’ve got the slightest chance to add an elite quarterback prospect like Howard you’d be a fool not to at least explore it.

For everything regarding Ed Orgeron and the LSU Tigers be sure to check out the work of our friends at LSU Tigers Wire.

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Florida still in play for this elite offensive lineman

Julian Armella is one of the country’s best offensive line prospects. Landing him would be huge for Dan Mullen’s 2022 recruiting class.

Offensive line coach John Hevesy has struggled to recruit offensive linemen for Florida, but the Gators are still in the hunt for four-star tackle Julian Armella. The 6-foot-6-inch, 295-pound lineman plans on taking an official visit to Florida before committing, according to 247Sports.

Alabama, LSU, Florida State and Miami are Florida’s competition and Armella plans to narrow down his options to four schools soon. He’s expressed interest in joining his former St. Thomas Aquinas teammates on the LSU offensive line, but Florida has its own St. Thomas alumni to counter.

“Derek Wingo is over there,” Armella said to 247Sports. “I got a bunch of guys over there. I really like what they’re doing. [Hevesy] is a really good dude. Same thing with Dan Mullen.”

Armella praised the Gators staff in late August as well and seemed eager to see how the Gators performed during the season. If Hevesy can add him to the 2022 class, missing out on guys like Jacob Hood and Leyton Nelson will sting far less.

Tony Livingston, a converted tight end, is the only four-star lineman in the 2022 class so far. Armella is ranked as the twelfth best offensive tackle on the 247Sports Composite list and is at No. 126 overall.  Rivals is more bullish on Armella, listing him at No. 4 in the nation overall and as the best offensive tackle in the country. One crystal ball projection has him going to Florida State, but that’s from 2019 and the FSU legacy has seen the Seminoles recent fall.

With crowds back at full capacity, Armella’s visit to the Swamp may be crucial if Hevesy and the Gators are to get back on track.

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Gators make top five for this in-state 4-star linebacker

Wesley Bissainthe has narrowed down his decision to just five schools. Three of them are in Florida.

Four-star linebacker Wesley Bissainthe named Florida in his top five on Wednesday after fielding offers from over 30 schools during his recruitment.

Florida joins Florida State, Miami, Penn State and West Virginia in Bissainthe’s top five. The Miami Central product made it to all five schools over the summer, but his trip to Gainesville wasn’t an official visit. With hopes of deciding before the December Early Signing Period, Bissainthe plans to officially visit UF soon, according to 247Sports.

The Hurricanes hosted Bissainthe for the Appalachian State game last weekend and FSU plans on bringing him out in the next few weeks as well. While Penn State may have the best recruiting class of 2022 so far, the Florida schools seem to be in the lead for the Miami native.

247Sports ranks Bissainthe as the fifteenth best linebacker in the country and the sixteenth best recruit out of Florida. Rivals is a bit less bullish on him, ranking Bissainthe at No. 23 positionally and at No. 42 in the state. Both outlets list him as a four-star prospect and have early projections of him committing to Miami.

Bissainthe says he’d like to commit around Thanksgiving, and Florida could use him alongside Shemar James and EJ Lightsey. Linebackers have been a fairly strong position for the Gators recently, and it looks like all efforts are being made to keep that unit bulked up.

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Florida football snags 2022 offensive lineman Jalen Farmer

Florida has struggled to land offensive linemen in recruiting lately, but they got a commitment from Jalen Farmer on Friday.

2022 offensive lineman Jalen Farmer announced his commitment to the Florida Gators on Friday.

Florida beat out East Carolina and Georgia Tech for Farmer. The Gators hosted the 6-foot-5-inch, 325-pounder in June and August before extending an offer to him on August 1. Rivals rates Farmer as a three-star guard while 247Sports has yet to rate the prospect.

Offensive line coach John Hevesy has led the recruiting effort for Farmer and the two have built a good relationship. After a visit, Farmer raved about Hevesy’s approach to coaching and the program as a whole.

“I loved everything about it,” Farmer said to 247Sports. “It was great working out with them and I learned a lot from coach Hevesy. He liked how aggressive and coachable I was. I love his knowledge of the game, and his fire when it comes to coaching and teaching technique. I liked the competition of the camp and the facilities were a big plus. Everything was great.”

Farmer joins four-star Tony Livingston and three-star David Conner as the third offensive lineman in the Gators 2022 recruiting class. The Gators have scrambled to fill out the line after missing out on prospects such as Tyler Booker and Jacob Hood. Florida’s 2022 class stands at 14 players following Farmer’s commitment.

The newest Gators commit will be in Gainesville next week for the game against Alabama.

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Tennessee Trio: The Sooners expects a boost from these former Volunteers

Rivals named the top five transfers in the Big 12 heading into 2021. These Sooners took the top three spots.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding Oklahoma’s cast of returning players in 2021. Spencer Rattler, Kennedy Brooks, Marvin Mims, Isaiah Thomas, and Nik Bonitto, lead the way for a Sooners team that’s the favorite in the Big 12. Those are just some of the names on a list that goes on and on due to how terrifyingly deep the Crimson and Cream are on both sides of the football.

At the same time, Lincoln Riley’s ability to bolster the roster with talent from the transfer portal could prove to be a tiny tweak that makes all the difference come playoff time.

Mike Farrell of Rivals ranked the top five transfer players in the Big 12. OU’s trio of Tennessee  transfers took the top three spots in Eric Gray, Key Lawerence, and Wanya Morris.

Eric Gray arrived in Norman as an undisputable impact player. The running back led the Volunteers with six touchdowns and finished with the sixth-most yards per game (85.8) in the SEC last season. Gray possesses great instincts and excellent change of direction skills at 206 pounds. 

With Kennedy Brooks already in the backfield, the addition of Gray is an added luxury for running backs coach Demarco Murray. As the ex-Volunteer’s ability to play out of the slot could allow Oklahoma to play both of its star running backs at the same time.

Blocking for Eric Gray will be a familiar face in Wanya Morris. Morris played left tackle at Tennessee, starting 17 of his 23 games and earning SEC All-Freshman honors. The Georgia native was called for just three penalties on 398 snaps in 2020. At 6-5, 312 pounds, his presence across from Eric Swenson should give quarterback Spencer Rattler peace of mind. 

The final member of the Tennessee trio is defensive back Key Lawerence. At 6-1, Lawerence brings size to the secondary and expects to find snaps at safety heading into 2021. He’s relatively inexperienced, playing just 105 snaps in his collegiate career.

Lawerence plays well in zone coverage and brings even more ball skills to the OU backfield. He recorded a pass breakup on just three targets last season. If anyone can help Lawerence take the next step in his development, it’s defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who personally coaches the safety group.

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These four Florida football commits made the newest Rivals250 list

One Gator moved up over 150 spots and into the top 50.

The Gators had four recruits from their class of 2022 named in the new Rivals250 rankings: inside linebacker Shemar James (No.40), cornerback Julian Humphrey (No. 55), athlete Isaiah Bond (No. 90) and quarterback Nick Evers (No. 199).

In addition to being the highest-ranked of the bunch, James was one of the biggest movers on the list overall. He joined the top 40 after moving up 170 spots since the last update. In fact, James was the single biggest mover on the list aside from those who jumped up from outside the top 250.

Humphrey comes in as the seventh-best cornerback nationally and Isaiah Bond is the fourteenth-best athlete in his debut ranking. Evers is the only Gator commit outside of the top 100 but he ranks as Rivals’ No. 9 dual-threat quarterback since they separate them from pro-style quarterbacks.

A pair of elite targets for Florida also placed well on the list. Walter Nolen, was again named the nation’s best defensive linemen at No. 2 on the overall list and defensive back Austin Ausberry jumped up 106 spots to No .95 in the country. Nolen placed Florida in his top three earlier this month and Ausberry has the Gators in his top six.

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Florida football makes top 10 for No. 1 running back recruit

Richard Young would be a game-changer for Florida. The No. 1 running back for 2023 named the Gators in his top 10.

Richard Young, the No. 1 running back in the class of 2023, named his top 10 on Sunday after receiving over 40 offers so far during recruitment. Florida made the cut along with Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon and USC.

The 6-foot, 190-pound back out of Lehigh Senior (Fla.) received an offer from the Gators before he started high school, according to Chad Simmons of Rivals. Young visited Florida most recently for the Gators’ Friday Night Lights camp at the end of July but has told stories of visits to games where the Gators faced the Seminoles before the COVID-19 pandemic.

FSU is Florida’s biggest in-state competition when it comes to Young after a June visit to Tallahassee that the recruit “loved.” Yet, the larger threat might be Alabama, which Young has described as a dream school.

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Running backs coach Greg Knox and head coach Dan Mullen have led the recruiting effort for Florida. Young knows he could be a major part of the offense for the Gators and Knox seems to be a fan of his skillset.

“He likes my vision, my cuts, my speed, how I read the holes and how I make cut backs,” young said to 247Sports. “He said he just likes how explosive I am and says he loves everything about how I play football. From what I have seen from their team, I think I could go in there and change their whole offense.”

Young has no timetable for his decision, but he’ll have plenty to consider as don’t of the nation’s top athletes. The 247Composite list has him No. 17 overall in the country, No. 5 in Florida and No. 1 at running back.

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MSU’s Kenneth Walker listed in top 10 RB transfers ranking by Rivals

Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker is considered one of the top transfer running backs in the country

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Michigan State newcomer Kenneth Walker is considered one of the top transfer running backs in the country.

Rivals National Columnist Mike Farrell released a top 10 list of running backs that transferred to a new school this offseason, and on his list is Walker. The former Wake Forest running back is ranked at No. 4 in Farrell’s list, and is the only Big Ten player listed.

Here’s what Farrell had to say about Walker and the impact he can have for Michigan State this season:

“This is a quiet one but really a great get by the Spartans as Walker was excellent for Wake Forest and has shown the ability to compete at the Power Five level. He brings needed speed.”

Walker comes to Michigan State with plenty of hype, and this ranking by Farrell will only increase that. In his two seasons at Wake Forest, Walker rushed for 1,158 yards and 17 touchdowns on only 217 carries.

Click on the tweet below to see the complete rankings from Farrell:

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Notre Dame presents offer to forward recruit Alex Karaban

The Irish are after a forward that’s on a bunch of schools’ radars.

Notre Dame is going after a player who has every intention of taking advantage of as many opportunities as possible. For the past two years, forward recruit Alex Karaban has played prep basketball in New Hampton, New Hampshire. As a senior, he will attend the renowned IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. That commitment to excellence was too good for the Irish to ignore, so they decided to become the latest program to make him an offer:

It’s hard to know for certain which direction Karaban is leaning towards. 247Sports believes Penn State and Northwestern, two schools he made official visits to in June, are the top contenders. Rivals forecasts him heading to Indiana. Of course, he also could choose one of the many other schools that have offered him, including Purdue, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Iowa, UConn, Georgetown, DePaul, Marquette, Stanford, LSU, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Creighton and even Harvard.

Rivals names former Wisconsin QB Jack Coan as top 10 transfer QB

Rivals’ Mike Farrell names former Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan as a top 10 transfer QB

Earlier today, Rivals columnist Mike Farrell released his top 10 transfer quarterbacks for the upcoming season. Former Wisconsin and current Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback, Jack Coan, was named as Farrell’s No. 4 transfer quarterback.

Related: WATCH: Wisconsin football releases new uniform ahead of Notre Dame matchup

Although Farrell noted that Coan may not even win the starting job, he did mention that the Sayville, New York, native’s experience will be invaluable for the Fighting Irish this season. Coan did not play in 2020 after injuring his foot before the start of the season and transferred this offseason to Notre Dame.

Ahead of Jack Coan in Farrell’s transfer QB ranking is Western Kentucky QB Bailey Zappe, Memphis QB Grant Gunnell and Florida State QB McKenzie Milton.

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