Tag: Rivals

Report: True freshman phenom DJ Hicks returning to Texas A&M for next season

Per Landyn Rosow of Rivals, the Aggies true freshman defensive lineman is returning to Kyle Field for his sophomore year in College Station.

Texas A&M phenomenal freshman defensive lineman David “DJ” Hicks Jr. is reportedly returning to Kyle Field for his true sophomore season in Bryan-College Station.

According to a report from Landy Rosow, Rivals’ Texas A&M recruiting insider & writer, Hicks will not be entering the NCAA Transfer Portal and intends to play for new head Aggies head coach Mike Elko and his staff in 2024.

Hicks will work directly with Sean Spencer, who was hired from Florida to coach the defensive line. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound native of Katy, Texas graduated from Paetow High School last year.

He committed to Texas A&M as a 5-star recruit who was ranked amongst the top 15 players in the country. According to 247Sports, Hicks was the No. 1 player from the Lone Star State in the Class of 2023. He was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America game and Polynesian Bowl.

Hicks played in 11 games for the Aggies this season, tallying 13 tackles (6 solo), 2 tackles for a loss of yards and 1 sack. He racked up 2 tackles during the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27 against No. 20 Oklahoma State.

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Where does the Aggies’ 2024 recruiting class rank in the SEC and nationally?

As the Early Signing Day period comes to a close for 2023, it’s time to see where the Aggies’ 2024 class ranks among SEC foes and nationally.

As the Early Signing Day period comes to a close for 2023, it’s time to see where Texas A&M‘s 2024 class ranks among Southeastern Conference rivals and nationally.

After having the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022, Mike Elko has set the bar high for his first haul of prospects as Aggies head coach. Texas A&M ranks in the top 20 nationally according to the three most prominent college sports media and data companies.

The highest nationwide ranking comes from On3 Sports, which has the Aggies slotted at No. 12 in the country. 247Sports has Texas A&M at No. 17 and Rivals ranks the Aggies at No. 19 nationally. Among SEC foes, On3 and Rivals have Texas A&M ranked No. 7 while 247 slotted the Aggies at No. 9.

Texas A&M has signed 16 total recruits, most of which are four-star prospects. The list of signees includes Papa Ahfua, Ernest Campbell, Myles Davis, Dealyn Evans, Ashton Funk, Blake Ivy, Kendall Jackson, Tristan Jernigan, Eric Karner, Jordan Lockhart, Miles O’Neill, Jordan Pride, Izaiah Williams and Solomon Williams.

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Saints statement game brewing against the Rams, one of their oldest rivals

The Saints are hoping to make a statement on Thursday night against one of their oldest rivals. A look back at their series history with the Rams:

We’re in for a big one on Thursday night — maybe the biggest game of the year for the New Orleans Saints. A win over the Los Angeles Rams wouldn’t just help open a second path to a playoff berth for the Saints, meaning they could reach the postseason without an NFC South title; it would also tip the scales back in their favor in the all-time record against one of their oldest rivals.

The Rams may have beaten the Saints often in their early years as neighbors in the old NFC West, but New Orleans evened the score by winning 16 of their 22 matchups from 1985 to 1995, including an undefeated stretch of seven games from Dec. 9, 1990 to Oct. 3, 1993. Now, Los Angeles maintains a lead of 43-35 in the all-time record between these two teams.

Can the Saints notch another win after beating the Rams 27-20 in New Orleans last season? They have their work cut out for them against a red-hot L.A. squad that has won four of its last five games, having taken the 11-3 Baltimore Ravens to overtime in a last-second loss.

We’re going to learn a lot about the Saints in this game. If Dennis Allen’s team can pull off the upset and stay alive in the playoffs race, it will validate the swagger he’s shown as of late after knocking out the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. If they fall short and regress after making some big strides, well: the criticism Allen has drawn from all corners in New Orleans is only going to return with vengeance.

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Oklahoma Sooners land commitment from talented 4-star OL Eddy Pierre-Louis

Oklahoma has continued to stack up offensive line depth for the future, earning a commitment from four-star guard Eddy Pierre-Louis.

We are now just days away from Oklahoma finalizing their 2024 recruiting class with the early signing period coming on December 20th. Many athletes are having signing day ceremonies early since some schools will be out for winter break during that time.

The recruiting process has ended for many prospects, but for some, it has taken them a lot longer to figure out where they would play college football.

Oklahoma had to play the waiting game for one of their prospects, but with the athleticism and the upside that this one possesses, it could end up being worth the wait. Four-star Tampa Catholic offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis announced his commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday.

Pierre-Louis chose the Sooners over offers from Oregon, Alabama, UCF, Auburn, Florida, Michigan, USC and many others. The talented offensive lineman is a composite four-star at 247Sports is Rivals number one guard prospect in the country.

This recruitment has been a roller coaster, with UCF holding a distinct advantage at times. Oregon led for some time, as did Oklahoma. The one constant in this was Oklahoma’s ability to never get too far down the pecking order. When the opportunity came for the Sooners to seize control for good, they did just that.

Eddy Pierre-Louis has game-ready size as he stands 6-foot-4 and weighs over 315 pounds already. He is most definitely a guard in college, but he could end up being an all-conference type of guard if his athleticism translates to the collegiate level.

He runs track and field, and his high school tape showcases a physical player who thrives as a pulling lineman, where he can get out in space and punish defenders. With Oklahoma using many more gap-oriented run schemes, which Seth Littrell has incorporated in his offenses before, he has a clear path to showcasing his best skills.

Bill Bedenbaugh is getting a terrific talent whose athleticism raises his ceiling significantly. With Oklahoma’s lack of depth along the interior, it’s entirely possible that Pierre-Louis needs to be ready to play at some point next season.

With him in the boat, the Oklahoma Sooners have 28 high school commitments and remain one of the ten best recruiting classes in the country.

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Florida’s 2024 quarterback recruit earns fifth star from Rivals

The announcement gives Lagway a unanimous consensus as a five-star athlete across the major scouting services.

It was a rough season for the Florida football program but there is hope waiting just over the horizon thanks to the efforts Billy Napier and Co. have made on the high school recruiting trail.

The crown jewel of the 2024 class, blue-chip quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] out of Willis (Texas), has been the focus of the Gator Nation’s optimism for next season and beyond. Recently, Rivals’ national recruiting director Adam Gorney released his updated five-star prospects in that cycle which included the Florida commit, giving him a unanimous consensus as a five-star athlete across the major scouting services.

“Statistics are not the end-all, be-all of rankings but sometimes it’s just foolish to ignore production, especially at the level DJ Lagway produced this season,” Gorney notes. “The Florida quarterback was simply incredible nearly every week and has now moved up to five-star status.

“The 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback – who actually looks bigger – completed 72% of his passes for 4,604 yards with 58 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Amazingly, Lagway also rushed for 957 yards and 16 scores as well.”

Lagway is ranked No. 17 overall and No. 3 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 2 and 11, respectively.

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Saints have a lot of ground to cover in all-time series history vs. Vikings

The Saints have a lot of ground to cover in their all-time series history with the Vikings

There’s quite a history between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, and we’ll see the next chapter in this long-running rivalry play out on Sunday. The two teams have split wins and losses in recent years, including a couple of memorable playoff games fresh off the heels of a four-game win streak for New Orleans that started by ending Minnesota’s Super Bowl hopes back in 2009.

But the Vikings are ahead of the Saints when you look at the all-time series history, and it isn’t very close. New Orleans has lost 24 of their 37 games with Minnesota (including the postseason), only beating them once through seven meetings back in the 1970’s — thanks to a Tom Myers interception returned 97 yards for a touchdown, a team record that stood for decades. Their .351 win percentage against the Vikings is the fourth-worst in franchise history.

That’s old history now, though. The Saints lost to this Vikings team last season in London and they have a chance for payback on Sunday in Minneapolis. It’ll take more than one victory to level out years of strife with the Vikings, but this is a great opportunity to take down an opponent the Saints have faced more than 25 other teams.

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Sooners land commitment from versatile LB Michael Boganowski

Oklahoma is the choice for four-star linebacker Michael Boganowski, who picked the Sooners over Kansas, Kansas State, and Florida State.

Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting journey may be winding down, but there’s still room for a few more arrivals. On Thursday evening, the Oklahoma Sooners picked up another commitment, this time from four-star linebacker Michael Boganowski. Boganowski picked Oklahoma over Kansas State, Florida State, and the Kansas Jayhawks.

Boganowski’s path to his recruitment wasn’t direct path to the Sooners. They had to fend off the overtures from Kansas State and Florida State and to a lesser extent Florida State. It always felt like it was going to come down to Oklahoma and Kansas State.

The Wildcats boasted several advantages, from proximity to personal relationships with people on the Wildcats staff.

Boganowski visited for the [autotag]Party at the Palace[/autotag] event over the summer. Then, after seeing Norman for a game day, things started tilting back in favor of Oklahoma.

In Boganowski, the Sooners get a talented and athletic linebacker. He looks like a player who projects best as a cheetah in Brent Venables’ defense.

The versatile athlete is everything to his Junction City High School team, where he finished the 2022 season with 123 total tackles (67 solo, three for loss), four interceptions, one forced fumble. He also threw a touchdown and rushed for a score last season.

ESPN and Rivals have Boganowski as the number one prospect out of Kansas. With his commitment, the Sooners inch closer to eclipsing Florida State for No. 6 in 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings. His pledge also brings Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting class to 26 commitments.

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2025 Athlete Marcus James sets commitment date; Sooners look like the favorite

The Oklahoma Sooners are trending to land 2025 athlete Marcus James out of Carl Albert High School.

Oklahoma’s 2025 class is miles ahead of where the 2024 class was at this point last year. In October of 2022, the Sooners didn’t have a single commitment for the class of 2024. Their first commitment didn’t happen until March of this year when four-star cornerback Jeremiah Newcombe hopped on board first.

That won’t be the case for 2025. Oklahoma is in a prime position to add to its 2025 recruiting class. As things stand, the Sooners sit at No. 4 in the nation in 247Sports team recruiting rankings. They already have five commits, with four-star receiver Jaden Nickens as their highest-rated prospect, sitting at No. 88. The class has a heavy Oklahoma flavor, with three prospects coming from the Sooner State.

One of those, quarterback Kevin Sperry, isn’t a native of Oklahoma but transferred to Carl Albert High School this summer. Carl Albert is an Oklahoma football power, and Sperry was the icing on the cake for a loaded squad. Sperry is one of multiple Power Five caliber players on the squad, and his teammate Marcus James could be joining Sperry in Norman.

James is an athlete in every sense of the word. At 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, it’s easy to see why. James has played offense and defense all season long, but the Sooners offered him on the defensive side of the ball.

He’ll make his decision on November 2 at Carl Albert High. From there, he’ll pick between Oklahoma, Arkansas, TCU, Texas A&M, and Utah. News of his commitment date hit the internet, and not one but two projections have favored Brent Venables’ landing the versatile athlete.

Sam Spiegelman of On3 Sports and Brandon Drumm of OUInsider and Rivals each logged predictions favoring the Sooners.

Brandon Drumm of Oklahoma Insider logged a Rivals FutureCast for James as well.

Oklahoma is pulling away from the pack with less than two weeks to go. The Sooners aren’t clear yet, but people around the recruiting industry favor the Sooners significantly down the stretch.

It will be an uphill climb for the other four schools as James has two Oklahoma commits in his ear daily with Sperry (2025) and 2024 running back commit Xavier Robinson.

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2024 4-Star Edge out of Florida will visit Texas A&M in early October

2024 4-star Edge Solomon Williams has set his visit date to College Station during the Aggies Oct. 7 home matchup with Alabama.

Looking to add a fourth defensive lineman to their 2024 recruiting class, Texas A&M and Head Coach Jimbo Fisher have their sights set on the rising Edge prospect out of Tampa, Florida, four-star Solomon Williams, who recently announced his in-season visit schedule for the fall slate.

Texas A&M joins Oregon, UCF, Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, and Texas in William’s Top 7 program list.

According to Rivals Recruiting Analyst John Garcia Jr., Williams will make his way to College Station during the weekend of Oct. 7 for his first official visit to Texas A&M, just a few months removed from his unofficial visit on July 29 during the Aggies’ annual recruiting pool party. Later this month, Williams will travel to Eugene for an official visit to Oregon, while a visit to the Texas Longhorns is also in the works.

Williams is currently positioned as the 21st-ranked Edge in the 2024 cycle and the 42nd-ranked player in Florida, according to 247Sports composite. During his 2022 junior season at Carrollwood Day (FL), Williams recorded 61 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and 15.5 sacks on the year as one of the most dominant pass rushers in the state.

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2024 5-Star Defensive tackle has received a prediction to land with Texas A&M

Rivals/Aggies insider Landyn Rosow has submitted his prediction that 2024 5-star DL Dominick McKinley will land with Texas A&M

Texas A&M will kick off the 2023 college football season on Saturday, Sept. 2, against New Mexico inside what should be a packed Kyle Field. Still, before we shift into the highest gear, some big-time recruiting news just dropped concerning one of the Aggie’s last remaining 2024 recruiting targets, 2024 five-star defensive tackle Dominick McKinley.

On Wednesday, Rivals/Texas A&M recruiting insider Landyn Rosow submitted his final prediction for McKinley to land with the Aggies over Texas and Oklahoma. Even though both programs have made substantial progress this summer, Jimbo Fisher and his staff, specifically defensive line coach Elijah Robinson, deserve credit for making an early impact during McKinley’s official visit to College Station on June 9.

According to Rivals, McKinley is currently positioned as the 116th-ranked player in the 2024 cycle, the fourth-ranked defensive tackle prospect, and the fourth-ranked player in Louisiana, as he is set to enter his senior season at Acadiana (LA) after recording 86 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, ten sacks, and two interceptions during his impressive 2022 junior campaign.

McKinley will announce his commitment at Acadiana High School on Friday, Sept. 1, at 3:30 p.m. CT. and will choose between Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, LSU, and Ohio State.

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