Tag: Rivals

Is 2025 5-Star Safety Jonah Williams trending toward Texas A&M?

According to Rivals/Aggie insider Landyn Rosow, 2025 5-star safety Jonah Williams is currently trending toward committing to Texas A&M

While Texas A&M’s 2024 recruiting class is far from complete, we all know how swiftly things develop regarding future visits, with next summer’s focus on the talented 2025 cycle.

While Jimbo Fisher and the 2023 Aggie football team enter their pivotal 2023 campaign, recruiting news never stops, and in a surprise prediction from Rivals/Aggies recruiting insider Landyn Rosow, 2025 five-star safety Jonah Williams is reportedly a slight favorite to land with the Maroon and White.

According to Rivals, Williams is currently positioned as the 4th-ranked player in Texas and the 3rd-ranked safety in the 2025 class, as he is set to enter his junior season at Ball High School in Galveston, Texas. Standing at 6-3 and 203 pounds, Williams possesses elite athletic traits, specifically his impressive closing speed as a hybrid safety/linebacker while spending time at receiver on offense.

During his 2022 sophomore season, Williams recorded 59 tackles, three tackles for loss, and four interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns. After receiving his official offer from Fisher in February, Williams took two unofficial visits to College Station in early April while attending the annual recruiting pool party on the final weekend of July.

I can’t stress enough the importance of how results on the field dictate recruiting trends, especially this season for the Aggies in their attempt to rebound from the miserable 5-7 slugfest in 2022.

Even though Texas A&M’s 2023 class finished in the Top 10, the current 2024 cycle is heavily based on the expectation that the program is on the rise,  and every 2025 prospect will be watching while they mull their future plans.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Rivals ranks Texas A&M’s 2024 O-line class as a Top 5 haul

Rivals National Recruiting Analyst John Garcia Jr. ranks Texas A&M’s 2024 O-line class as a Top 5 group in the 2024 cycle

When analyzing Texas A&M’s impressive 2024 recruiting class, which is currently 19 prospects deep, pointing out the positional strengths, ranging from wide receiver with five players, including five-star Cameron Coleman, or offensive line, where Jimbo Fisher and his staff landed four verbals from four-star OT Weston Davis, four-star OT Ashton Funk, three-star IOL Coen Echols, and the cream of the crop, four-star IOL Isendre “Papa” Ahfua.

During the 2022 season, it’s perfectly fair to criticize the sup-par performance of Texas A&M’s offensive line, which dealt with a mix of untimely injuries and poor play due to inexperience. However, with all five starters returning and a wealth of talented depth, the once undependable unit may be a predominant strength in 2023.

This week, Rivals National Recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. ranked the Top 5 2024 O-line hauls, and outside of Georgia’s usual success in dominating the recruiting trail in the trenches on both sides, O-line blue blood programs, including Ohio State and Michigan joined Tennessee, and of course, Texas A&M’ ever-growing class.

One priority prospect for Aggies remains in the 2024 cycle as four-star OT Blake Ivy, who is set to announce his collegiate destination on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 10:00 a.m., which will stream on Dave Campbells Football YouTube Channel. If Ivy indeed commits to the Aggies, expect a slight bump in the overall team ranking, but most importantly, Head Jimbo Fisher may have found his future starting O-line for the next three to four seasons in just one recruiting class.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Oklahoma ‘team to beat’ for IMG Academy 5-star DT David Stone

According to Adam Gorney at Rivals, the Sooners are the team to beat in Stone’s recruitment.

With Nwaneri Williams now off the board after announcing his commitment to Missouri, the best defensive line prospect still available in the class of 2024 is IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star DT David Stone.

Stone has offers from 34 different programs, including Florida, Miami, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oregon, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M and Alabama. However, according to Adam Gorney at Rivals, the Sooners are the team to beat in Stone’s recruitment.

“Six programs remain in Stone’s recruitment but Oklahoma is the team to beat – and it’s even more important for the Sooners to land some defensive line help after Nwaneri went to Missouri. It would be a stunner now if on Aug. 26 Stone doesn’t pick the Sooners.”

For what it’s worth, On3’s prediction model also has Oklahoma as the favorite for Stone’s commitment at 79.1%, followed by Michigan State at 15.4%, then Florida (1.6%) and Miami (1.3%).

ESPN is the highest on Stone and they have him ranked even higher than Williams at his position, putting him at No. 1 there as well as No. 6 nationally in the class of 2024. None of the four major recruiting services have Stone ranked any lower than No. 13 nationally.

For now, Oklahoma’s class of 2024 has 19 hard commits and ranks No. 16 in the national recruiting rankings.

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Does Rivals believe Notre Dame will sign a 5-star in 2024 class?

Will the Irish sign a 5-star in 2024?

For a period of time, it seemed like [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] would end up signing multiple 5-star prospects in their 2024 class.

Quarterback CJ Carr and wide receiver Cam Williams held the status at times, but following the summer re-ranking period, both of them fell slightly outside of the range.

Rivals recently looked at if the Irish could ultimately sign a 5-star this cycle, as Clint Cosgrove and Charleston’s Bowles played fact or fiction with the topic.

Both of them chose that it is a fact, for the exact same reason. Cosgrove and Bowles believe that Carr eventually earns the 5th star back.

Another interesting nugget from this article was they Bowles breached the subject of the Irish adding a 5-star prospect from outside the current commits, specifically Justin Scott. Unfortunately, he believes that Scott will stick with his commitment to Ohio State.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

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Is Texas A&M a legit threat to land 2024 5-star WR Micah Hudson?

Rivals asks the question we’re all wondering: Is Texas A&M becoming a serious threat to Texas Tech for five-star WR Micah Hudson?

Every summer, Texas A&M’s annual recruiting pool party—during the last weekend in July— takes center stage for every fan and media member ahead of each impending football season.

This year, the 2024 and 2025 recruiting cycles are well represented in College Station for the next two days, as the Aggies Top 15-ranked 2024 recruiting class with 18 verbal commitments, including five wide receivers consisting of Cameron Coleman (five-star), Drelon Miller (four-star), Jaylan Hornsby (four-star), Debron Gatling (four-star), and Earnest Campbell (three-star).

Keeping the focus on the position, one of the hands-down best players in the cycle, five-star wide receiver Micah Hudson, will attend the pool party this weekend. A consistent favorite to land with Texas Tech for quite some time, Hudson’s long-term program flirtation mirrors for five-star wide receiver and current Aggie Evan Stewarts’ flip from the Texas Longhorns just two short years ago, whose attendance at the pool party that summer essentially sealed the deal, and the rest is history.

On Thursday, Rivals’ National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney’s “Fact or Fiction” debate with recruiting analyst Cole Patterson touched on Hudson’s collegiate future, explicitly asking the question, “Is Texas A&M becoming a serious threat to Texas Tech for five-star WR Micah Hudson?” Like myself, Gorney believes that the Aggies are serious contenders for Hudson, who will also visit Texas Tech this weekend.

“There now seems to be a debate whether Micah Hudson will visit Texas Tech or Texas A&M this weekend and that makes this whole thing so much more interesting.

It almost felt like an inevitability that at some point over the last five weeks or so that Hudson was going to commit to Texas Tech. Even behind the scenes, all the necessary steps were taken to break the news and get content out there. But then we waited, and waited, and waited and nothing happened. It’s as if Hudson planned to make his announcement for the Red Raiders and then was convinced to hold off.

And that’s what sources now say happened. It was not Texas that caused the delay mainly but Texas A&M making another run at him and trying to convince him to be in College Station this weekend. If that happens, recruiting momentum can be an interesting thing. Texas Tech still looks great here but until Hudson commits – and then signs – this one might not be over.”

Adam Gorney is one of the best recruiting insiders our industry has to offer, so I take this with much more than a grain of salt, and as I’ve reminded our readers throughout the week leading up to the pool party, a bulk of Texas A&M’s 2024 commits will also be on campus this weekend to aid Jimbo Fisher and his staff in courting players like Hudson, who may just be one selling point away from shocking all of us in the best way possible.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Nation’s No. 1 running back prospect Taylor Tatum chooses Oklahoma over USC Trojans

Oklahoma lands 15th commit in 2024 recruiting class as elite running back Taylor Tatum commits to the Sooners over the USC Trojans.

The Oklahoma Sooners and running backs coach DeMarco Murray picked up another big-time recruiting win, earning the commitment of Taylor Tatum. Tatum is the No. 1 running back in the nation and a composite five-star prospect, according to 247Sports. Tatum committed to Oklahoma on Friday morning over Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans.

With his commitment, Tatum becomes the highest-rated recruit in Murray’s coaching career. The Sooners have been involved in a highly contested recruitment that has spanned well over a year. While Oklahoma wasn’t always considered the leader throughout, Murray and the Sooners staff remained steady in their pursuit of Tatum as he played out the process.

Oklahoma entered the race last summer by offering him in June. Tatum had a highly productive junior season where he was named Texas District 7-5A D-I Overall MVP, rushing for 1,891 yards and 33 TDs on 8.33 yards per carry. He also caught three touchdowns to help his Longview squad to a 14-1 record and the Texas 5A D-I state semifinals.

With his junior season behind him, Tatum’s recruitment took off. On April 24, he announced a top seven list of Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC, Texas A&M, Georgia and Texas.

Around that time, Michigan already had several predictions in its favor.

Eventually, the recruitment whittled itself down to the Sooners, Trojans and Wolverines. Official visits to Oklahoma, Michigan and USC came and went. All three schools sold Tatum on playing football and baseball. A significant factor in his recruitment was his ability to play both sports. He patrols the outfield or can slide down and play second base.

As the calendar turned to July, Oklahoma and USC stood tall as the final two.

Oklahoma surged in his recruitment, and predictions from insiders at 247Sports, On3 and Rivals overwhelmingly favored the Sooners. But it was the Sooners that closed it out. In doing so, Murray and Skip Johnson landed one of the best three-sport stars in the country. In addition to football and baseball, Tatum also stars for his track squad, winning district and area meets in the 200 meters.

By landing Tatum, Murray gets a three-down back capable of hitting the home run and one unafraid of getting behind his pads and fighting for the dirty yards. In contrast, Skip Johnson gets a dynamic athlete capable of roaming the outfield like former Sooners quarterback [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag].

Gabe Brooks of 247Sports had this to say in his evaluation of Tatum.

Enters senior campaign as an elite running back prospect in the 2024 cycle. Catalog of physical tools and play style should fit myriad offensive schemes. Projects to the high-major level as an eventual impact starter with a long-term ceiling as a possible NFL Draft early-round candidate. – Brooks, 247Sports

Now that Oklahoma has landed Tatum, the Sooners have passed rivals Texas and Nebraska in recruiting for 2024. Oklahoma sits 16th in the nation in team recruiting rankings.

Tatum’s commitment also makes him the highest-rated recruit for Oklahoma’s class, overtaking a spot held by four-star wide receiver Zion Kearney.

The work is not done for Murray. Next up in the 2024 recruiting cycle is four-star running back Caden Durham. Durham is set to commit on Aug. 25, choosing among Oklahoma, LSU and Texas A&M.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Building an offense out of the All-Time Saints Villains

Building an offense out of the All-Time Saints Villains: Who makes your list at QB, RB, TE, WR, and along the offensive line?

Who are the biggest villains in New Orleans Saints history? What do we mean by that? We’re talking about the most challenging opponents the Saints have ever faced, who became key fixtures in rivalries with other teams. Not just loudmouths like Roddy White and Mike Evans, or iconic playoff villains like Marshawn Lynch and Vernon Davis — players who showed up and played hard against New Orleans on a regular basis.

We aren’t just highlighting players who were known for their big personalities (though of course that deserves some credit). Pro Bowls matter. All-Pro teams matter. Hall of Fame induction matters. The longevity of a player’s presence in the rivalry is a key part of our process. So with that in mind, here are our picks for the All-Time Saints Villains Offense:

All-Time Saints Villains: Who has the most passing yards against New Orleans?

Who has thrown the most passing yards against the New Orleans Saints? Matt Ryan put up more yards than Joe Montana and Steve Young put together:

Who has thrown the most passing yards against the New Orleans Saints over the years? Obviously the era and circumstances they played in change things dramatically, but it’s still impressive that Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl-losing quarterback Matt Ryan put up more yards on New Orleans than San Francisco 49ers legends Joe Montana and Steve Young managed together.

We’re putting a lid on our weeklong series exploring the greatest opponents in Saints franchise history, having recapped the all-time leaders in touchdown passes, receiving yards, rushing yards, sacks, tackles for loss, and interceptions — all thanks to research from StatMuse. Let’s take one last look at these passers and be grateful the Saints aren’t competing with them anymore:

Building a defense out of the All-Time Saints Villains

How would you build a defense from the Saints’ all-time rivals? Our picks include Deion Sanders, Kevin Greene, Ronde Barber, and Aaron Donald:

Who would you pick for a defense stocked with the New Orleans Saints’ all-time rivals? Which players would you choose to highlight as the most challenging opponents the Saints have ever lined up against?

There’s a surprising amount of Hall of Fame talent to choose from. Deion Sanders is the big name, but Kevin Greene deserves recognition. Ronde Barber will soon join them in enshrinement. Eventually Aaron Donald will get in, too. But they’re just some of the defenders who have given New Orleans trouble over the years. Here are our picks:

All-Time Saints Villains: Which players had the most tackles for loss against New Orleans?

All-Time Saints Villains: Which players had the most tackles for loss against New Orleans? Lavonte David and Julius Peppers rank high among the TFL leaders

Opposing teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t always been very talented, but we can’t say they haven’t had some special defenders who gave the New Orleans Saints a serious challenge over the years. When looking at the all-time leaders in tackles for loss against the Saints, you’ll see many Buccaneers defenders ranked highly — as well as divisional rivals like former Carolina Panthers pass rusher Julius Peppers, who always seemed to create a disruptive play against New Orleans.

Here’s the list of leaders from StatMuse: