Tag: SEC Recruiting

Big Cat preview: Here are this year’s top 10 attendees

This weekend’s event will be the biggest in several years.

The biggest recruiting weekend is here.

A wealth of talent from across the country will be on The Plains this weekend to attend Big Cat Weekend, which will be a crucial time for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and staff as they build their roster for the future.

Many members of Auburn’s 2024 commitments will be there , including [autotag]Walker White[/autotag], [autotag]Joseph Phillips[/autotag], [autotag]A’Mon Lane[/autotag] and [autotag]J’Marion Burnette[/autotag].

Those players have publicly announced they have shut down their recruitment in an effort to help the coaching staff recruit players to join them at Auburn. This weekend will be a great measuring stick to see just how good their recruiting efforts are.

There will be plenty of talented players on campus this weekend, some are even committed to other programs.

Here’s a look at the top recruits who are scheduled to visit Big Cat Weekend.

SEC recruiting rankings following Demarcus Riddick’s commitment to Auburn

The Tigers are close to building a top 25 class after landing their first five-star commit in four years.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has already changed the way that recruits view Auburn in his short time on the job. On Wednesday, he proved that he can keep his foot on the gas.

Freeze flipped former Georgia commit [autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag] on Wednesday, which gives Auburn its first five-star commit since landing Bo Nix and Owen Pappoe in 2019.

The flip was great for Auburn’s 2024 class, which now has 12 commits. Not only that, but it is a wonderful start to this weekend’s Big Cat Weekend, where several big names will trek to campus for the weekend.

How did Riddick’s flip from Georgia to Auburn affect the 2024 SEC recruiting rankings? Here’s a look at where each team stands as the calendar prepares to flip to August.

It’s not time to panic over Alabama’s 2024 recruiting cycle

Alabama currently ranks No. 5 in the SEC for the 2024 recruiting cycle, but there’s plenty of time to makeup ground.

According to ESPN, Alabama currently ranks No. 5 in the SEC for the 2024 recruiting cycle. During Nick Saban’s tenure in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide finished with the No. 1 overall recruiting class eight times, with 2023 being the most recent.

The four programs ahead of Alabama are Georgia, Florida, LSU and South Carolina.

So, should Crimson Tide fans be worried? Not at all. Hitting the panic button right now would be a clear overreaction, according to ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren.

“The coaches have gotten off to a slower start in the past, and quite frankly, a lot of the slower starts can be contributed to the fact that higher-ranked players sometimes wait longer to decide,” writes VanHaaren. “The staff is still in on ESPN 300 offensive lineman Casey Poe, ESPN 300 running back Daniel Hill, five-star receiver Micah Hudson and plenty of others. Nine of the top 16 recruits and 15 of the top 30 prospects are still uncommitted.”

VanHaaren continues to explain that while the Tide currently sits at No. 5, the coaching staff is still applying pressure to many high-profile prospects and has plenty of time to make some noise before the 2025 cycle gets underway.

The pressure to put together a top-tier class is on, but if there’s one program in the nation to do it, a Saban-led staff is it.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football recruiting as the 2024 cycle continues.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM. 

2024 college football recruiting team rankings as of March 24, 2023

Notre Dame gets passed by a couple of rivals (they rarely play these days) and USC falls out of the top 50. See it all here…

As the dead period for college football recruiting ends, we thought it’d be a great time to do another check-in where teams rank nine months before the early signing period opens.

Being really high in the rankings right now doesn’t guarantee a high finish, but it certainly goes a long way toward preventing a brutal end in the rankings.

The same goes for those with a slow start. Just because USC isn’t ranked in the top 50 right now doesn’t mean it will not get commitments from a couple of highly regarded talents and soar up the rankings. Will it be able to get enough to get back into the top 10 like last year? Time will undoubtedly tell.

Notre Dame checked in at second place when we checked the rankings out a month ago, but have had no new commitments since. Not surprisingly, it fell a few spots.

The Irish are hosting their pro day Friday and have a big on-campus recruiting weekend they hope will help result in a few more commitments before too long.

We’ll continue to do this on at least a monthly basis throughout the non-game months and check in on how the team rankings are shaping up.  As of March 24, 2023, here are the top 50 team recruiting rankings on the 247Sports composite.

How Texas and Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting classes stack up in the SEC

Texas and Oklahoma are recruiting with the best of the SEC.

Texas and Oklahoma are setting themselves up for the impending move to the SEC. Both the Longhorns and Sooners put together elite recruiting classes in the 2023 cycle.

Steve Sarkisian has Texas recruiting at a high level in his third season as head coach. Texas has pulled back-to-back top-five classes. The 2023 group is the highest-rated class the Longhorns have signed since 2010 under Mack Brown.

Oklahoma followed up a disappointing season on the field with an excellent recruiting class. Brent Venables is adding some serious talent to his roster in Norman.

Each class is headlined by a five-star quarterback. Texas signed the nation’s No. 1 prospect Arch Manning while Oklahoma landed top 10 prospect Jackson Arnold. The two signal callers have bright futures at the collegiate level.

The Red River Rivals boast the top two classes in the current Big 12 Conference. Here is how Texas and Oklahoma’s recruiting classes stack up in the SEC.

Where Texas and Oklahoma’s recruiting classes would rank in the SEC

Texas and Oklahoma are stacking talent for the SEC.

College football recruiting is approaching its biggest week of the year with the early signing period on deck. The majority of the top prospects in the class of 2023 will sign their letters of intent starting on Dec. 21.

Texas and Oklahoma sit in great spots with their respective recruiting classes.

Steve Sarkisian and his staff have put together an exciting class led by five-stars Arch Manning, Johntay Cook and Cedric Baxter. The Longhorns class is complete on both sides of the ball and likely finishes inside the top five nationally.

Oklahoma’s recruiting is going steady after a disappointing 6-6 campaign in Brent Venables’ first year at the helm. The Sooners hold the No. 8 class in the country with five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold leading the group.

Both programs have a couple of priority targets that can push each class up the ranking.

With Texas and Oklahoma’s move to the SEC possibly ahead of schedule, we took a look at where the Longhorns and Sooners’ 2023 recruiting classes would rank in the SEC.

Five-star LB Anthony Hill commits to Texas A&M

A huge loss for the Longhorns on the recruiting trail.

Massive news on the college football recruiting front: Five-star linebacker Anthony Hill committed to Texas A&M over in-state rival Texas.

The Denton Ryan star is listed as the No. 1 linebacker in the nation and the No. 2 overall prospect in the Lone Star State for the 2023 cycle according to the updated 247Sports composite.

Jimbo Fisher and his staff got Hill to campus over the weekend and close the deal on the all-state linebacker. This is a huge head-to-head recruiting victory over the Longhorns, who will have to look elsewhere at the linebacker spot.

Do not expect the Texas staff to give on Hill. He is the type of talent you keep recruiting all the way until signing day. The Longhorns were able to flip a few high profile targets in last year’s class.

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TJ Metcalf commits to Arkansas, giving boost to Hogs in recruiting rankings

By landing the three-star safety from Alabama, Arkansas Football now ranks No. 7 in recruiting for the 2023 cycle.

Arkansas Football has added another important piece to their 2023 recruiting class.

[autotag]TJ Metcalf[/autotag], a three-star safety from Pinson, Ala. has become the 17th commitment for Arkansas’ 2023 class, as he committed to the Razorbacks on Friday afternoon.

Metcalf announced his commitment in a video that was shot in his high school’s gymnasium. He began by being handed a shirt from his other three choices, Jackson State, Ole Miss, and Penn State. When he reached the top of the bleachers, he grabbed an Arkansas hat while talking to head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] on the phone. Once he placed the hat on his head, he told Pittman, “I’m coming home.”

Metcalf chose Arkansas over Jackson State, Penn State, and Ole Miss. While the major recruiting services projected Metcalf to commit to Arkansas, most felt that Ole Miss was next in line due to the fact that he is cousins with former Rebel wide receiver, DK Metcalf.

With Metcalf’s commitment, Arkansas has jumped Baylor in the 2023 recruiting rankings, as they stand at No. 7 according to 247sports.

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2023 College Football Recruiting Consensus Team Rankings

Which team is the biggest surprise on this list (good or bad)?

There is an entire summer and then actual football season to go before the early signing period for the 2023 college football recruiting cycle opens but the foundations for each class nationwide have long been being put down.

Traditional powers Notre Dame and USC are thriving after both hiring new head coaches this past off-season while plenty of the SEC is understandably in the top-10 as well – whether it’s recent national champions like Georgia or Alabama, or a power who is trying to return to glory like Tennessee.

Every couple of weeks we’ll go through and update these rankings of the top 25 college football recruiting classes of the 2023 cycle based off the On3 consensus rankings.

LSU offers 4-star edge rusher out of Utah

The Tigers are pursuing Hunter Clegg, but the home-state Utes are currently considered the favorite.

Hunter Clegg is a 6-foot-4-inch, 235-pound edge rusher from American Fork, Utah. Hunter plays a multitude of positions for the American Fork Cavemen football team. He plays edge rusher, wide receiver, tight end, and offensive tackle. The Cavemen went 7-4 last year and failed to make the playoffs.

Clegg’s recruitment has picked up here recently as he has received offers from Washington, West Virginia, Arizona, and LSU since January. He has a crystal ball projection to go play for the Utah Utes, which would make sense if he wants to play close to home. American Fork is only 33 minutes away from the University of Utah.

Don’t count Brian Kelly out, though. He’s the kind of coach that can go into the heart of Utah and bring a kid back to the boot.

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 166 3 19
Rivals 3 – 5 28
ESPN – – – –
On3 Recruiting 4 142 2 19
247 Composite 4 264 4 23

Vitals

Hometown American Fork, Utah
Projected Position EDGE
Height 6-4
Weight 235
Class 2023

Recruitment

  • Offered on Feb. 19, 2022
  • No visits yet

Offers

  • LSU
  • Utah
  • Baylor
  • Arizona
  • Stanford

Crystal Ball

Film

Twitter

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Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Kyle to continue the conversation on Twitter: @K_Rich_56