Tag: Steve Wiltfong

2024 5-star WR Cam Coleman discusses his commitment to Texas A&M with 247Sports

After his stunning commitment to Texas A&M on Tuesday, 2024, 5-star WR Cam Coleman discussed his decision with 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong.

Suppose you’ve read anything we’ve published in the past two weeks. In that case, you’re clearing up to date with Texas A&M’s 2024 recruiting hot streak, as Jimbo Fisher and his incredible staff have added eight players since Thursday, June 22, while most recently gaining by far the most talented player in the 2024 cycle (in my humble opinion), as five-star wide receiver Cameron Coleman, nicknamed “Mini-Megatron” by some, committed to the Maroon and White excitedly, on Tuesday, July 4, just hours before fireworks covered the night sky all across America.

After his stunning commitment, which, as I’ve personally dubbed “the Coleman effect,” Texas A&M now sits as the 9th-ranked class in 247Sports’ updated 2024 team rankings, and as a gentle reminder to those who still aren’t paying attention, they aren’t done yet; not even close.

In a detailed interview with 247Sports’ National Recruiting Director Steve Wiltfong, Coleman discussed what went into his decision during the final days leading up to his announcement after his official campus visit on June 16 while focusing on his relationship with Aggies’ WR coach Dameyune Craig and newly minted offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino.

“Really, the last time I went up there, I felt comfortable, and it was the place I wanted to be,” Coleman stated.

“My relationship with Coach (Dameyune) Craig was the tightest out of the bunch. They have a new offensive coordinator Coach Bobby (Petrino), and the Aggie network outside of life after football you can get a job after football, and it was a place I felt comfortable with.”

As we all know, results on the field are all that matter and will directly affect the outcome of Texas A&M’s 2024 class, but for Coleman, the Aggies’ 2022 season was clearly a result of a youthful roster finding their way, leading to what should be a very bright future.

“Last year they had a lot of freshmen starting,” Coleman stated. “It’s hard to win with all these freshmen in the SEC. Now they have experience going across the board, and they have more people coming in to help win the National Championship.”

Cameron Coleman is an absolute stud, and his recruiting ranking reflects his incredible play on the gridiron. Ranked as the No.11 player in the class, the No.3-ranked wide receiver, and the No.1-ranked player in Alabama, the sky is truly the limit for the man who shares my name. Gig ’em, Cameron!

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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Steve Wiltfong explains why Texas is the favorite for five-star WR Ryan Wingo

Texas has to love where they stand with five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo.

The Longhorns have been trending for 247Sports’ No. 7 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class in five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo.

While there is still time before he announces his commitment, Steve Sarkisian’s staff has to feel confident with where they stand in his recruitment.

Especially when you consider that 247Sports’ Director of Football Recruiting Steve Wiltfong has already entered a prediction for Wingo to end up at Texas. If you aren’t familiar with the recruiting industry, receiving a crystal ball prediction from Wiltfong is essentially the stamp of certification. He’s correct on 92% of his predictions, and he has made well over 4,000.

In an interview on 247Sports’ College Football Recruiting Show, Wilfong was asked about Texas’ lead with Wingo and what other programs are attempting to get back into the mix.

While Wingo appears to be putting out some feelers to other programs, it seems that Texas is firmly in the driver’s seat. The Longhorns currently hold the No. 28 recruiting class in the country.

Wingo is considered the No. 2 wide receiver in the country by 247Sports.

Sooners four-star DL target Xadavien Sims commits to Oregon over Oklahoma

Four-star defensive line target of the Oklahoma Sooners, Xadavien Sims, committed to Oregon on Saturday.

Oklahoma and Oregon have been doing battle for recruits quite often lately. In the latest round of head-to-head matches on the recruiting trail, the Oregon Ducks prevailed.

Four-star defensive lineman and one of the top players in Oklahoma, Xadavien Sims, committed to Oregon over Oklahoma, TCU, Vanderbilt, and Michigan State. The announcement came live at the C4Sports facility where he and there to Texarkana prospects train, including 2025 QB commit Kevin Sperry. Sims is a consensus four-star prospect and is the No. 121 overall prospect, according to 247Sports.

While it was initially thought that this battle would be an Oklahoma and Michigan State battle, Oregon entered the fray and made up significant ground. Dan Lanning’s time as the defensive coordinator at Georgia has helped give him and the Oregon defensive staff a significant boost amongst defensive recruits.

And yet, while Michigan State owned 100 percent of the crystal balls for Sims earlier this week on 247Sports, the tide shifted quickly in Oregon’s favor. A few Oklahoma predictions came in, and they seemed to be the prevailing choice but a mid-week crystal ball from national director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, signaled that the Oregon smoke was more than just smoke.

Oregon was the last Power Five school to offer him in the winter, but they hit the ground running to catch up to Oklahoma and Michigan State. Sims’ commitment will sting for the Sooners. They’ve now lost one of the best players in the state to an out-of-state school in consecutive years. Four-star EDGE Bai Jobe committed and signed with Michigan State last year.

However, it won’t discourage the Sooners as they are still heavily in the mix for four or five other talented defensive linemen for the 2024 recruiting cycle. At the moment, they’re the favorites to land two of the best prospects in the nation, five-star defensive linemen David Stone and Williams Nwaneri. Oklahoma’s also heavily in the mix for four-star defensive linemen Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and Nigel Smith.

This is the third major recruiting battle the Sooners and the Ducks have had in the last two cycles. Oklahoma won out in the Peyton Bowen sweepstakes, flipping the five-star safety after Bowen flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to Oregon. The Ducks pulled off the flip of four-star wide receiver prospect Ashton Cozart.

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Sooners pick up another crystal ball for five-star TE Davon Mitchell

Oklahoma is the overwhelming favorite to land five-star TE Davon Mitchell after the latest crystal ball from 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong.

Arguably the most significant domino effect from Michael Hawkins’s commitment to Oklahoma on Saturday was how it would directly affect the race for five-star 2025 tight end Davon Mitchell.

Well, we have our answer, and Sooner fans will like what’s beginning to take shape.

Oklahoma has received its third crystal ball to land the elite tight end that plays at Los Alamitos High School in California. This particular crystal ball comes from 247Sports director of national recruiting, Steve Wiltfong.

Take the crystal balls into account and the fact that Mitchell and Hawkins have expressed sentiments about playing together in college, and you’ve got something brewing. Mitchell and Hawkins were childhood friends and former teammates at Allen High School before transferring.

There’s a clear rapport; both want to realize it in college. Alabama, Miami, South Carolina, and Tennessee are also in contention to land Mitchell’s services.

The effort by the coaching staff to prioritize Mitchell should not go unnoticed here as well. No other 2025 prospect at the tight end position is trending this hard in Oklahoma’s way, either. There also is the possibility that Mitchell reclassifies to the 2024 class and could join Oklahoma as they move to the SEC next year.

In landing Mitchell, the Sooners would get a dynamic tight end that can line up inline or out wide. He showcases a large catch radius and the ability to get behind defenses. He also uses his 6-foot-4, 245-pound body for leverage and showcases a desire to be physical at the point of attack in the run game.

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Sooners overwhelming favorite to land four-star CB Jeremiah Newcombe

Oklahoma is trending as the overwhelming favorite to land 2024 four-star CB Jeremiah Newcombe out of Arizona.

Sometimes a recruitment doesn’t have to drag on. In the case of four-star cornerback Jeremiah Newcombe that very well could be the case as the Oklahoma Sooners look like a heavy favorite. A flurry of predictions from 247Sports and On3 came through Friday evening favoring the Sooners.

The 5-foot-11 cornerback received an offer from Oklahoma in November. While things were relatively quiet on that front, a visit this week to Norman must have struck all the right notes as recruiting insiders from across the industry popped projections for Oklahoma to land the talented corner from the state of Arizona.

“Lanky frame with high upside length,” says mountain region recruiting analyst for 247Sports Blair Angulo. “Thin build with plenty of room to add muscle mass. Two-way playmaker and on-field production. Flashes very good top-end speed. Closes quickly on the football and reacts to plays underneath. Shows terrific hand-eye coordination and catch window concentration. Looks comfortable and smooth through his backpedal. Doesn’t panic as he dissects routes. Primarily a finesse player but has some toughness to his game. Could continue to fill out physically and improve in press coverage. Potential multi-year starter at elite Power Five level.”

With no cornerbacks committed for 2024 and the Sooners losing Jaden Davis and Woodi Washington after the 2023 season, adding Newcombe would be a big boost for the Oklahoma secondary.

247Sports Director of Football Recruiting Steve Wiltfong, Brandon Drumm of OUInsider, and Chris Karpman of SunDevilSource.com all logged crystal balls for OU Friday evening. On3’s Director of Recruiting, Chad Simmons,  also predicted this would go Oklahoma’s way. With that level of momentum, it’s possible Newcombe could commit at any time.

Newcombe is in Norman this weekend and it looks like the Sooners have made a strong impression.

The Arizona native has been recruited heavily in the southwest by Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, and USC. He also has offers from Notre Dame and Michigan as well.

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247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong predicts No. 1 RB Jerrick Gibson to Texas

The nation’s No. 1 RB for the 2024 class continues to trend to Texas.

247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong likes Texas’ chances for the nation’s top running back in the 2024 class. On Monday morning we learned Wiltfong had placed a prediction for Jerrick Gibson in favor of the Longhorns.

The prediction is one of a few positives favoring Texas in their recruitment of the elite back.

Among recruiting analysts and insiders, Wiltfong is well regarded as one of the more reliable sources for recruiting. It would appear he has enough information to have an opinion on the recruitment of Gibson.

The prediction strengthens the reliability of yesterday’s Rivals prediction that we noted earlier. 247Sports joins Rivals and On3 Sports in hinting at the Longhorns’ strong chances to win out for the five-star running back.

There’s still plenty of time until Texas reaches the finish line, and Gibson could certain change his mind. Nevertheless, the tea leaves indicate the nation’s top back could choose the Longhorns in back-to-back recruiting cycles.

The 2024 recruiting class is off to a strong start in becoming the final piece to a championship roster for 2024.

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Oklahoma set to receive a visit from nation’s top linebacker, Sammy Brown

Oklahoma will receive an April visit from the top linebacker in the class of 2024, Sammy Brown.

Brent Venables’ reputation is still revered amongst recruits despite the 6-7 season Oklahoma experienced in 2022.

There’s no better proof than by looking at the two recruiting classes Oklahoma has brought in with Venables. In 2022, he finished with the No. 8 recruiting class in the cycle after just two months on the job. In 2023, the Sooners landed the No. 4 class in his first year on the recruiting trail for the Sooners.

Enter Sammy Brown, the nation’s No. 1 linebacker in the 2024 class and No. 2 player in the state of Georgia.

Brown spoke with 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong regarding his recruitment. He doesn’t know where else he’ll visit this spring and summer, but there’s one place he’s sure of; The University of Oklahoma.

“We’re definitely going to take that trip,” Brown’s father, Mike, tells 247Sports.

With Oklahoma slated to get an unofficial visit in April during his spring break, it solidifies the Sooners still have a puncher’s chance for the top 10 ten prospect.

Venables and Brown have had a long-standing relationship. Brown went to football camp with Clemson when he was coming up as a younger player. The Tigers’ defensive staff, then led by Brent Venables, extended an offer. Brown received an offer from Oklahoma, and Venables and Ted Roof have been on top of this recruitment.

Sammy’s father Mike believes that the younger Brown knows who his top five are and could see that list coming out in the near future. Along with Oklahoma’s recruiting efforts, the other contenders look to be Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio State.

Oklahoma will have to turn up the pressure, especially with the back-to-back national champions in the race. They have the recent national success and the development pipeline working in tandem. Being the hometown team certainly works in the Bulldogs favor as well.  It’s an enticing sell, and one Oklahoma will have to overcome in order to land one of the nation’s best defenders.

Will the move to the SEC and the relationship with Venables be enough to sway Brown away from Georgia and Clemson to don Crimson and Cream? Receiving that unofficial visit will give Oklahoma significant momentum to stay in the hunt.

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247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong offers high praise for LSU signees at All-American Bowl

The four Tigers who attended the week’s festivities in San Antonio impressed, according to Wiltfong.

The All-American Bowl was played on Saturday in San Antonio, and the quartet of LSU players on hand made some buzz.

All of them received superlatives from the week, per multiple publications, and now there’s even more excitement surrounding a 2023 recruiting class for the Tigers that already ranked squarely in the national top 10.

LSU had receiver [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag], offensive tackle [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] on hand this week, and 247Sports national director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong offered high praise for all four.

Here’s what Wiltfong said about the group after the conclusion of the week.

I love how potent LSU’s offense could be with guys like receiver Jalen Brown and tight end Ka’Morreun Pimpton. If Brown has daylight, he’s a blur that can light up the scoreboard on any touch and could also be a fun return guy. Pimpton is going to stretch the field and create mismatches. Offensive lineman DJ Chester could play anywhere across the front for the Tigers as well. Future LSU linebacker Whit Weeks validated his stock as much as anyone. An every-down player that was around the football a lot during practice and in the game.

After a successful Year 1 under [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] that saw the team win 10 games and reach the SEC Championship, expectations will be understandably high in 2023 after landing such a strong signing class with potential immediate impact players like these.

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Carver five-star duo receive crystal balls in favor of the Crimson Tide

Good news for the Crimson Tide for some of the top in-state talent.

Early signing day is just a week away and [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide are expected to have an impressive haul.

Two players that are not yet committed but are garnering massive attention are the pair of five-star defensive prospects from Montgomery’s Carver High School, outside linebacker Qua Russaw and defensive lineman James Smith.

Russaw and Smith are expected to be a package deal and Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports recently dropped a crystal ball for each prospect, both in favor of the Crimson Tide.

Smith and Russaw are the top two players in the state of Alabama for the class of 2023 according to 247’s Composite Rankings.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor both Smith and Russaw leading up to signing day.

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New projections have Sooners as favorites for 2023 4-star edge Tausili Akana

Oklahoma has surged into the lead for four-star LB/edge Tausili Akana. From @thatmanbryant

We are eight days away from the opening of the early signing period for the 2023 football recruits across the country. Teams are making last-minute pushes to secure commitments those early signatures next week.

Along with the transfer portal, December is a crazy month. Especially if you factor in bowl prep for the teams fortunate enough to play in one.

Recruiting never stops, however. As Oklahoma looks to finish strongly, it is trending in a positive direction for another top-flight defensive prospect.

One of their remaining targets, four-star edge Tausili Akana is trending in favor of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Akana plays his high school ball in Utah but is a native of Hawaii. He’s been on the Sooners’ radar for months, and Brent Venables took the lead in his recruitment. It seems the head coach’s efforts have been rewarded. Three predictions in favor of Oklahoma hit the internet Tuesday afternoon

Not only are there three predictions, but one of them came from national recruiting director for 247Sports Steve Wiltfong. Wiltfong’s ears are everywhere, and if he’s confident enough to drop a crystal ball, that’s great news for the Sooners.

In addition to Wiltfong’s prediction, Brandon Drumm of OUInsider at 247Sports, Josh McCuistion of Sooner Scoop and Rivals and Tyler Bannerman also of Rivals issued predictions in favor of the Sooners.

Oklahoma on Monday secured the services of four-star safety Daeh McCullough as it continues to round out its 2023 class. It two big fish (Peyton Bowen and David Hicks) remain committed to other schools, but Oklahoma will fight to the end.

A commitment by Akana would help push Oklahoma closer to a top five finish in the team recruiting rankings.

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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. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.