Tag: Tackett Curtis

USC commit Tackett Curtis helps upset Arch Manning in high school showdown

A #USC commit went head-to-head with Arch Manning … and won the matchup. That’s an eye-opener in itself.

Everyone knew what the biggest high school game was this past weekend.

USC commit and do-it-all star Tackett Curtis kept Arch Manning in check in Many High School’s 25-17 upset of Newman High School in a Louisiana showdown on Friday night.

Curtis, the four-star linebacker and USC commit, led Many over Manning, the five-star quarterback with celebrated football bloodlines.

With Curtis and his Many teammates applying pressure, Manning completed just eight of his 20 pass attempts for 80 yards and two touchdowns against a stingy defensive performance.

Curtis compiled nine tackles, including two for a loss, while adding 85 rushing yards in a two-way performance.

Recruited as a linebacker, Curtis also plays quarterback for the Tigers (4-0) and returns punts. He plays as a linebacker/safety hybrid in the Tigers’ defense and can work from either side of the edge as well, making him one of the most versatile players in the whole 2023 class.

Curtis also teamed with 2024 247Sports four-star Tylen Singleton to provide a handful of the game’s biggest hits.

Look for Tackett Curtis to continue his impressive senior season as he tries to repeat as a state champion and win Gatorade State Player of The Year in Louisiana.

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USC 2023 commit Tackett Curtis delivers spectacular feat in high school game

You will never believe what a #USC 2023 commit did in his most recent high school game over the weekend … and we have video highlights of it!

USC commit Tackett Curtis is a Louisiana-based recruit. His team at Many High School in Louisiana scored a huge second win of the season versus Sam Houston, 38-3.

This was no ordinary game, and USC commit Tackett Curtis delivered a performance which was far greater than ordinary.

Pause so that you can brace yourself for this next fact:

Curtis had an insane game Friday night. Sure, he recorded five tackles, but he went crazy on special teams with three punt returns for touchdowns. Yes, three punt returns for touchdowns in one game for the four-star linebacker who will attend USC next fall.

Tackett could be one of the top players in the state of Louisiana and a potential Gatorade State Player of The Year candidate.

The 6-foot-2, 221-pound athlete is listed at linebacker and projected to be a linebacker next season at USC, but he plays all over the field for Many HS.

Curtis is currently ranked the 99th-best player in the 2023 class, the eighth-best linebacker, and the sixth-best player in the state of Louisiana.

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Let’s Talk About It: How is ‘Recruiting the Boot’ going for LSU?

Coach Brian Kelly has silenced much of the criticism surrounding his in-state recruiting.

For the past few months, there have been many posts on social media and football message boards about how LSU coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was not doing a great job recruiting the best players from Louisiana. So, we’re going to take a look into how well the Tigers are doing when it comes to ‘Recruiting the Boot’.

Of the top 15 recruits in Louisiana for the class of 2023, LSU currently has five commits ([autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag]) and they have  Crystal Ball projections for two more ([autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] and [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag]).

If you go back one more spot, LSU could possibly land eight out of the top 16 players in the state — [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], another LSU commit, is No. 16 on the list.

Sure, Kelly missed out on some of the top prospects like [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag], [autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag] and [autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag], but this isn’t Pokémon.

You aren’t going to catch them all.

Landing 50% of the top 16 players in the state is a very high clip. It’s also a lot more than anyone else has in your state. Out of the top 16 players, LSU could land eight while Texas has two (Manning and Williams). Alabama ([autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag]), USC ([autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag]), Notre Dame ([autotag]Jaiden Ausberry[/autotag]), Nebraska ([autotag]Omarion Miller[/autotag]), Tennessee ([autotag]Jordan Matthews[/autotag]), and Washington ([autotag]Curley Reed[/autotag]) each have one.

No, it has not been a perfect recruiting cycle, but, in my opinion, it has been pretty successful.

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USC 2023 commit Tackett Curtis makes the elite, is part of SI 99 rankings

The more one studies Tackett Curtis, the easier it is to love what he will bring to the able for #USC. @DonJamesSports has more:

Class of 2023 USC commit Tackett Curtis of Many High School in Lousiana debuts in the Sports Illustrated 99 recruiting rankings at No. 87.

Tackett Curtis is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker who also plays running back, safety, kick returner, and edge rusher as well. He’s a four-star prospect who is currently ranked as the No. 92 player in the 247Sports composite.

Curtis committed to USC on July 18 and appears ready to have a huge senior season before playing in Los Angeles next year.

The Louisiana native has accumulated 195 tackles, 5 interceptions, 494 all-purpose yards, and 5 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Outside of football Curtis has a 4.0-grade point average and is ranked first in his high school class. He plans on majoring in computer science at USC.

Tackett Curtis is a dynamic, versatile athlete with a high football IQ and a set of attributes that every coach dreams of in a football player. Curtis will fill important positional needs for USC, but more than that, he presents a package of traits which should translate into locker-room leadership and a presence which will help teammates on and off the field.

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Opinion: Brian Kelly’s Louisiana recruiting earns stamp of approval

With Shelton Sampson Jr. on board, Kelly has eased concerns about in-state recruiting.

I have never been Brian Kelly’s biggest defender nor his biggest critic.

I’ve always said he is a competent coach who will win a handful of football games wherever he is. He isn’t Nick Saban, but then again, who is?

I think too much was made about how Kelly fit at LSU. Lincoln Riley is from Lubbock, Texas, and nobody made a fuss when he ended up in Southern California.

We also watched Saban and Les Miles win championships at LSU. Neither one of those guys screams Louisiana. If you win football games, people don’t really care about where you’re from, and Kelly has won a lot of football games.

There were questions on how he’d fare recruiting Louisiana. Some of that was because there was all that noise about the culture fit, and some of it was because he’s never been seen as an ace recruiter.

The first few months were iffy. It was a challenge to gain momentum with recruits during the transition. LSU watched as other schools made progress with top recruits like [autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag]. Longtime commit [autotag]Omarion Miller[/autotag] flipped and followed [autotag]Mickey Joseph[/autotag] to Nebraska.

LSU was having success nationally, but I wanted to see more success in Louisiana. Over the last month or so, Kelly has eased any criticism I had on that front.

LSU pulled in commitments from Louisiana prospects OT [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and RB [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag].

The big one came on Saturday when WR [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] gave his pledge and LSU got one of it’s biggest targets.

Sampson was a guy LSU could not miss on. A five-star receiver from Baton Rouge. If Kelly couldn’t seal the deal here, his critics were going to have a field day.

LSU has been building steam with OT [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag]. A big-time prospect from Monroe, Louisiana, who On3 has as a five-star.

Baton Rouge quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] recently decommitted from Purdue and looks destined to end up a Tiger. Safety [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] received a 247Sports Crystal Ball to LSU earlier this month.

When it’s all said and done, LSU is going to have a solid class of Louisiana recruits. The Tigers still need to show improvement on the field, but Kelly has done a lot with less talent than he has now.

A decent season should have LSU in a good position to run the state in 2024.

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Wisconsin LB target Tackett Curtis commits to a PAC-12 school

After making his top three, Wisconsin misses out on 2023 four-star LB Tackett Curtis:

On Monday, 2023, four-star linebacker Tackett Curtis, who held an offer from Wisconsin, officially committed to USC.

Per the 247sports Composite, Curtis is the No. 81 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 7 LB in the country, and the No. 7 player in Louisiana.

According to MaxPreps, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker registered 103 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and one fumble recovery as a junior at Many High School.

Curtis, a standout at Many High School, also held offers from Wisconsin, Ohio State, LSU, Clemson, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and just about every other school in the nation.

Wisconsin misses on their top-of-the-board recruit, who they worked tirelessly to impress, and will now head back to the drawing board for the 2023 cycle.

The Louisiana native announced his commitment to USC via his Twitter account:

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Ohio State could be closing in on another top-tier recruit

Ohio State recently picked up a crystal ball prediction for one of their top targets. #GoBucks

The Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day have been on a roll as of late when it comes to the recruiting trails. Most recently the team added a bevy of talented wide receivers and cornerbacks. But perhaps another position on the defense could be addressed in the near future.

Tackett Curtis of Many, Louisiana, is choosing between three schools: Ohio State, USC Trojans, and the Wisconsin Badgers. Curtis is among the best linebackers in the country, according to 247Sports composite ratings he is the No. 7 linebacker nationally. He could join a school that has been known to produce top-tier linebackers and get them to the NFL.

Recently, Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports put in a crystal ball prediction for Curtis to join the ranks in Columbus. He is a talented player that produced as a running back, linebacker, and kick returner for Many. He projects to play on the defensive side of the ball at the collegiate level.

Should the Many product commit to Ohio State, he would be the first linebacker in the 2023 cycle to pledge to the Buckeyes. This cycle Ryan Day and the staff have offered a total of 13 linebackers. Three of the offered linebackers have committed to the Texas Longhorns, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Buckeyes are still in the running for three others outside of Curtis.

No timetable has been set for Curtis to narrow his list even further or to make his commitment.

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Top linebacker target puts Ohio State in top three

Four-star linebacker, Tackett Curtis is one step closer to becoming a Buckeye. #GoBucks

When Jim Knowles landed in Columbus, he made a list of players to target. At the top of that list was four-start linebacker Tackett Curtis. The state of Louisiana product put Ohio State one step closer to landing the prized recruit when he revealed his top three schools.

Joining the Buckeyes were two more Big Ten schools, Wisconsin and USC. And yes, it still feels weird to call Southern Cal a Big Ten school.

Curtis is the No. 7 ranked linebacker in the 2023 class according to 247Sports composite rankings and the No. 81 player overall. At this point, Curtis has two crystal ball predictions in favor of Ohio State.

To date, OSU has zero linebackers in the current class. It is a position that has been severely lacking in recent years. Knowles understands the importance of the linebacking unit and is looking to get the Buckeyes back in the conversation of “Linebacker U”.

Tackett Curtis would be a good start for the 2023 class to pair with C.J. Hicks and Gabe Powers from the 2022 recruiting class.

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Wisconsin makes the cut for 2023 four-star LB Tackett Curtis

Wisconsin makes the top 3 for a highly decorated four-star LB:

After a series of official visits, 2023 four-star linebacker Tackett Curtis has narrowed his list of schools down to Wisconsin, Ohio State, and USC.

Per the 247sports Composite, Curtis is the No. 81 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 7 LB in the country, and the No. 7 player in Louisiana.

According to MaxPreps, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker registered 103 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and one fumble recovery as a junior at Many High School.

UW has made Curtis their top priority in the 2023 recruiting cycle. The efforts of Coach April, more specifically, have given the Badgers a fighting chance against some of the top programs in the country.

You can watch his junior season HUDL film here.

The Louisiana native announced his top three list via his Twitter account:

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Four-star 2023 linebacker to visit Ohio State on Tuesday

Things are looking good with this one!

Ohio State spring practice begins on Tuesday and there are plenty of storylines to follow. However, another one has emerged. That’s because four-star 2023 Buckeye recruiting target Tackett Curtis will be visiting when everything kicks off over at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Out of Many, Louisiana, Tackett is ranked as the No. 6 linebacker and 62nd overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. And while Tackett may not have been on Ohio State’s radar and vice versa, he and his family have a previous relationship with new OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Knowles has brought that with him, and now all of a sudden, Curtis is a priority target and there is clearly mutual interest. There’s a very good chance that he could eventually end up being a Buckeye, though there’s nothing that seems to be looming around the corner.

We’ll obviously keep an eye on how this all goes down and if there’s any smoke after his visit, but it would clearly be a good get to have Tackett in the fold.

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