Tag: Wardell Mack

How well did LSU ‘Recruit the Boot’ in 2024 cycle?

Let’s check and see how well Brian Kelly accomplished that goal with the 2024 recruiting class.

When [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] came to LSU, he made a mission to keep the best players from Louisiana in Louisiana. That initiative was called “Recruit the Boot.” Let’s check and see how well he accomplished that goal with the 2024 recruiting class.

Of the top 10 Louisiana recruits in the 2024 class, LSU has signed eight of them. The only ones they did not sign are [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag], a four-star cornerback who signed with Texas, and [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], who won’t sign until February. The Tigers still have a chance to land McKinley and make the final tally nine out of ten.

As of now, McKinley is committed to Mike Elko and the Texas A&M Aggies. We will see if Kelly can get McKinley to flip before February. Last year, the Tigers only landed five out of ten so this is a definite upgrade and proof that Kelly is staying true to his word. He is keeping the best players home in Louisiana.

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Florida loses commitment from 4-star CB Wardell Mack

For the second time in as many days, Florida has lost a commitment from a blue-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

Florida lost another key member of the 2024 recruiting class on Sunday.

Four-star cornerback [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag] flipped his commitment from UF to Texas, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, who quotes Mack as “1000% committed.”

Mack’s flip comes one day after four-star edge rusher Jamonta Waller backed off his pledge to the Orange and Blue in favor of Auburn. Florida is at a low point, losing three straight games including a loss to Arkansas. But Mack said it was the coaching staff at Texas that ultimately made him flip.

The Gators are still at No. 4 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings following Mack’s change of heart, but losing Waller did move them from the No. 3 spot.

Mack is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked highest by On3 at No. 53 overall in the class of 2024. The On3 consensus, which uses a weighted average of all four major recruiting services, puts him just outside the top 100 at No. 105 nationally. He’s also ranked No. 13 among cornerbacks in his class and No. 4 among recruits from Louisiana.

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Four-star DB Wardell Mack commits to Texas

Wardell Mack wants to be a Texas Longhorn.

Texas got big news in regard to its future secondary on Saturday. Four-star defensive back Wardell Mack de-committed from the Florida Gators in favor of the Longhorns.

Mack continues a trend of high profile recruits joining defensive backs coaches Terry Joseph and Blake Gideon to play in the Texas defensive backfield.

The Marrero (LA) native isn’t the first big name Louisiana player to choose the Texas Longhorns. He joins Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning and defensive back Derek Williams Jr. among players from the Pelican State to commit to the team.

From the coaching staff’s perspective, Mack stands as one of the program’s top targets in the 2024 recruiting class. He stands as one of the biggest wins of the cycle for the upward trending program. The team’s 9-1 season might have played a role in swaying Mack from Florida.

The four-star defensive back is the No. 13 cornerback and No. 105 ranked player in the 2024 On3 industry rankings.

Top Louisiana prospect Dominick McKinley commits to Texas A&M

LSU has landed seven of the top 10 players in the state of Louisiana, but it has now missed on the top two.

The Tigers have generally done a good job of recruiting the state of Louisiana this cycle, but they missed on the best player in the state as five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] announced his commitment to Texas A&M on Friday.

LSU was a bit of a longshot here as Texas had long been seen as the favorite. However, the Aggies swooped in and managed to land McKinley with a last-second push.

The Lafayette Acadiana prospect ranks as the No. 1 player in the state of Louisiana as well as the No. 5 defensive lineman and No. 22 overall player nationally, per On3.

LSU’s 2024 class still ranks in the top 10 nationally, and the Tigers have landed seven of the top 10 players in the state this cycle. However, they missed on the top two in McKinley and [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag], a cornerback who committed to Florida.

 

Florida adds another blue chip defender to their loaded class of 2024

Earlier this week, Mack announced his commitment to an already-loaded class of 2024 for the Florida Gators.

Arguably no other state in the country produces more high-end young football talent than Louisiana, and they’re particularly good at pumping out defensive backs. One of the top prospects in the state in the 2024 recruiting cycle is John Ehret (La.) four-star cornerback Wardell Mack, and he’s just decided where he’ll be playing at the college level.

Earlier this week, Mack announced his commitment to an already-loaded class of 2024 for the Florida Gators.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv7kXPTMMBp/

Mack (6-foot-0, 170 pounds) had offers from 18 other schools. The other top contenders were Florida State, Texas and LSU – which was the favorite to get his commitment according to On3’s prediction model, which had Florida at just 1.2%.

That makes it a nice surprise get for the Gators’ class of 2024, which now has 22 hard commits. Florida’s group still ranks No. 3 in the nation in this cycle, but their lead over No. 4 Alabama has grown to over 10 points. They trail No. 2 Ohio State by 11.

After he broke the news, Mack told Corey Bender at On3 that Gators defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong says Mack can play corner as well as nickel.

“Coach Armstrong made it clear that I’m a great player that he wants on his defense, and feels as though I’m savvy enough to play corner and nickel in the defense. Coach Juluke and Coach Napier have made me feel at home every time I stepped foot in Gainesville.”

Going by the 247Sports composite rankings, Mack is No. 4 in the state of Louisiana, No. 13 at his position and No. 114 nationally.

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LSU lost out on one of the top players in the state of Louisiana.

LSU lost out on one of the top players in the state of Louisiana in the 2024 cycle on Friday as four-star Marrero (La.) John Ehret cornerback [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag] committed to coach Billy Napier and the Florida Gators.

Mack ranks as the No. 72 player nationally and No. 2 player in the state of Louisiana, according to On3. It’s a tough loss, but it’s softened by the fact that the Tigers already have a top-100 cornerback on board in [autotag]Cai Bates[/autotag].

Still, it’s a bit disappointing that the Tigers have struggled to land the top players in the state in this cycle. LSU boasts commitments from eight of the top-10 players in Louisiana, but with Mack committing to Florida and No. 1 prospect [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] trending toward Texas, it seems like LSU is poised to miss on the two best prospects in the state.

In addition to Bates, LSU has commitments from cornerbacks [autotag]Ondre Evans[/autotag], [autotag]Ju’Juan Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Wallace Foster[/autotag] in the 2024 cycle.

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Florida football gets commitment from blue-chip 2024 CB recruit

The Gators just added a coveted four-star defensive back to their already bountiful 2024 recruiting class.

Billy Napier and Co. scored another victory on the recruiting trail on Monday when four-star cornerback [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag] out of Marrero (Louisiana) John Ehret announced his commitment to the Orange and Blue, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

The 6-foot-0.5-inch, 170-pound defensive back chose the Gators out of a final four that included the LSU Tigers, Texas Longhorns and Florida State Seminoles. In the end, it appears that Florida had what he was looking for.

“On my official visit in April I saw it was a great place, with great people trying to put the pieces together to put Florida back on the map,” Mack said. “Just having a sit down with coach Corey (Raymond) and his work through the years. Also, having Louisiana native coaches puts a plus on everything.”

LSU had made a strong push for the Bayou State product, but following Florida’s Grill in the Ville event at the end of July, the Swamp crew was also pressing hard for him, including 2024 safety commit Josiah Davis.

“We are trying to get him to commit,” Davis offered following the event. “I think he’s going to choose us, choose the Gators.”

Not only have his peers been building him up, but the coaching staff as well.

“Coach Armstrong made it clear that I’m a great player that he wants on his defense, and feels as though I’m savvy enough to play corner and nickel in the defense,” Mack offered. “Coach Juluke and Coach Napier have made me feel at home every time I stepped foot in Gainesville.”

Mack is ranked No. 115 overall and No. 13 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 72 and 7, respectively.

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Florida safety commit recruiting top-100 LSU-leaning CB

The Gators are still going after cornerback Wardell Mack, who is a top-100 recruit, and Florida safety commit Josiah Davis likes UF’s chances.

The Florida Gators already have 20 players under commitment from the class of 2024, but there is still room for an elite piece or two to be added to the class.

[autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag], a safety out of Berrien in Nashville, Georgia that is committed to Florida, was in Gainesville this weekend for Florida’s Grill in the Ville cookout, according to Gators Online. He thinks that Florida has a decent chance at landing top-100 recruit [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag] despite LSU making a strong push for the Louisiana native.

“We are trying to get him to commit,” Davis said. “I think he’s going to choose us, choose the Gators.”

Mack is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked highest by On3 at No. 19 overall and No. 3 among cornerbacks in the class of 2024. He lands at No. 71 nationally and No. 7 at his position on the On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major recruiting services.

Davis also recruiting class of 2025 top-100 athlete Darrell Johnson, who is from the same area.

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LSU kicks off massive Bayou Splash recruiting weekend Friday

The Tigers will hope to make a strong impression with many of their top targets on campus this weekend.

With the summer winding down and the start of the 2023 season right around the corner, this weekend will prove to be one of the most crucial recruiting windows in this cycle.

It’s the annual Bayou Splash event in Baton Rouge, and LSU welcomes a truly staggering visitor list to campus. In addition to a number of commits and prospects in future cycles, the Tigers have many of their top remaining targets on campus this week.

LSU will hope it can make an impact on players such as five-stars [autotag]Colin Simmons[/autotag] and [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], top Louisiana prospects [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] and [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag], as well as priority offensive line target [autotag]Ory Williams[/autotag].

The Tigers have a solid class in 2024 so far, but the 20-man group ranks just outside the top 10. If LSU can bring in some of its top targets from this weekend’s event, it will almost certainly surge into the top 10.

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Blue-chip Bayou State CB target plans to be at Grill in the Ville event

From swamp to Swamp, the Gators will get a visit from this still undecided 4-star CB this Saturday.

Florida football is getting set to host the first edition of the Grill in the Ville event, which welcomes prep prospects from a range of recruiting classes into the Swamp to get a gander at what Billy Napier and the Gators have to offer.

While a majority of the visitors from the 2024 cycle have already verbally committed to the University of Florida, there is still a pair who are taking their time making what will likely be the most important decision of their lives. One of those young student-athletes is four-star cornerback [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag] out of Marrero (Louisiana) John Ehret.

The 5-foot-11-inch, 170-pound defensive back released his list of the top four schools remaining in play for his services a couple of weeks ago, which in addition to Florida also included the LSU Tigers, Texas Longhorns and Florida State Seminoles.

Billy Napier’s staff offered him a scholarship in early March and an April visit opened his eyes to what the Swamp had to offer. Subsequently, the rising high school senior made an official visit in the middle of June — right at the time that the program made a huge surge on the recruiting front. It appears he was very impressed with what he has seen so far given his plans to return for this Saturday’s festivities.

Mack is ranked No. 115 overall and No. 13 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 71 and 7, respectively.

He currently holds three crystal ball predictions from 247Sports for the Texas Longhorns while On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine gives LSU a massive lead in the race for his talents with a 78.5% chance of signing him; Texas is a distant second at 18.9%.

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