Wiltfong Whiparound: Tennessee talk, LSU looking to close the summer strong, 5-star intel

Over the weekend the On3 Industry’s No. 1 ranked offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. came off the board, announcing his pledge to Tennessee over his other finalists in Ohio State, Nebraska and Georgia .

The Vols are up to No. 6 in the On3 Recruiting Rankings , highlighted by what they’ve done on the offensive line. Sanders joins the nation’s No. 4 interior offensive line prospect Douglas Utu as the jewels of the class . Sanders and Utu figure to be mainstays at the point of attack protecting the best high school quarterback recruiting any program in the country has done for years to come .

Tennessee has had a terrific end to the summer on the recruiting trail, beating Georgia for Top100 safety Lagonza Heyward and flipping the country’s No. 3 tight end DaSaahn Brame from Oregon all included. The good news continued on Sunday when Rome (Ga.) High four-star linebacker Jaedon Harmon backed off his verbal to Alabama in favor of the Vols.

With four-star cornerback Onis Konanbanny slated to announce his college plans on Friday and the Vols heavily favored on the On3 RPM, the program’s momentum on the trail isn’t going to slow down as the week continues.

But Tennessee isn’t the only program buzzing on the trail with fall fast approaching. We break down the big happenings in the latest Wiltfong Whiparound.

LSU is hot too

Tennessee wasn’t the only program that pulled out he spatula over the weekend as the Tigers turned Missouri City (Texas) Hightower On300 cornerback Kade Phillips from Texas.

The 6-foot 1/2, 185-pound Phillips is commit No. 24 for head coach Brian Kelly and his staff, adding to a class that On3 ranks No. 3 nationally . The On3 Industry ranks Phillips as the nation’s No. 18 cornerback and No. 164 prospect overall. We are much higher slotting him at No. 7 and No. 65 respectively.

LSU is trending for a couple more prospects.

Ruston (La.) High cornerback Aidan Anding will announce his commitment this weekend with Arkansas, LSU and Texas as the finalists. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound Anding isn’t a national name like some of his peers, but he is a plus athlete in the secondary that still has a lot of runway to get bigger and stronger. I like where the Tigers stand and my On3 RPM reflects that.

Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Baptist disruptive defensive lineman Walter Mathis Jr. is aiming to make a decision soon and I added an On3 RPM in favor of LSU joining many of my colleagues. Mathis is a high-motored prospect that had 38 tackles for loss over the course of his sophomore and junior seasons. He was a problem behind the line of scrimmage this past weekend as well.

While LSU looks good for Anding this weekend and are trending for Mathis, the big fish out there is the On3 Industry’s No. 1 ranked safety Jonah Williams . His commitment date is locked in for Saturday evening. Several sources believe this one is coming down to LSU and Texas. I continue to hear his dialogue with Texas A&M remains steady and just as positive as it’s always been so I can’t rule out the Aggies. In fact that’s where my current On3 RPM sits but the Tigers and Longhorns at the very least have grabbed a lot of momentum at the end of the summer. Williams finalists round out with USC and Oregon. A source last week around the family put the Trojans in the top three.

If Williams chooses LSU he’d become the third Top 10 prospect headed to Baton Rouge joining top-ranked player in quarterback Bryce Underwood and the nation’s No. 2 cornerback and No. 7 prospect overall in DJ Pickett . Does is surprise anyone LSU may recruit the best secondary class in the country? Williams would also be the fourth On3 Industry five-star with running back Harlem Berry also in the fold. Pickett and Williams would provide unique size and athleticism to any secondary.

All eyes on Fasusi

With Sanders off the board, the next touted offensive tackle to commit will be the nation’s No. 3 prospect at the position in Michael Fasusi . The Lewisville (Texas) High standout will announce on Wednesday which is also the five-year anniversary of him and his family moving to the United States .

Fasusi says his mind is made up and the buzz behind the scenes is favoring Oklahoma. Even when that buzz favored Texas, sources around the Sooners have always felt good.

But Fasusi has yet to alert any of the staffs and continues to have regular dialogue with each program. Perhaps none more so than with Texas A&M. He watches film three times a week via skype with offensive line coach Adam Cushing. The entire Aggies staff sent him a message on Sunday.

Fasusi said he talked with Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood on Sunday. He continues to talk football with each staff as he continues to absorb as much as he can from these coaches before shutting the process down.

If Oklahoma does land Fasusi, that combination of him and Ryan Fodje would be right there as one of the best tackle duos any program signs in the 2025 cycle.

No. 1 linebacker setting visits

Loxahatchee (Fla.) Seminole Ridge blue-chipper Ty Jackson is one of the elite 2025 prospects not making a college decision this summer. He’ll go the distance and make his announcement on Dec. 4.

Jackson’s visit schedule for the fall is coming together. He’ll be at Florida for the season opener against Miami. An official visit to USC is in the works for Sept. 7 weekend. Jackson will be back at Alabama on Sept. 28 for the game against Georgia. A return to Penn State for the White Out game on Nov. 9 is on the calendar. Florida State will get the last visit the weekend of Nov. 30. That will be an official visit.

Jackson took summer officials to Penn State, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. The Vols are moving into the picture here and Jackson could take a visit on Oct. 19 for the game against the Crimson Tide.

On3 tabs Jackson as the nation’s No. 25 prospect overall.

More announcement projections

The nation’s No. 2 running back in Quitman (Miss.) High’s Akylin Dear will commit on Tuesday. Standing firm regarding the On3 RPM in favor of Alabama.

Fulshear (Texas) Katy Jordan On300 receiver Andrew Marsh will commit on Tuesday as well. Michigan is my On3 RPM.

Loganville (Ga.) Grayson On300 offensive tackle Nick Brooks will commit on Aug. 23. My On3 RPM is on Texas but USC continues to swing to try and change the momentum.

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