Top football prospects continue to fly off the board at a rapid rate . These blue-chippers are locking in their respective college commitments heading into their senior seasons.
In the latest Whiparound we touch on some of the big news over the weekend and look ahead at exciting developments happening on the trail.
Alabama moves to No. 1 in the On3 Recruiting Rankings
It was a five-star weekend for head coach Kalen DeBoer and company as the Crimson Tide added receiver Caleb Cunningham to the fold on Saturday and offensive tackle Ty Haywood to the class on Sunday.
This first year staff is up to 23 commitments with Haywood and Cunningham two of the jewels alongside fellow On3 Industry five-stars in cornerback Dijon Lee and quarterback Keelon Russell .
Best offensive line class in the land
The nearly 6-foot-5, 300-pound Haywood is the No. 2 offensive tackle in the land and No. 11 prospect overall. He finishes off an Alabama offensive line class that includes On3 five-star Michael Carroll , On3’s No. 1 prospect in California in offensive tackle Jackson Lloyd , On300 interior offensive lineman Micah DeBose and in-state target Mal Waldrep . No program will sign a finer offensive line class in the country than DeBoer, position coach Chris Kapilovic and the Crimson Tide. When looking at specifically the On3 rankings, Haywood is the No. 7 prospect in the country, Carroll checks in at No. 12 and Lloyd is in position for a fifth star down the road checking in at No. 26.
Alabama recruiting to the standard at wide receiver
Cunningham is the On3 Industry’s No. 2 ranked receiver after turning 48 receptions into 1,138 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior. He joins Millville (NJ) High’s Lotzeir Brooks who also torched defenses last fall to the tune of 61 catches for 1,295 yards and a state record 22 touchdowns. He has found the end zone 51 times going into his final prep season.
Moving forward Jamarcus Shephard and the Tide are in on two more of the nation’s best in Derek Meadows and Kaliq Lockett . LSU has started to trend for Meadows with Alabama and Notre Dame also firm in the picture. The Crimson Tide are near the top of the list for the five-star Lockett alongside Texas.
Meadows is slated to commit this weekend with Lockett set for Aug. 7.
What’s next for the Crimson Tide
In addition to Meadows and Lockett, the On3 Industry’s No. 2 ranked running back Akylin Dear has a keen eye on Capstone.
There was some buzz behind the scenes Dear could potentially commit on the same day as Cunningham. He obviously didn’t but Alabama is still in pole position for the touted back.
Alabama will continue to recruit prospects like five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry , On3’s No. 1 linebacker Ty Jackson and USC running back commit Harry Dalton as they aim to stay atop the recruiting rankings for the rest of the cycle.
Aggies and Ducks battling on the trail
Texas A&M has had a lot of success against Oregon on the trail this cycle, including quarterback Husan Longstreet , cornerback Adonyss Currie , linebacker Noah Mikhail and edge rusher Marco Jones who all chose the Aggies while having the Ducks among their respective finalists.
Oregon is looking to change this trend with a couple five-stars in the near future.
The first is safety Trey McNutt . The Shaker Heights (Ohio) High standout will commit this Saturday and Oregon is the On3 RPM favorite. The Aggies continue to have dialogue with McNutt as well but a source around the recruitment continues to favor the Ducks heading into the final days of the recruitment.
The second is safety Jonah Williams . A month ago Texas A&M looked like the leader. An official visit to Oregon the weekend of June 21 has given the Ducks momentum. The Aggies are doing what they can to get the pulse back in their favor and keep Williams in-state.
Oregon currently sits at No. 4 in the On3 Industry Recruiting Rankings while Texas A&M is strong at No. 9.
Four early week announcements
Five-star cornerback DJ Pickett will announce his college decision on Wednesday. Oregon looked like the favorite coming out of his June 21 official visit but buzz around Miami has continued to pick up over the last two weekends. Could be a big week at cornerback for Miami as Jaboree Antoine announces his plans on Saturday. The former LSU commit is also considering FSU.
The week starts fast with three of the Lone Star State’s best coming off the board in Dekaney High teammates in tight end Nick Townsend and receiver Tanook Hines along with Hitchcock High On300 receiver Kelshaun Johnson .
Hines is trending towards USC over Notre Dame and Texas. The Trojans have On3’s No. 18 ranked recruiting class.
Texas is the favorite for Townsend over Texas A&M, USC and Alabama. The Longhorns have the No. 16 class in the land.
Texas A&M is the On3 RPM favorite for Johnson.
Recapping a big weekend of commitments
Miami landed a a pledge from four-star receiver Daylyn Upshaw adding to a class that ranks No. 10 nationally. He is the first receiver in the fold and the Hurricanes are working to sign a special class at the position. They’re in the top three for On3 Industry five-star Jaime Ffrench (battling Texas and LSU), they’re a finalists for Vernell Brown III (Florida is the favorite) and they’ll continue to stay on guys like Oregon five-star commit Dallas Wilson (recently said he’s locked in with the Ducks) and Florida commit Joshua Moore .
Tennessee added Top100 receiver Travis Smith to a class that ranks No. 13 nationally. Smith joins a haul that includes fellow wide out Radarious Jackson , giving the Vols a terrific combination that could cause problems in the SEC for years to come. Smith had 843 yards receiving and 11 scores as a junior. Jackson looks like a future star racking up nearly 800 yards rushing and nine touchdowns as a junior with another 700 yards receiving and 13 scores. He averaged close to 12 yards per carry and over 23 yards per receptions. He had eight interceptions on defense, two pick sixes and a punt return for a score. Smith is the third receiver in the fold with in-state talent Joakim Dodson also in the fold. Dodson had over 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns himself as a junior.
Michigan added one of the fastest receivers in the country in Phillip Wright III to the fold. He has sub 10.5 speed in the 100m dash adding to a Wolverines class that ranks No. 11 nationally. Wright’s skill set reminds of Roman Wilson. He joins four-star receiver Jacob Washington in the fold. Moving forward Michigan continues to trend for On300 receiver Andrew Marsh and the Wolverines are in the picture for On300 receiver Jerome Myles . Both are expected at the BBQ at the Big House next week. Myles is also high on the likes of Utah and Texas A&M.
Quick Hitters
On300 offensive tackle Malachi Goodman is down to Auburn, Penn State and USC. A couple sources like where the Nittany Lions stand but nobody says it’s done.
Louisville (Ky.) Male offensive lineman Isaac Sowells Jr. will commit on Thursday with NC State, Kentucky and South Carolina the finalists. The On3 RPM is riding with the Wolfpack.
The post Wiltfong Whiparound: Alabama aims to stay No. 1, recapping big commitments, previewing big announcements appeared first on On3 .
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