B/R Recruiting Notebook: Top Prospects Setting Plans as Season Starts
Football is in full swing. The majority of high school teams have started their seasons, and college football kicks off this week.
Recruiting continues to make headlines as well. South Carolina added a keystone commitment Saturday in 4-star cornerback Jamyest Williams. Maryland got better Sunday by adding 4-star offensive tackle Marcus Minor. While Williams is South Carolina's top-ranked overall get in the 2017 class, Minor is Maryland's top-ranked offensive commit.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
"Thankful , blessed, and excited to again say I am committed to the University of Maryland ‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/JfPErv2CoX
— Marcus Minor (@AyeeMarcus_) August 29, 2016"
Additionally, Florida added talent to its defensive line Friday with Fred Hansard. The 4-star defensive tackle announced his commitment via Bleacher Report.
"I have officially committed to... https://t.co/BAYjvn7Pyb
— Fred Hansard (@Fred_Hansard56) August 26, 2016"
Here are a few other recruiting nuggets involving 2017 athletes and rising program.
Out-of-state visits for 4-star WR Holloman
In two games for Newton High School in Covington, Georgia, 4-star wide receiver Jeremiah Hollomon has established himself as a reliable go-to option. He has 10 receptions and three touchdowns with eight games still remaining on the regular-season schedule.
Hollomon is on pace to shatter the numbers he produced from his sophomore and junior seasons combined, which included 70 catches for 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns. His playmaking ability is one of the many reasons why he has 46 reported offers.
Holloman said he has two official visits scheduled so far, one to Notre Dame the weekend of Sept. 17 and another to Miami the weekend of Oct. 8. Other possible official visit destinations include Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Penn State, but nothing has been set in stone.
"I'm talking to schools who are reaching out and talking to me," Hollomon said. "My season's here, so I'm really focused on that, but the schools who are really trying to get me, that's who I'm talking to."
Holloman said his official visit schedule may not include a few schools where he's already visited unofficially. He's already familiar with Tennessee, Auburn and in-state Georgia, and he wants to use the official visits to become better acquainted with schools that are farther away from home.
Holloman, however, added that those schools that do not receive officials still should be considered major contenders. In fact, Georgia is a heavy leader in his 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions.
Holloman said he'll make a decision in calculated fashion. He's keeping an eye on depth charts and overall production from athletes at his position. In addition, he intends to choose a school with the most comfortable environment and the best player-to-player and player-to-coach relationship for him.
"I don't want a school wanting me just because they know the potential I do have. I also want a place where I feel needed," Hollomon said. "There are a couple of schools that have a lack of receivers. I also want to be somewhere that has a quarterback I know will deliver the ball and a coaching staff that will push the program to a championship.
"To me, it's everything about a program. I want everything positive, nothing negative. I want to be around a really good vibe."
B1G, SEC officials on deck for 4-star ATH Johnson
There are advantages in having Los Angeles 4-star Rahyme Johnson on a roster. At 6'4 ½" and 210 pounds, he can play anywhere on the field from outside linebacker to rush defensive end to cornerback and even wide receiver, if necessary.
Johnson said he doesn't have a set position, which he said also intrigues the college coaches he speaks with. He's been in contact with a few schools and has three official visits set to help with his upcoming verbal commitment. Johnson will be at Nebraska's homecoming the weekend of Oct. 1, Florida the weekend of Oct. 8 and Texas A&M the weekend of Nov. 12.
"I'm looking to get my other two officials set pretty soon," Johnson said. "I'm not sure what those schools are yet. I'm still looking at a couple of schools showing interest but haven't offered yet. If nothing else, I'll take those visits from schools that have already offered."
Johnson said recruiting is a priority, but his primary focus is on the success of his high school team. Bishop Mora Salesian is fresh off a 69-0 win over Verbum Dei and is preparing for a big clash Friday against Calabasas, a team that includes 5-star cornerback Darnay Holmes and the Nebraska-bound, 4-star tandem of quarterback Tristan Gebbia and wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
"My focus is on winning another CIF championship," said Rahyme Johnson, who won a state title as a freshman with Oregon cornerback commit Deommodore Lenoir. "We really didn't get to contribute as much back then, so we're trying to get another, one that we can say we earned."
From a recruiting standpoint, Johnson said he's looking at a December timetable for a verbal commitment. He said he won't rush things and added he wouldn't be opposed to pushing back a decision until closer to national signing day.
4-star OT Ealy discusses 3 front-runners, timeline
Look for a verbal commitment to come relatively soon for Gonzales, Louisiana, offensive tackle Adrian Ealy. The 4-star lineman told Bleacher Report he's hoping to make a decision in October, as he is planning on being an early enrollee.
Ealy has 15 reported offers and announced a top 12 back in April, but he's now focusing his attention on three schools—Oklahoma, LSU and Miami. LSU is a heavy favorite in Ealy's 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions.
"LSU was the first to offer me at a young age, so I'm going to keep them high," Ealy said. "I've really started talking to Oklahoma a lot around the spring. The Sooners have been showing me love ever since. I love Miami's location and coach Mark Richt. I've been talking to him, and he's a really nice guy."
One lucky school will get a tower in Ealy, a 6'7", 308-pounder with the ability to defend a lot of space with the help of a 7-foot wingspan. While Oklahoma, LSU and Miami are in front, Ealy added that the other schools in his top 12 are still very much alive in his recruiting race.
Official visits, he said, are forthcoming.
"Whichever school that will offer me the best chance at being an impact player as a freshman, that's what I'm looking at," Ealy said. "I want that, and I want a place where I can feel at home."
4-star DB Ah You speaks highly of Pac-12 school
Earlier this month, Provo, Utah, 4-star athlete Chaz Ah You dropped what he called his "top 10...plus two" on social media. The note not only included a list of schools from all over the country but also a 12-point criterion explaining why each school made his list.
Whichever school lands Ah You will get a versatile athlete who has seen time at numerous positions since being a freshman. Projected as a safety in college, Ah You—ranked the No. 2 player in the state of Utah behind 4-star defensive tackle Jay Tufele—has lined up at safety, quarterback, cornerback, wide receiver, outside linebacker, punter, punt returner and kickoff returner.
Ah You, now at 6'2" and 200 pounds, said one Pac-12 school has made it a priority to stay high on his list.
"UCLA is always in contact with me," he said. "UCLA really has intrigued me since it started recruiting me. The Bruins were my No. 1 for a while. That's a school I can't really get enough of with the coaching there and everything it has to offer. It's definitely caught my attention."
Ah You said schools such as Stanford, BYU, Oklahoma State and Washington all have been persistent with recruiting as well, and he's a huge fan of what each of those programs has to offer, athletically and academically. He said official visits will help weed out the competition, and he's planning on setting up his visits in the next week or two.
"I want a school that will get everything out of me, on and off the field," Ah You said. "I want a school that will make me a well-rounded person and well-rounded athlete."
Colorado on the rise: Who's next for the Buffs?
The Colorado Buffaloes have a national top-35 class and 18 commits. Of the 18, seven are from California, and six hail from Texas.
Credit Darrin Chiaverini for his ability to wear several hats with the coaching staff. In addition to being co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach, Chiaverini also is the recruiting coordinator for the Buffaloes, and he's been working in race-car fashion to make the class one of the best in years.
Laviska Shenault, a wide receiver from DeSoto, Texas, is Colorado's top-ranked commit. The team's top-ranked defensive player is Jon Van Diest, an athletic defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid from Englewood, Colorado.
As Chiaverini, head coach Mike MacIntyre and the rest of the Colorado coaching staff continue their recruiting trend, look for them to focus on a few headliner targets. Two of those targets come from the state of Nevada. Bishop Gorman 4-star cornerback Alex Perry has the Buffaloes as a school to watch, as does 4-star defensive tackle Greg Rogers from Arbor View.
Three Texans to watch include DeSoto 4-star receiver K.D. Nixon and the Cedar Hill 3-star tandem of all-purpose back Kaegun Williams and linebacker Dimitri Moore. Landing any combination of the aforementioned players could give the Buffaloes a top-30 class and, possibly, push them into the top 25.
Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
