Winners, Losers from College Football Recruiting Trail for Month of September
Each month of the football season pushes programs one step closer to national signing day. Just four months separate teams from a pivotal February morning that will ultimately determine on-field fortunes for seasons to come.
September provided plenty of highs and lows for coaching staffs across the country. As we turn the page to October, it's an appropriate time to look back on those who shined and struggled on the recruiting trail over the past month.
Winner: Ole Miss
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The Rebels climbed into the top 25 in the national recruiting rankings thanks to an impressive September haul. Ole Miss addressed key positions on both sides of the ball with players who were heavily pursued by SEC opponents.
Head coach Hugh Freeze pulled in a pair of talented offensive linemen from Tennessee, landing mammoth tackles Drew Richmond (Memphis) and Alex Givens (Nashville). Richmond, rated sixth nationally among players at the position in 247Sports’ composite rankings, chose Ole Miss over the nearby Volunteers and onetime favorite Ohio State.
The 6’5”, 320-pound prospect has hit the recruiting path hard since announcing his pledge.
"I think Drew has tweeted at every (recruit) and their mom by now," Rebels cornerback commit Cameron Ordway told Riley Blevins of The Clarion-Ledger. "He's not messing around. Drew is so focused on getting more commits it's insane.”
Ordway is another new Ole Miss addition from Tennessee. The ball hawk pulled down nine interceptions last season and holds offers from Florida State, Auburn, LSU and Clemson.
The Rebels defense received another boost from top in-state target Leo Lewis. The nation’s No. 1 middle linebacker committed to Ole Miss days after visiting Alabama, where he initially pledged earlier this year.
Lewis has the ability to become an immediate difference-maker in Oxford.
“I’m very explosive,” Lewis told me earlier this year. “My instincts are good. I know exactly where to go and when I need to be there.”
Freeze and his staff enjoyed a September on the recruiting trail that should make plenty of rivals jealous.
Loser: Michigan
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Surprised? You shouldn’t be, considering the level of turmoil swirling around this team.
Head coach Brady Hoke appears to be entering his final stretch with the Wolverines, and athletic director Dave Brandon could be right behind him on the way out of Ann Arbor. This isn’t exactly the type of atmosphere a student-athlete and his family embrace when searching for stability within a collegiate program.
The impacts of on-field struggles and administrative embarrassments have resonated on the recruiting trail. Michigan lost a commitment from 4-star defensive end Darian Roseboro during the final week of September, continuing a disturbing trend for this class.
The Wolverines have lost four prospects considered 4- or 5-star talents since winter including top-ranked running back Damien Harris. Wide receiver George Campbell and defensive back Shaun Crawford are now committed to Florida State and Notre Dame, respectively.
The Wolverines, who narrowly missed out on No. 1 quarterback recruit Josh Rosen this spring, haven’t been able to maintain much momentum this year. The team’s last commitment occurred in August, and other squads are sure to poach Michigan pledges as long as strong presentiments of an uncertain future remain persistent.
"Michigan is working with a small class, and it's a class that will get increasingly decimated as Hoke's job security continues to waver," writes Barton Simmons of 247Sports.
Top-rated tight end commit Chris Clark added offers from USC and Texas this week.
Winner: Tennessee
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Head coach Butch Jones has the Volunteers surging toward another top-10 recruiting class, continuing to create the impression this team can compete at a high level in the near future. Tennessee received tremendous news from a pair of top defensive targets during the last week of September to secure its spot on this list.
The team bolstered depth along the defensive front in a matter of hours on Friday, Sept. 26, landing a pair of coveted linemen from beyond state borders.
Shy Tuttle, rated sixth nationally among defensive tackles in 247Sports’ composite rankings, announced his intentions to sign with Tennessee after a high-profile recruitment process. He picked the Volunteers over fellow finalists North Carolina and North Carolina State.
“The relationship with the coaches, I felt comfortable there,” Tuttle told Brant Wilkerson of the Winston-Salem Journal. “It’s been a ride. I’m the first one out of my family to go to college.”
Tuttle, a North Carolina product who secured 244 tackles and 27 sacks over the past three seasons, preceded a commitment from Virginia defensive end Darrell Taylor. The 6’4”, 220-pound prospect unveiled his verbal pact just a few hours later, elevating the Volunteers’ 2015 class to fifth nationally in 247Sports’ composite team rankings.
Taylor, an athletically gifted pass-rusher, complements Tuttle’s stout interior presence. He decided on Tennessee after considering offers from Florida, Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Ohio State.
Like Tuttle, Taylor cited cohesion with the coaching staff as a key part of the process.
“I felt comfortable with the players, the environment, the coaches, how they were talking to me and respect me,” he told Eric Kolenich of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “It’s just where I want to go.”
Tennessee is clearly hitting on all cylinders when it comes to recruiting in the southeast.
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Winner: Washington
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The Huskies collected four commitments in September. None were bigger—literally—than offensive tackle Henry Roberts.
The 6’6”, 263-pound prospect is considered one of the Northwest’s top 2015 recruits and holds offers from Wisconsin, Stanford, USC and Arizona State. Roberts elected to stay in his home state with Washington on Sept. 3, giving first-year head coach Chris Peterson a building block up front.
“It feels so awesome,” he told Josh Liebeskind of The Seattle Times. “I always knew I was going to be a Husky. With Coach (Petersen) coming to UW, I knew it was the place for me.”
Roberts will be counted on to protect 4-star quarterback commit Jake Browning, who joined the class in March. He set California’s all-time career passing yardage and touchdown throws records earlier this season.
Tate Martell, a 2017 Huskies quarterback commit, has been sensational since taking over as starter for top-ranked Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas) in September. Though the sophomore committed to Steve Sarkisian's regime in Washington and recently added a USC offer, he's still excited about the team's direction under Peterson.
"Washington was my favorite school a couple years ago, and it still is today," Martell told me. "Coach Peterson will have the program doing well, I really like the facilities and I'm interested to see where things go from here. Time will tell."
The team landed a trio of talented defenders in September including California linebackers DJ Beavers and Ben Burr-Kirven. Monstrous strong-side defensive end Jason Scrempos also pledged in September, providing another valuable piece for the Huskies’ front seven.
Loser: North Carolina
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The Tar Heels lost another top-tier defensive back commit last month. North Carolina claimed a promising crop of secondary talent earlier this cycle but has struggled to hold on to those prospects as things have progressed.
Ronnie Harrison ended a yearlong relationship with the program in July when he flipped to Alabama. North Carolina suffered another setback in September, surrendering its grip on safety Jamile Johnson.
The Dallas-area standout decided to remain in his home state, committing to Texas shortly after receiving an offer from Longhorns coach Charlie Strong. The Tar Heels are again left searching for other options in the defensive backfield.
“Texas has always been my dream school,” Johnson told Ryan Bartow of 247Sports. “I always grew up liking Texas.”
Matters were made worse for the defense less than two weeks later when 4-star defensive tackle Shy Tuttle committed to Tennessee. The coveted in-state recruit was considered the Tar Heels for quite some time before announcing his decision and spent multiple visits at Chapel Hill during the process.
North Carolina coach Larry Fedora must find a way to capitalize on a solid crop of uncommitted talent to turn things around. He hasn't landed a new commitment since South Carolina running back Ty'Son Williams joined the class in late July.
Winner: Arkansas
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The Razorbacks managed to complete a coveted pairing that should push an emerging offensive attack to new heights in years to come. Dominant in-state tight end Will Gragg committed to Arkansas in late September, following in the footsteps of older brother and Buffalo Bills veteran Chris Gragg.
The 6’4”, 245-pound playmaker is rated eighth nationally among prospects at the position and gives Bret Bielema three quality tight ends to develop in this class. Gragg, viewed as the most dynamic member of that trio, will team up with friend and 4-star receiver K.J. Hill in Fayetteville.
There’s been plenty of speculation surrounding a potential partnership between the duo, and that possibility came to fruition during Gragg’s Sept. 23 announcement. He chose Arkansas over fellow finalists LSU, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss due in large part to the Razorbacks' willingness to use two-tight end sets.
"None of the other schools that I was considering ran the tight ends like (Bielema) did," Gragg told Drew Champlin of 247Sports.
Arkansas has proven formidable in the rushing game and could quickly add balance with upgraded aerial success. Gragg and Hill give 4-star quarterback commit Ty Storey, who has 136 total touchdowns in his high school career, even more options.
Recruit ratings courtesy of 247Sports.
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