Bold Summer Predictions for 2016 College Football Recruiting Trail
Summer break provides opportunities for prospects across the U.S. to become more involved in their respective recruiting processes. Time away from class creates room for campus visits, camp enrollments and overall assessments of how things are developing as national signing day approaches.
As the final stretch of this school year brings athletes closer to eventual collegiate decisions, we peeked ahead to assess events we foresee taking place this summer. Though we offer no guarantees, keep your eye on the following predictions, as they might just come to fruition before next football season.
Top-Ranked WR Nate Craig-Myers Will Commit to Florida State Before Senior Season
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Every recruiting cycle is filled with commitment flips, and that rate is at an all-time high these days. If you're looking for a premier prospect to switch allegiances this summer, keep tabs on top-rated wide receiver Nate Craig-Myers.
The 5-star prospect pledged to Auburn before his junior season and maintained that sentiment for nearly a full year before backing off his verbal pledge in early May.
“I just want to thank the Auburn coaching staff for the opportunity and seeing the potential in me. But I have decided to open up my recruitment,” he told 247Sports.
Signs are pointing toward a potential change of heart that could lead him to stay put in his home state.
Florida State has hosted the Tampa product three times since February. The Seminoles also landed a pair of impressive passers in the 2015 class and already hold a commitment from 5-star 2016 quarterback Malik Henry.
Jimbo Fisher has displayed his willingness to implement first-year players on offense. True freshman Dalvin Cook and Travis Rudolph combined for 1,766 offensive yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014.
Michigan Will Jump into Top 20 Recruiting Rankings for 1st Time Under Harbaugh
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Michigan fans may have required patience during the early portions of Jim Harbaugh's return to college football recruiting, but things quickly turned around in April. The Wolverines landed four commitments, including the first 2016 pledge under Harbaugh's watch from 4-star Indiana quarterback Brandon Peters.
"He compared me to Andrew Luck," Peters told Bleacher Report. "It's a similar situation to what he had at Stanford, with Luck being the first quarterback recruit he brought in [with a full cycle]. He thinks I'm a really good fit for him at Michigan like Luck was for him there."
The program's future outlook continued to improve with commitments from top-rated in-state running back Matthew Falcon, former Louisville linebacker pledge David Reese and Alabama fullback and linebacker Kingston Davis.
These players added to a small group of Brady Hoke era holdovers headlined by 4-star Illinois offensive lineman Erik Swenson. The additions helped this class crash into the top 30 of the national recruiting rankings in 247Sports' composite rankings.
Michigan's new regime is gaining much-needed steam, and it's enhancing public perception.
"Coach Harbaugh came in with a whole new staff, and they’re doing big things," Falcon told Bleacher Report. "They’re on the rebuilding path to get Michigan back to where it once was.”
We view the Wolverines as a squad primed to continue its rise up recruiting rankings. Key targets to keep tabs on this summer include California linebacker Caleb Kelly, Wisconsin offensive lineman Ben Bredeson, Illinois defensive end Josh King and New Jersey wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell.
None of Alabama's "Big Three" Will Pledge Before the 2015 Season
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Alabama, a state that regularly carries substantial clout in the national recruiting spectrum, is particularly top-heavy when it comes to defense in the 2016 class. The group includes 5-star Lyndell "Mack" Wilson (linebacker), Marlon Davidson (defensive end) and Ben Davis (linebacker).
The trio hold more than 60 scholarship offers between them and could ultimately consider each other's intentions when the time comes to make a decision.
"We call ourselves 'The Trio.' Me, Mack and Marlon have really become close," Davis told Bleacher Report after a recent group trip to Florida State. "They're my dudes. We do talk about going to the same college together sometimes, but all three of us are probably going to wait until signing day. I don't know where I'm going, and I don't think they know yet, either. We'll see what the future holds."
It seems like each player will take their time in this process, though there are some obvious tie-ins at particular schools.
Davidson's older brother won a national championship in 2011 at Auburn. Davis' dad remains Alabama's all-time leader in tackles.
Ultimately, we believe at least two of the three will compete together in college. We just don't expect to know who they will be until perhaps next winter.
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Another Elite QB Recruit Will Decide to Alter Their Commitment
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Quarterback play is paramount at every level of the game, so it should come as no surprise that passers are annually the most coveted—and publicized—athletes each recruiting cycle.
Premier performers at the position often lead to early scholarship offers and premature pledges, setting the stage for seismic commitment shifts that can make or break a class.
This time last year, eventual Alabama signee Blake Barnett was bound for Notre Dame. Notre Dame-bound playmaker Brandon Wimbush was bound for Penn State.
We've already seen the quarterback carousel start to spin in this 2016 cycle. Shea Patterson has shifted his destination from Arizona to Ole Miss, while Tristen Wallace switched from Texas Tech to Ohio State.
Despite decisions that are already in place, we anticipate programs will continue to pursue committed passers.
Rutgers will stay on the trail of in-state legacy quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, a Tennessee pledge. Florida will try to find a way to pry Feleipe Franks from LSU. Georgia must fight off suitors for top-rated quarterback commit Jacob Eason, who lives on the other side of the country.
If we can learn any lessons from college football recruiting history, it's that the quarterback landscape doesn't stay stagnant for long. Expect at least one big surprise this summer.
USC's Recruiting Success Will Continue to Signal a Program Resurgence
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A recent commitment from Matt Fink gave USC three 4-star quarterbacks in the past two recruiting cycles. It calls to mind an era when the Trojans shifted the spotlight between heralded passers like Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian's success at the position is only the tip of the iceberg for a program ready to rebound from severe scholarship sanctions that weighed heavily on it at the turn of the last decade. USC is loading up across the roster, and it makes you wonder if this program is on the verge of a renaissance.
USC has signed several nationally coveted recruits from different corners of the country during Sarkisian's first two cycles in Los Angeles, including offensive lineman Chuma Edoga, wide receiver JuJu Smith, defensive tackle Rasheem Green, running back Ronald Jones, cornerback Iman Marshall and two-way standout Adoree' Jackson.
Expect the Trojans to keep building on a 2016 class that currently includes seven commitments and rates 13th nationally in 247Sports' composite rankings.
The list of premier players who could commit to USC before next season features in-state receiver Tyler Vaughns, Texas defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, Georgia receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe and Los Angeles area safety Brandon Burton.
USC has shown it's regaining a national recruiting reach, and that's great news for Sarkisian and company.
All quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue.
Recruit ratings courtesy of 247Sports.
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