Winners and Losers from College Football Recruiting Trail for the Month of June
The mass high school student exodus known as summer beak has finally swept across the country, creating opportunities for prized football prospects to truly explore their collegiate possibilities.
Competitive camps, multi-university road trips and long-awaited campus visits allow coaching staffs and recruits to spend time in the same vicinity while figuring out whether an ideal fit might be found. June welcomed a new phase of the recruiting cycle, setting the stage for frenzied developments as many players approach the final campaigns of their respective prep careers.
Here's our monthly examination of which college programs picked up the pace and those that must regain momentum moving forward.
Winner: LSU
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Move over, Florida State—there's a new No. 1 atop the 2016 composite class rankings. LSU leapfrogged both Ohio State and the Seminoles in June, jettisoned by a collection of defensive commitments.
Texas safety Eric Monroe, rated second nationally among prospects at the position, ultimately pushed the Tigers into the top spot on June 17.
"Since my freshman year, the LSU coaches have been with me every step of the way," Monroe told Shea Dixon of 247Sports. “It felt great knowing we have that top class, and it feels good to say I can be a part of helping get that top spot. LSU is building something special right now.”
Fellow Lone Star State standout Rahssan Thornton, an edge-rusher, pledged to LSU on the same day.
Less than a week earlier, linebacker Erick Fowler—yet another Texas prospect—picked the Tigers from a list of favorites that also featured the Longhorns, Alabama and TCU.
Head coach Les Miles also took care of business on home turf during the month, landing Louisiana defensive linemen Andre Anthony, Glen Logan and Caleb Roddy.
Loser: Texas
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Texas still carries the cachet of a national powerhouse, but the Longhorns are looking to regain lost luster. The program carries a 36-28 overall record this decade, including a 31-28 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents en route to wins in the Holiday Bowl and Alamo Bowl.
It's a stark contrast to the previous five-year stretch that featured 58 victories and a pair of national championship game appearances. Now working on his third recruiting class in Austin, head coach Charlie Strong has a ton to accomplish.
Texas currently sits 53rd nationally in composite class rankings. The Longhorns look up on that list to 12 SEC squads, 11 Big Ten teams and five programs that reside outside of Power Five conferences (Boise State, Cincinnati, Western Michigan, Houston and SMU).
Most remarkably, the Longhorns rank seventh among college teams located in Texas.
Strong landed a single commitment in June (3-star defensive tackle Gerald Wilbon), bringing the team's 2016 total to six players. The 2017 class added its first pledge in 4-star wide receiver Damion Miller.
Those are nice and necessary pickups, but things need to improve when Alabama holds more 4-star Texas commits (three) than the Longhorns (two) at this stage of the cycle.
Expect Strong to close well when February arrives, but frustration is setting in among the fanbase.
Winner: Michigan
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This time last year, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was fully invested in delivering the San Francisco 49ers to a fourth consecutive conference title game. The summer of 2015 is unfolding very differently for the divisive leader, and it's been quite fortuitous.
The Wolverines reeled in 14 commitments this month after entering June with just six total pledges. It took some patience, but Harbaugh is officially on fire.
Michigan failed to land a 2016 commit during his first 14 weeks in Ann Arbor, but things began to shift in early April when 4-star quarterback and Elite 11 finalist Brandon Peters picked the Wolverines over LSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin and others.
June's success centered on the trenches, with the additions of coveted offensive linemen Ben Bredeson, Michael Onwenu and Devery Hamilton. They'll look to pave lanes in coming years with a burgeoning backfield of rushers that features recently committed Indianapolis playmaker Chris Evans.
"Coach Harbaugh is why I committed, Coach Harbaugh, that's it," Evans told Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com. "I've never seen a head coach like him before. If coach Harbaugh thinks you're good, you must be."
New Jersey defensive end Ron Johnson also joined the class after a recent visit. He became Michigan's top-ranked committed defender and could also help lure high school teammate and 4-star wide receiver Brad Hawkins (expected to decide July 3) to campus.
The Wolverines soared to seventh in composite class rankings this month and could potentially challenge Ohio State for Big Ten talent haul.
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Loser: Georgia
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Georgia suffered a pair of recruiting setbacks in June, stumbling outside top-10 recruiting rankings as a result. Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt lost grips on two top offensive commitments, leaving holes that must be filled.
North Carolina running back B.J. Emmons was considered a borderline "soft verbal" for quite some time. He confirmed those sentiments by backing off his pledge June 11.
The 4-star recruit displays arguably the best downfield vision of any rusher in this class, vaulting him to a No. 4 national ranking among running backs. He rushed for nearly 2,400 yards and 38 touchdowns in 2014 at Freedom High School, committing to Georgia in December.
Alabama and Tennessee have since emerged as potential destinations for Emmons.
“I think he did that because so many other schools have come on with offers. I certainly don’t think he has ruled Georgia out," Freedom head coach Brandon Allen told Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I think that he just wanted to be fair enough to say ‘Hey look, I want to open things up and see what else is out there.’"
The Bulldogs said goodbye to a commitment from 4-star offensive lineman E.J. Price one week later. The in-state standout is rated ninth nationally among tackles.
"I'm just simply evaluating all my options," Price tweeted without ruling out a possible reconciliation. "Me and my family feel a decision was premature."
Georgia failed to counterbalance the losses, as it was unable to gain a new 2016 commitment in June. However, a pledge from prized 2017 quarterback Bailey Hockman bodes well for later endeavors.
Winner: TCU
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We addressed the struggles of Texas' flagship college football program earlier here but now return to the Lone Star State under much different circumstances. The TCU Horned Frogs, fresh off a huge 2014 season, now lead Big 12 Conference recruiting rankings for 2016 and 2017.
Head coach Gary Patterson is capitalizing on an 11-win campaign that nearly resulted in a playoff berth, adding two more commitments to a 2016 class that now includes 14 prospects.
Kelton Hollins, an interior offensive lineman, and Gary Overshown, a dynamic defensive end, each jumped on board in June. Both recruits claim double-digit offer totals and represent significant in-state recruiting wins.
Their additions were ultimately overshadowed June 26, when 5-star 2017 quarterback Shawn Robinson announced intentions to play for the Horned Frogs. He is the top-rated dual-threat talent in the junior class and certainly seems like a game-changer for the program.
Robinson, who already stands 6'3", 207 pounds, produced 4,200 total yards and 50 touchdowns as a sophomore at Denton Guyer High School.
"Since my first visit, I kind of knew in the back of my head that TCU was the school for me," he told Jeremiah Glenn of 247Sports. "The atmosphere is great, my relationship with the coaches, I feel very comfortable with them, and the offense fits me."
Loser: Miami
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Things eventually needed to stall out for a high-flying 2016 Hurricanes class. Apparently, that lull arrived in June.
Miami, which jumped out to the nation's No. 1 overall class during the winter, has witnessed other teams catch up to its massive number of commitments. In some cases, the difference is a disparity between quantity and quality.
The Hurricanes hold 21 pledges, including 10 considered better than 3-star talents. In comparison, 13 of 16 Ohio State recruits carry that distinction.
Head coach Al Golden's average 2016 composite rating (88.18) is listed 11th among the country's top 13 classes in this cycle. These results have bumped Miami down to fifth in national rankings, which is nothing to be ashamed of for a program that finished under .500 last fall.
Miami added one player to its 2016 haul in June—3-star wide receiver Reginald Henderson—but lost three pledges in a 10-day span.
Defensive back Devin Gil, linebacker Greg Simmons and running back McArthur Burnett each bolted from the class between June 8 and June 14. Gil (Michigan) and Simmons (Nebraska) have since committed elsewhere, while Burnett looks like a strong candidate to land at Florida.
Changeover is expected in a class that filled up so early, but losses such as these should remind Miami how paramount on-field success is this season in order to maintain a top-tier class.
Winner: Alabama
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Perhaps Alabama's unprecedented national-signing-day streak isn't history just yet.
The Crimson Tide, carrying a five-year reign of top-ranked recruiting classes, collected seven commitments in June. The busy month moved Alabama several spots into fourth overall seven months shy of signing day.
Alabama, quickly discounted by some earlier in this cycle, is up to its old tricks. After a strong finish to the spring, Nick Saban's squad started summer in style.
Key pickups occurred on both sides of the ball, highlighted by coveted Virginia linebacker Jaquan Yulee and dual-threat Texas quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts is one of three 4-star prospects Saban has snatched from the Lone Star State with the help of former Longhorns assistant Bo Davis.
Top-rated junior college offensive tackle Charles Baldwin and in-state guard Deonte Brown give Alabama four blockers who command a 4-star grade. The Tide also improved across the trenches, landing perceived Michigan lean Khalid Kareem.
"Alabama is always in the national spotlight with a chance to win the national championship,'' Kareem told Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press. "It gives me the best opportunity to play and succeed on the college and professional level, potentially."
In-state linebacker Riley Cole and Georgia tight end Miller Forristall pledged with less fanfare than some of the other new additions, but they further complement an improving group.
Even kicker Eddy Pineiro attracted national attention when video surfaced of him drilling a 73-yard field goal following his commitment to the Crimson Tide.
Recruit ratings and information courtesy of 247Sports.
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