College Football's Most Important Offers of the Week
Ever since LSU lost long-time 4-star quarterback pledge Feleipe Franks, there’s been a big hole at the quarterback position in the Tigers’ 2016 recruiting class.
Tigers head coach Les Miles and his staff have evaluated other quarterbacks and have tried to get involved with other passers such as 4-star and new Ohio State pledge Dwayne Haskins.
However, last week, LSU got involved with another prospect when they offered in-state 3-star passer Lindsey Scott.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
That offer was enough of a trigger to get the 5’11”, 205-pounder to back off an earlier pledge to Syracuse.
According to Sonny Shipp of Geaux247, Scott will take a visit to Baton Rouge on the weekend of Jan. 29—which is just days before national signing day.
Shipp noted that Scott had previously visited Tulane and took trips to visit Big Ten members Rutgers and Maryland last weekend.
While Scott doesn’t have the size of other touted quarterbacks such as Franks, he was one of the most productive players in the country this past season, accounting for more than 5,000 yards of total offense and 61 touchdowns.
With LSU getting his last visit, it appears as if Scott could fill the biggest remaining hole in the Tigers’ top-rated class.
Michigan State offers 2016 Michigan Pledge
The only in-state prospect currently in Michigan’s No. 3-rated class is 4-star offensive lineman Michael Onwenu.
However, in-state rival Michigan State is trying to make a late run at Onwenu, as the Spartans offered him last week.
"Blessed to announce I've just received an offer from Michigan State #Spartans pic.twitter.com/FgXkl5hGNt
— Michael Onwenu (@_MXKEY) January 18, 2016"
According to Mike Wilson of 247Sports, Onwenu subsequently scheduled an official visit to East Lansing that took place last weekend.
While he’s been a longtime Wolverines pledge, it will be interesting to monitor whether that trip gave him something to think about over the final days before signing day.
Notre Dame Offers Stud 2017 RB
Notre Dame has commitments from two touted running back prospects in its 2016 recruiting class.
However, Irish head coach Brian Kelly and his staff are already scouting the position for talented prospects in the 2017 class.
Last week, the Irish offered 4-star rusher A.J. Dillon.
According to Tom Loy of 247Sports, the Irish have emerged as “one of his leaders” and will be in the thick of his recruitment until he announces his commitment in May.
Florida State After 2017 Alabama RB Pledge
Alabama has already landed three touted running back prospects in its 2017 class—including 4-star Mississippi standout Cam Akers.
However, other schools are likely to try to poach one of them, given the Tide’s wealth of riches in the backfield.
Last week, Florida State officially entered the mix with Akers after extending an offer to him.
As Paul Jones of 247Sports detailed, Akers is still firmly committed to the Tide but intends to give other schools a chance to recruit him. That means the door could be slightly cracked for schools such as FSU to make a run at him in the coming months.
Best of the Rest
- Ohio State offered 4-star defensive tackle and current USC commit Keyshon Camp.
- TCU offered 3-star defensive tackle and current Houston pledge Braylon Jones.
- West Virginia offered linebacker Kaelin Hemphill. Justin Hopkins of 247Sports noted that the Mountaineers also offered 4-star athlete Beau Bisharat.
- Arizona offered 3-star safety Chacho Ulloa.
- UCLA offered 4-star receiver Quartney Davis. The Bruins also offered 3-star linebacker Ryan Boehm.
- Arkansas offered 3-star linebacker Giovanni LaFrance, who committed to the Razorbacks shortly afterward.
- Missouri and South Carolina offered 3-star JUCO running back Justin Crawford.
- Barton Simmons of 247Sports reported that Clemson offered 4-star athlete Maleik Gray.
- Florida State offered 4-star offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz.
- Georgia Tech offered 3-star defensive end Drew Jordan.
- Miami offered 3-star tight end Logan Rudolph.
- NC State and Michigan State offered offensive lineman Mekhi Becton.
- North Carolina offered 4-star offensive lineman Ben Petrula.
- Pittsburgh offered 3-star quarterback Hendon Hooker. The Panthers also offered fellow passer Matt McKay.
- Maryland offered 4-star running back Adarius Lemons.
- Michigan State offered 3-star defensive tackle Dalyn Wade-Perry. According to Steve Lorenz of Wolverine247, the Spartans also offered 4-star defensive tackle Corey Bolds.
- Northwestern and Louisville offered 4-star corner Deommodore Lenoir.
- Iowa State offered linebacker Breydon Boyd.
- Oklahoma offered 4-star receiver and current FSU pledge D.J. Matthews. The Sooners also offered 3-star receiver Leroy Henley.
- Oklahoma State offered 3-star defensive end Corey Bethley.
- West Virginia offered 3-star corner Trajan Bandy.
- Scout’s Greg Biggins reported that Arizona offered 4-star athlete and current USC pledge Thomas Graham.
- Arizona State and Colorado offered 4-star receiver Taariq Johnson.
- The Sun Devils also offered 4-star offensive lineman Henry Bainivalu.
- USC offered 5-star defensive end Joshua Kaindoh. The Trojans also offered 5-star corner and current Ohio State pledge Shaun Wade. According to Ryan Bartow of 247Sports, the Trojans also offered linebacker Brandon James and corner Shawn Davis.
- Washington offered 4-star receiver Omar Manning.
- Alabama offered 4-star defensive tackle Fred Hansard.
- Auburn offered 4-star offensive lineman Robert Hainsey. The Tigers also offered 3-star offensive lineman and current Florida pledge Kadeem Telfort.
- Florida offered 4-star linebacker Jaden Hunter.
- Georgia offered 4-star athlete Ryan Jones.
- Simmons reported that LSU offered 4-star receiver Princeton Fant.
- South Carolina offered 4-star corner Deon Jones.
- Sean Fitz of 247Sports reported that Penn State offered athlete Derion Kendrick.
- Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports reported that Ohio State offered quarterback Phil Jurkovec. Adam Friedman of Rivals reported that Tennessee also offered Jurkovec.
- Arizona State and Washington offered safety Aashari Crosswell.
- Auburn offered corner Chris Smith.
- Florida offered quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
- Kentucky offered athlete Tyson Campbell.
- Alabama, Georgia, USC and West Virginia offered corner Gilbert Frierson.
- Louisville offered running back James Cook.
- Texas A&M offered quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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