College Football's Most Important Offers of the Week
One thing Alabama has been able to do consistently in stringing together six consecutive top-rated recruiting classes is win its share of battles with in-state prospects.
Head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide signed four of the state’s Top 5 players in the Tide’s 2016 class.
Last week, the Tide offered a pair of rising defensive ends in 4-star Ryan Johnson and 3-star LaBryan Ray.
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Johnson, who is from Mobile, is a known quantity with 23 offers heading into the spring.
The 6’4”, 240-pounder is the nation’s No. 5 strong-side defensive end and the No. 151 player overall in the 2016 cycle.
According to BamaOnline’s Hank South, the Tide offer came as a surprise to Johnson.
“It was surprising because I never thought I’d get an offer from Alabama,” Johnson told South. “Hearing from Coach (Nick) Saban, I don’t know, it was really just shocking to me.”
While Johnson’s offer list was already expansive, the interest in Ray has swelled considerably over the last few weeks.
The 6’5”, 283-pound Madison native, who also picked up an Ole Miss offer last week, has landed tenders from Georgia Tech, Arkansas and Michigan within the last month.
However, with the Tide now firmly in the mix with both Johnson and Ray, their recruitments could shift because of the interest from the defending national champions.
Oklahoma After Tide Commit
While Alabama is trying to build on its No. 2-rated class, other schools are trying to poach players already pledged to the Tide.
One such prospect receiving interest from other powers is 4-star safety Xavier McKinney—who received an offer from Big 12 titan Oklahoma last week.
"Blessed to have received an offer from Oklahoma university #Sooners pic.twitter.com/g8jIawvXYy
— Xavier Mckinney (@mckinney_xavier) February 9, 2016"
Schools such as Clemson and Georgia, despite his pledge to the Tide, are still recruiting the 6’1”, 170-pounder heavily.
The Sooners will look to enter the mix of programs trying to lure the nation’s No. 8 safety and No. 95 player overall in the 2017 class away from Tuscaloosa.
Michigan State Offers In-State Safety
Cass Tech High School in Detroit has been a breeding ground for elite recruits in recent years, and the 2017 class features elite talents such as 5-star receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and 4-star safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell.
Last week, in-state power Michigan State—who signed stud Cass Tech safety Demetric Vance in the 2016 cycle—offered Powell.
The 6’0”, 183-pound Powell has piled up 28 offers to date—with schools such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee among the schools who have already offered him.
However, with the Spartans now in the thick of things with him, it will be interesting to see if his recruitment shifts toward him staying in-state for college.
Louisville After Pac-12 Commits
USC has a pair of 4-stars in running back Stephen Carr and athlete Thomas Graham, who are currently classified as soft commits.
Last week, the pair of stars from the Golden State received an offer from Louisville.
"Blessed to receive an offer from The University of Louisville #GoCards pic.twitter.com/SCNws0eMK6
— Stephen Carr (@yt_deon) February 9, 2016"
The 6’0”, 195-pound Carr is the nation’s No. 2 running back and the No. 38 player overall in the 2017 class.
Meanwhile, Graham is just four spots behind Carr as the nation’s No. 42 player overall.
With both players seemingly open in their recruitment, the interest in both players is sure to ramp up in the coming months.
Best of the Rest
- Miami offered safety Grant Delpit.
- Pittsburgh offered 4-star linebacker and current Miami commit Tyler Dunning.
- Syracuse offered 4-star linebacker Tyshon Fogg.
- The Cavaliers also offered 4-star offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz.
- Scout’s Greg Biggins reported that Iowa offered receiver Maurice Bell.
- Maryland offered 3-star tight end Alexander Marshall.
- Nebraska offered 4-star receiver Taariq Johnson. The Cornhuskers also offered 4-star corner Tre Brown.
- Penn State offered 3-star running back Bo Melton. According to Adam Friedman of Rivals, the Nittany Lions also offered 4-star safety Jonathan Sutherland.
- Baylor offered 3-star defensive end Corey Bethley.
- The Bears joined Texas A&M in offering 4-star receiver Keldrick Carper.
- Kansas State offered 3-star corner Justin Broiles.
- Ryan Bartow of 247Sports reported that West Virginia offered linebacker Brandon James.
- Arizona offered receiver Bryce Gilbert.
- Colorado offered safety Josh Talbott.
- USC offered 4-star defensive tackle Greg Rogers.
- Washington State offered offensive lineman Jaxson Kirkland. The Cougars also offered 4-star defensive end Jaelan Phillips.
- Alabama offered 4-star linebacker Justin Foster.
- Auburn offered 4-star running back Adarius Lemons. According to ESPN’s Gerry Hamilton, the Tigers also offered 3-star quarterback N’Kosi Perry.
- The Tigers joined South Carolina in offering 4-star corner Ambry Thomas.
- Georgia offered 3-star corner AJ Terrell.
- Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas A&M offered 3-star defensive end Tyree Johnson.
- According to Barton Simmons of 247Sports, Mississippi State offered 3-star corner Caleb Rozar.
- Ole Miss offered 4-star offensive lineman CJ Thorpe. The Rebels also offered 4-star receiver Charleston Rambo.
- Tennessee offered 4-star offensive lineman Chuck Filiaga.
- Ohio State offered quarterback Jalen Mayden.
- Scout’s Corey Bender reported that Auburn offered receiver Amari Burney.
- Nebraska offered linebacker Owen Pappoe.
- Auburn offered receiver JaShawn Sheffield.
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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