B/R Recruiting Notebook: Michigan, Alabama and More Enjoy Big Weekend
Recruiting news had been relatively slow throughout the beginning of the fall. This past weekend was a welcomed change with its share of big news, leaving some questioning if the weekend will be the one to jump-start the madness to come as we close the year.
Michigan is shining on the football field, and the Wolverines got that much better in preparation for the future over the weekend. Head coach Jim Harbaugh received a verbal commitment from 4-star defensive end Donovan Jeter, who picked Michigan after decommitting from Notre Dame five days earlier.
"#GoBlue 〽️ pic.twitter.com/vKvVZ5ufOC
— Donovan Jeter (@__5god__) October 23, 2016"
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Michigan's ability to flip athletes carried over to Monday morning. Kwity Paye, a 3-star defensive end, changed his commitment to Michigan after being firm with Boston College since December. With Jeter's and Paye's pledges, Michigan now has five defensive ends in its 2017 recruiting class.
The team to beat on the field right now is Alabama, which looked like the nation's top-ranked team against Texas A&M on Saturday. Alabama added to an already-impressive 2017 class with a commitment from 4-star tight end Major Tennison Sunday evening. A one-time Texas commit, Tennison chose Alabama over a dozen other offers.
Maryland landed a commitment Sunday afternoon from Jalen Browder, as the 3-star wide receiver committed to the Terrapins shortly following an official visit to the campus. Additionally, Miami built its secondary and won a close battle with Notre Dame with a commitment from 3-star safety Amari Carter.
TCU added offensive firepower to its growing class over the weekend. Omar Manning, a 4-star wide receiver, became the Horned Frogs' ninth overall pledge on Friday. He joined fellow 4-star wide receiver Jalen Reagor, who flipped his pledge from Oklahoma to TCU on Thursday.
"#Godislove..It's Official‼️ pic.twitter.com/sg7562eEHd
— O.Manning (@TheOmarManning) October 21, 2016"
Kentucky fans smiled Saturday, as longtime Ohio State quarterback pledge Danny Clark committed and became the Wildcats' 14th overall pledge. A 4-star prospect, Clark used a heartfelt tweet to announce his decommitment from the Buckeyes last month. He now joins 3-star quarterback Walker Wood in Kentucky's class. Wood plays high school ball minutes away from the Kentucky campus at Lafayette High School.
And while some teams gained commitments, a couple of teams lost pledges over the weekend. Ole Miss took a hit in losing linebacker Willie Gay. The 4-star talent tweeted his decommitment early Monday morning. Another 4-star athlete, running back Eno Benjamin, announced his decommitment from Iowa via Twitter on Sunday. Add in Oklahoma, which lost a playmaker in Reagor.
Here are some updates from other athletes looking to finalize their college destinations soon:
Process slow and steady for 4-star LB Jones
The versatility of 4-star linebacker Levi Jones is what keeps many college programs interested in every recruiting move he makes. For now, the schools will have to wait on the Westlake High School product, as he's yet to take an official visit.
Jones told Bleacher Report that he only has one official visit scheduled—to USC the second week of January—and that he hasn't made a top list of schools at the moment. Among the schools he's expressed interest in are USC, Texas A&M, LSU, UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Florida State and Colorado.
"I'm just trying to take it slow," Jones said. "I want to finish out my season and let my teammates know I'm there for them. USC is the only [official] I have, but nothing else is really set in stone. I have some places in mind, though."
Jones, an Under Armour All-American, said he is thinking about announcing his verbal commitment at the all-star game on Jan. 1. The winning school will get a quick, physical athlete who has a great nose for the football. As a junior, he had 112 tackles and six sacks. He currently has 57 tackles and two sacks through eight games in his senior season.
Two schools to watch for Jones are Texas and Colorado. Jones and Texas quarterback commit Sam Ehlinger are high school teammates and very close friends. Additionally, Jones' father, Robert Jones, won three Super Bowls as a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys and played with former defensive end Jim Jeffcoat, who is now the defensive line coach at Colorado. Jim's son, Jackson, played at Texas.
Texas fans would love to see Jones stay close to home, as Westlake is minutes away from the Texas campus.
"Sam's my best friend; we grew up together and talk about the recruiting process almost every day," Jones said. "He's always in my ear about UT, but he also tells me to do what's best for me. I'm going to pick whatever place I feel can get me to the next level. Sam says that's Texas."
Can Penn State parlay on its signature win?
Penn State scored one of its biggest wins in program history and arguably the biggest win under coach James Franklin on Saturday against Ohio State. It was enough to garner the attention of several Penn State commits and targets, according to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.
Defensive end Yetur Matos committed to Penn State in February, and the 4-star athlete was on his official visit in State College for the Nittany Lions' 24-21 upset win in front of 107,000-plus fans. Matos told Bleacher Report the atmosphere was beyond intense.
"That was by far the most exciting and craziest game and atmosphere I've ever been a part of," he said. "It's definitely going to be a major step in the right direction after not being ranked for years to now cracking the Top 25."
Matos also said a win like that only helps Penn State's recruiting, as the program has 14 commits in its 2017 class.
The Nittany Lions have a few big names still left on its target list. One of those is 4-star receiver Jaylen Harris, who also was on his official visit. Matos is hoping the overall environment was enough to sway Harris, a highly coveted athlete who also has Ohio State high on his list.
"I know the coaching staff is very, very high on Jaylen," Matos said. "He's a very tall wide receiver who they see doing big things in the program."
WR Peoples-Jones all about balance, winning
For Detroit standout wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, recruiting has been secondary to his team. Cass Tech High School is undefeated this year and, according to high school sports site D1FREAK, is looking to win its first state championship with an undefeated record.
"The hardest part has been balancing school, football and recruiting," Peoples-Jones said of his daily routine.
As someone with more than 20 offers, Peoples-Jones knows that he can put the recruiting process temporarily on the back burner in an effort to focus on his team. Cass Tech is looking to go 10-0 on Friday against Fordson High School.
From a recruiting standpoint, Peoples-Jones has taken official visits to Nebraska and Ohio State, but no other visits have been officially announced. He has been linked to Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State and Florida as potential favorites.
Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of Scout.com. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
