Recruiting is heating up across the country with junior days being held and the beginning of the camp and 7-on-7 circuit. Here’s the latest chatter from the East from Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman.
Sanders spent this past weekend at Clemson and was a major focus of the coaching staff. He really wanted to get to know new offensive line coach Matt Luke and it went very well. Sanders got all of his questions answered by the new offensive line coach and that relationship is getting much stronger.
Luke’s track record with developing highly ranked offensive linemen stood out to Sanders. He specifically asked about Luke’s abrupt retirement from Georgia and was impressed by his answers.
Georgia has been viewed as the team to beat for Sanders but Clemson is a major contender along with Tennessee, Ohio State and a few others.
MORE: Luke could be the answer to Clemson’s OL recruiting issues
*****
Oregon hosted Delane last weekend and the trip could not have gone better for the Ducks. Delane raved about the program, the defensive scheme, how they use their safeties and the coaching staff. Oregon will get Delane back for an official visit and it’s probably fair to say the Ducks are one of the top two or three contenders for Delane coming off this visit.
Delane is looking at a commitment sometime in June after his official visits. Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and Texas should also be getting official visits from Delane with Maryland, LSU and Alabama as other possibilities.
*****
Young spent this past Saturday at Clemson and the Tigers continue to trend upward in his recruitment. Dabo Swinney and his staff did a tremendous job of making Young feel like a priority early in the recruiting process and that is paying off. Young sees the opportunity on the roster at the safety position and is excited about the possibility for playing time fairly early in his career.
Florida State and Alabama are set to host Young this weekend. It will be his first trip to both programs. He is also thinking about trips to Clemson, NC State, North Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee for spring practices.
*****
Sacca was at Penn State earlier this month for a highly anticipated trip that included an extended sit down with new defensive coordinator Tom Allen. Sacca really enjoyed what he heard and expects the defense at Penn State to remain largely the same.
That’s good news for the Nittany Lions, as they look to continue to gain momentum in the legacy prospect’s recruitment. Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan have largely been viewed as the favorites in his recruitment but there’s still time for big changes before he announces a commitment.
Sacca added an offer from Alabama on Tuesday and is going to visit Tuscaloosa this weekend. Wisconsin should be getting Sacca for a visit in March.
*****
Florida State hosted Wilson over the weekend and he used the opportunity to get a closer look at the program. He spoke to Mike Norvell and Odell Haggins and got a chance to experience the atmosphere in Tallahassee.
Last week Wilson released a top eight that included Florida State, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Maryland, Florida and Tennessee. Wilson is scheduled to visit Oklahoma on March 9 and Texas A&M on March 23.
South Carolina offered Wilson on Tuesday and he’ll work to try to visit in the next month or two. He is expected to commit at some point in July.
*****
Miami hosted a number of big-time prospects this past weekend, including Konanbanny. He really connected with Hurricanes secondary coach Jahmile Addae. Konanbanny is from the Ivory Coast and Addae has roots in Ghana so the 2024 four-star felt like Addae understands his story.
Konanbanny feels like Miami has turned up the heat on him. Penn State, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida State are also doing well in his recruitment. North Carolina will host Konanbanny this weekend. Look for another short list from him in the next month or two.
*****
This past weekend Briehler was at Oklahoma and the Sooners did a great job with him while he was on campus. He enjoyed experiencing the atmosphere and getting to see everybody. Defensive line coach Todd Bates and Briehler have grown close over the last few months. He said Oklahoma is recruiting him the hardest right now.
Even though the Sooners are his likely leader, Briehler isn’t about to commit. He wants to take official visits and then end his recruitment in the summer. Rutgers will get Briehler on campus on Wednesday and then he’ll visit Michigan this weekend with teammate Kamar Archie.
Briehler has very strong relationships at Rutgers and has visited multiple times. This will be his first trip to Michigan and he is excited to sit down with defensive line coach Mike Elston.
Florida offered Briehler on Tuesday and he seems to think highly of the program. He enjoyed his conversation with assistant coach Mike Peterson.
*****
Parks is one of the highest-ranked players in the 2026 class and already has plenty of big-time programs pursuing him. He visited Louisville this past weekend and Ohio State the weekend prior. Parks wasn’t shy about his interest in Ohio State saying, “I grew up and am still an Ohio State fan to this day.” He speaks to offensive line coach Justin Frye and director of high school relations Ed Terwilliger frequently.
Parks is planning on visiting West Virginia this weekend and is planning trips to Clemson, Tennessee, Louisville and Florida in the spring. A commitment from Parks is about a year away.
*****
Archie hasn’t taken many visits but he’ll make the trip to Ann Arbor this weekend. It’s a big opportunity for the Wolverines to solidify their position with one of their top targets on defense. Since Chris Partridge stepped down during the season, Grant Newsome has taken over as Archie’s primary point of contact at Michigan, which makes sense since Newsome is the area recruiter for New Jersey and he has a brother who goes to Archie’s school.
Florida and USC recently offered Archie, which surprised him since he didn’t have much contact with them ahead of time. He’s looking to visit both schools at some point in the spring or summer. Tennessee, Oklahoma, Michigan, Rutgers, Penn State, Georgia, Clemson and South Carolina are also on that list.
Archie will use the upcoming dead period to figure out his visit schedule for the spring and summer. He wants to commit prior to his senior season.
*****
Smith took trips to Penn State and Maryland earlier this month and each visit went well. He really liked the energy at Penn State and felt comfortable there. The Nittany Lions want Smith to play receiver and he likes the plan they have for him.
At Maryland, Smith went to a basketball game and spent a lot of time with assistant coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim. The Terps want Smith to play defensive back, which is also appealing to him. Tennessee and West Virginia should also be considered top contenders for Smith.
*****
Davis wasn’t able to make his scheduled visit to Clemson this past weekend but the Tigers are still in a very good spot in his recruitment. Assistant coaches Nick Eason and Chris Rumph continue to build strong relationships with him and he’s fairly close with commits Amare Adams and Isaiah Campbell. The only official visit Davis has set so far is to Clemson on May 31.
Georgia is right there with Clemson near the top of Davis’ recruitment. The Bulldogs hosted Davis for what he called a “great” visit earlier this month. Georgia is hitting all the right notes with Davis and he’s got a strong relationship with assistant coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe and Jamal Jarrett, his former teammate.
Look for Davis to visit both programs along with Miami and Ohio State this spring. Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal took a helicopter to see Davis earlier this month and Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson was at his school on Tuesday. Look for Davis to announce his commitment in June.
*****
Porter took visits to Florida and Florida State for the first time over the weekend. He enjoyed getting to know multiple coaches at each school and commented on the high energy approach he saw at both stops.
Michigan has been a top contender for Porter and he still feels just as good about the Wolverines with Sherrone Moore taking over as head coach. Porter spoke to Moore and receiver coach Ron Bellamy recently and they assured him that not much is changing because most of the offensive coaching staff is staying in place.
Porter doesn’t have any other visits planned right now and is working to release a list of top schools in two or three months. He is planning on committing during the summer.
Source link
Adam Friedman, National Recruiting Analyst
