ACC Spotlight: Five programs that won October
October was a busy month on the recruiting trail. Highly ranked prospects announced their commitments and some committed players flipped from one school to another. This week we'll look at each conference’s biggest winners from October starting with the ACC.
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STING FACTOR: Christian Brathwaite flips from Baylor to LSU
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MIAMI
The Hurricanes are arguably October's biggest winners regardless of conference. Landing a commitment from Rivals250 No. 2 overall prospect Cormani McClain is a huge addition for Miami's defense but it's even more meaningful that the program was able to keep him away from Alabama and in-state rival Florida.
McClain has a skillset that should allow him to play right away but he wasn't the only important addition for the Miami defense. The Canes also landed a commitment from Kaleb Spencer, flipping him away from Oklahoma. The Virginia native is a versatile defender that can play in the secondary and close to the line of scrimmage, depending on how he physically develops. The Hurricanes are now No. 7 in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings with a total of 20 commitments.
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CLEMSON
Outside of Miami, the rest of the ACC was fairly quiet in October but Clemson did land the only other Rivals250 prospect. In a fairly uncommon move, Rivals250 offensive lineman Zechariah Owens decommitted from Clemson on Oct. 13 but recommitted five days later. The Georgia native took a visit to Florida State before his recommitment, ultimately deciding Clemson was the place for him.
The Tigers also picked up a commitment from local defensive back Misun Kelley, a former Virginia Tech commit. Clemson was always a big part of Kelley's recruitment but they didn't offer until early October. After that, it seemed like only a matter of time before he officially committed to the in-state program. Clemson ranks No. 9 in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings with a total of 21 commitments.
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WAKE FOREST
The Demon Deacons did a good job continuing to recruit defensive back Travon West even after his commitment to Indiana in late June. Those efforts were not in vain as West is now committed to Wake Forest.
West decommitted from Indiana on Oct. 13 and visited the Winston-Salem campus when Wake Forest hosted Boston College. He announced his commitment just a few days later. Wake Forest sits at No. 38 in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings with a total of 18 commitments.
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NORTH CAROLINA
There are a few other ACC programs that landed commitments from higher rated prospects but the Tar Heels get the nod here for flipping Georgia native Ayden Duncanson away from East Carolina. North Carolina had been pursuing Duncanson since mid-August. They offered him just a few days after he committed to East Carolina on Aug. 1.
Duncanson's teammate is UNC commit Caleb LaVallee and their close relationship played a big role in Duncanson eventually flipping his commitment to North Carolina this month. The Tar Heels are now No. 22 in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings with a total of 20 commitments.
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VIRGINIA
Miami, Clemson and Virginia were the only three ACC programs to pick up at least two commitments in October, with the Cavaliers landing pledges from defensive backs Trent Baker-Booker and Landon Danley. With both of these defensive backs onboard, Tony Elliott's squad has commitments from three defensive backs and each of them are at least 6-foot-2.
Virginia clearly wanted to add size to their secondary and Danley and Baker-Booker should fill that need in this recruiting class. The Cavaliers are now No. 70 in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings with a total of just 13 commitments.