Around the Mid-South: Houston rising
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Andre Anthony is one of several highly touted early LSU commits.
Les Miles and the LSU Tigers have put together strong recruiting class after strong recruiting class over the years, and the 2016 group is on pace to be one of the best in the country.
The Tigers have done a good job of securing top Louisiana talents, adding in some Florida standouts, and most recently securing some of the best from Texas. It's a formula that has worked well for the Tigers over the years, and the game plan has worked to perfection so far in the 2016 class.
The most recent additions have included Rivals100 defenders Erick Fowler and Eric Monroe, Rivals250 defensive tackle Glen Logan and Andre Anthony and Rahssan Thornton who bring big time speed off the edge.
LSU is not done yet, but there is no doubt they have already done a fantastic job.
Oklahoma will look to surround QB Austin Kendall with talent in the 2016 class. | ||
The Oklahoma Sooners find themselves in unfamiliar territory at No. 54 in the current Rivals.com team rankings. There are a few reasons for this. One, only six prospects are currently committed to the Sooners. Two, only one of them is ranked higher than three stars. The good news is four-star quarterback Austin Kendall gives the Sooners a big-time headliner and a bell cow to help recruit the rest of the class. The Sooners are also heavy players for some other top prospects such as Devwah Whaley, and they have extended a few new offers since the spring evaluation and summer camp season. It would be shocking if Bob Stoops and his staff did not see momentum pick up before Signing Day, but right now the Sooners need to step it up to get back to more familiar territory in the rankings. |
The LSU Tigers have added several big prospects to the 2016 recruiting class over the last few weeks, but Eric Monroe is the biggest. He is the highest ranked of the new Tiger commitments and he is one of the top safeties in the 2016 class. He also gives the Tigers a big addition from one of the traditional talent hotbeds in Texas. North Shore High School has produced several top prospects over the years. |
Houston's addition of Ed Oliver was significant on several fronts. | ||
Without a doubt Ed Oliver is the most important recruit for any class in the region. He is the biggest prospect to commit to Houston in several years, his commitment was early and has already helped influence other top prospects, and he has been working behind the scenes to help build a strong class for the Cougars. When Oliver committed to Houston, it made national news and generated the kind of buzz the Houston program has not seen on the recruiting front in years. Without Oliver's commitment, we may be talking about Tom Herman and the building excitement in Houston, but definitely not to the degree we are now. |
Fowler's commitment to LSU was not the surprise. In fact, he grew up a fan of the Tigers and he always had LSU high on his list of college choices. He was not shy about the fact LSU was a childhood favorite, and it was pretty evident his skillset could definitely fit in nicely on the LSU defense. However, it looked like he would take more time and make his decision at a later date. It appeared he was headed for a fall decision. So it was a bit of a surprise when he made his decision so early, but he knew what he wanted to do and he decided there was no point in delaying the inevitable. |
Gregory Little's commitment to Texas A&M is not entirely solid. | ||
Five-star Gregory Little committed to Texas A&M the summer before his junior season, but he has not been shy about his plans to look around. He is still committed to the Aggies, but he listed the solidity of his commitment as a four or five on a scale from one to 10. He visited Alabama and Ole Miss in June, and Ohio State and LSU are a couple of schools he also listed as big threats to the Aggies. He plans to take all five of his official visits. |
Jared Mayden will announce his college choice next month. | ||
Sachse (Texas) Rivals250 CB Jared Mayden narrowed his list to Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, Florida, Florida State and Michigan on June 24 and he plans to make his announcement at the Opening in Oregon in July. He has kept things pretty close to the vest but Oregon, Ohio State, and Alabama have all been thought to be high on that group of finalists at different times. It is clear he likes each of them, but if I was pushed to make a prediction, look out for the Buckeyes. |
Jason Howell Mid-South Recruiting Analyst |
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