Biggest out-of-state grabs: Defensive linemen
RELATED: Biggest out-of-state quarterback grabs | RB | WR | TE | OL
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
Out of state recruiting is especially important if you want to vie for a national championship or even to just contend in your division. In this series we look at players recruited out of state that will have a big impact on their teams, and conference battles, in 2019. We continue with some of the defensive linemen that stand out.
Recruiting: With Ohio State thought to be his favorite, Young’s visit to Columbus for the Buckeyes’ Friday Night Lights camp put them over the top. He committed soon after returning home from the visit. Maryland was also considered, but they were fighting an uphill battle against the Buckeyes.
Farrell’s take: Young is a superstar in the making and was a huge five-star commitment from out of state. Ohio State does a good job of recruiting nationally and have done well in Maryland at times but Young could be the best.
Recruiting: Being the son of former Iowa lineman Eppy Epenesa, there was little drama in the younger Epenesa’s process. He committed to the Hawkeyes in January of his junior year, and despite continued pressure from other programs, he never wavered away from Iowa.
Farrell’s take: Iowa didn’t go that far for Epenesa and he was a legacy so this wasn’t a surprise but his contribution to the program has been huge. Iowa doesn’t get five-stars often at all and Epenesa is playing like one and will help efforts in the Midwest with other linemen.
Recruiting: Davis committed to Alabama prior to his junior season, but then took an official visit to Mississippi State in January. Drama then ensued when he supposedly flipped to the Bulldogs, but he quickly claimed his Twitter account was hacked. At the end he did decide to stick with the Tide.
Farrell’s take: Davis had a down year based on expectations but is expected to bounce back this year and fill a huge hole left by Quinnen Williams. Alabama can recruit anyplace so landing a player from Mississippi isn’t a stretch but do the research – it’s hard to pull prospects away from Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
Recruiting: Kaindoh initially committed to Maryland, but reopened his recruitment in late November. Having already taken an official visit to Florida State in October, Kaindoh then took visits to Penn State and Alabama before committing to the Seminoles in December.
Farrell’s take: Maryland had him and then lost him. Did it have anything to do with Kaindoh playing his senior season at IMG Academy in Florida? I don’t think so as I think he would have flipped anyhow. This was Florida State under Jimbo Fisher when the Seminoles could steal five-stars from all over the country.
Recruiting: Wilson took official visits to Florida State, Ohio State, LSU and Oklahoma before committing to the Seminoles on National Signing Day. LSU was considered the leader coming down the stretch, so this was a huge win for the Seminoles and then coach Jimbo Fisher.
Farrell’s take: Once again an example of how well Fisher can recruit. Wilson was sought after by everyone and was at one point the nation’s No. 1 player overall and he decided to head to Florida to pursue his NFL dreams over all the others. Think Mario Edwards but without the family connection.
Recruiting: Gross-Matos was in the process of piling up offers when he trimmed his list of top schools down to Penn State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Tennessee was also under consideration, but a visit to Happy Valley for a junior day in late February quickly ended everyone else’s chances as a commitment resulted.
Farrell’s take: Gross-Matos has made an early impact and has a chance to be a star and he’s a big-time get from Virginia. Penn State gets a lot of attention for recruiting Maryland but the Nittany Lions don’t get enough credit for stealing prospects away from Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Recruiting: Dwumfour initially committed to Penn State in June, but flipped after taking an official visit to Michigan in January. His high school teammate, Kareem Walker, was already a Michigan commit which helped the Wolverines with Dwumfour. He’s injured this spring but should be back for a big season.
Farrell’s take: At one point Dwumfour was considered a throw in with Kareem Walker. How quickly things change. Now he’s going to be a leader on a defense that needs a few players to step up and he is part of an important New Jersey to Michigan pipeline for the Wolverines.
