Buzz Worthy: Five South-Central prospects heating up
Prospects are on the road and offers are flying out left and right. Here is a look at five prospects from the South-Central U.S. who have a lot of buzz heading into the spring.
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It was a big week for the five-star running back with visits to both Oklahoma and Texas and those two Big 12 powers could be battling it out for Wheaton’s services, although others are definitely involved as well. Alabama is going to make a run and so is LSU and probably other national powerhouse programs.
Wheaton is the top-rated running back in the class and he’s a big-time battleground prospect as Texas tries to close up the borders and Oklahoma and others try to get back in there. The five-star running back does not talk much about his recruitment, so things could stay interesting for a while.
Farrell’s take: It’s a lot of guesswork with Wheaton - and who knows what other programs he’s interested in - but I have heard a lot about the SEC and Oklahoma. But Texas is very much in the mix here as well and it could be a Big 12 showdown between the rivals. This won’t be a Zachary Evans drama fest, but he will likely take his time.
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In February, the four-star safety announced a top eight of LSU, Texas, Alabama, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Florida, Florida State and Georgia. A few weeks later, Williams announced he was about ready to name a top five. The Marrero (La.) John Ehret standout recently visited Alabama, so the Crimson Tide should make the cut. Trips to LSU and Florida State are coming up as Williams works through his favorites.
Farrell’s take: Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M from the SEC are all high on the list for Williams, but so are Texas and Oklahoma. He’s going to be hard to pull out of Louisiana, but teams such as Florida State and others could move up with visits.
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McCutchin missed almost all of his junior season because of injury, but his recruitment has gotten especially interesting in recent weeks. He backed off his Alabama pledge right after a visit to Oklahoma, and while those two events might be mutually exclusive, there could definitely be a tie-in with his interest in the Sooners. Oklahoma definitely has to like its chances. McCutchin also likes Florida, and LSU and Florida State just offered, but his recruitment could go many different ways after college coaches see him back on the field in the coming months.
Farrell’s take: McCutchin said he’s open to all his offers, but he de-committed after a visit to Oklahoma so the Sooners have to be in good shape. Florida State is interesting here as well, and one of his mentors is former Seminoles star Antonio Cromartie.
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Coleman has had a busy month. First, the three-star receiver landed offers from Indiana, Kansas, Florida State, FIU, Kentucky and Texas A&M all over the last couple weeks. He has also visited Tulane, and he’s planning to see LSU this weekend. All of this while the Opelousas (La.) Opelousas Catholic standout has also been starring for his basketball team. Coleman is now up to double-digit offers and the 6-foot-4 receiver is just seeing his recruitment take off. An offer from the Tigers would be huge.
Farrell’s take: LSU would be a big offer for him, and it could happen very soon. That would make the Tigers the team to beat, but the FSU and A&M offers were big ones as well.
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Salter now has more than 20 offers, and he’s been busy on the road seeing schools and racking up the travel miles. The three-star quarterback from Cedar Hill, Texas, has been to Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Florida State and possibly other stops in only the last few days as he gets a handle on which schools stand out most to him. Arkansas, Baylor, South Carolina and others remain under serious consideration, but with so many visits taking place, it seems like anything can still happen in his recruitment.
Farrell’s take: Baylor and Arkansas were thought to be the early leaders for Salter, but he’s taken so many visits and has so many offers now, it’s hard to tell. He will probably commit soon, though.