Cheat Sheet: Big get for Utah; Foreman postpones LSU visit; more
Welcome to your weekly recruiting cheat sheet! Here you'll find all the biggest college football recruiting stories from this past week and what to look for this weekend so you can know your stuff while you’re watching the games.
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MORE: Three-Point Stance on 2021 rankings | Should Nebraska's Scott Frost be on the hot seat?
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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Utes get a major commitment from California
Utah wasn't the favorite for Rivals250 linebacker Ethan Calvert, but that didn't stop the Utes from landing his commitment. USC and UCLA looked like they had the best chances of getting Calvert, but the Utah coaching staff won him over. It has been tough for prospects to get a closer look at schools throughout the recruiting dead period, but Calvert had seen enough to make him comfortable with this decision.
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Korey Foreman postpones LSU visit
Foreman, the top-ranked player in the nation, was set to make another trip to LSU this weekend to watch the Tigers take on Alabama. LSU is the perceived favorite and the Tigers are trying to hold off teams like Georgia and USC. Unfortunately, Foreman is going to have to pick another weekend to visit Baton Rouge because the game was postponed. In fact, a number of games this weekend have been postponed or canceled. Ohio State’s game at Maryland, Tennessee vs. Texas A&M, Georgia at Missouri and Auburn at Mississippi State are just some of the games that won’t be played this weekend due to the pandemic.
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Rayshaun Benny commits to Michigan State
The outcome of the annual rivalry game between Michigan and Michigan State was felt in a major way on the recruiting trail. Rayshaun Benny named a top four of Penn State, Kentucky, Michigan and Michigan State, but it was really a battle between the two in-state programs. The Oak Park, Mich., star had a hard time choosing between the two but he ended up picking the Spartans.
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Spartans trying to hold on to one of their top commits
Rivals250 running back Audric Estime has been committed to Michigan State for a couple months now, but other teams are starting to show significant interest. The Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph’s Regional star has been putting up outstanding numbers this season, and that is drawing the attention of Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Penn State. Estime had a lot to say about his interest in the Fighting Irish.
Other teams trying to flip Rivals250 Michigan State RB commit Audric Estime
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Michael Diatta commits to Virginia
The Virginia Cavaliers have a top 25 recruiting class and just added to it this week with the commitment of defensive lineman Michael Diatta. The Nashville native broke onto the recruiting scene a little later than most of the 2021 prospects, but he jumped on the chance to commit to Virginia after the Cavs offered earlier this month.
Virginia lands late-rising Nashville DE Michael Diatta
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2022 Rivals100 QB AJ Duffy visits Penn State
The pandemic has halted recruiting visits, but some players have taken it upon themselves to visit schools and do self-guided tours so they can get acquainted with the campus. That’s exactly what 2022 Rivals100 quarterback A.J. Duffy did on Tuesday with his trip to Penn State. Taking visits like this is something Duffy has become accustomed to doing. He took a slew of visits throughout the state of Florida a few months ago. Penn State is among Duffy’s favorites, along with Miami and Arizona State, but it’s still a bit early in the process for him.
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WHAT TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEKEND
Two commitments coming
Up first is Texas three-star linebacker Terrence Cooks. He’ll be announcing his commitment on Saturday afternoon. His finalists are Oklahoma, Georgia, Baylor, Washington, LSU, Texas A&M and Texas. The Longhorns are the rumored favorite, but they are being chased closely by LSU, Baylor and Georgia. Cooks’ high school teammate Kyron Drones is committed to Baylor, so the Bears could have a little something extra going for them here.
On Sunday, look for a commitment from defensive lineman Taleeq Robbins. The Philadelphia native is leaning towards Ole Miss and Texas A&M but Georgia is also in the mix. The Aggies have felt good about landing Robbins for a while, but Ole Miss is pushing very hard and they could very well be the choice on Sunday. Robbins is good friends with fellow Philadelphia native and Texas A&M commit Tyreek Chappell, so he could help Texas A&M here.
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Short list coming for five-star
Zach Rice, a five-star in the 2022 class, is releasing his short list on Saturday afternoon. It’s a big step for a coveted prospect like Rice, who is entertaining offers from more than 30 schools. Offers from Notre Dame and Ohio State really caught the attention of Rice and his family earlier in the process, and he really likes Miami, North Carolina and Virginia. Keep an eye on Rice to see which schools remain contenders for his commitment.
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Michigan vs. Wisconsin drawing big list of visitors
After its games against Nebraska and Purdue were canceled due to the pandemic, Wisconsin will head down to Michigan to face off with the Wolverines in the Big House. Despite Michigan’s struggles on the field, Jim Harbaugh and his staff will look up in the stands on Saturday and see some coveted prospects in attendance. Though coaches can’t act as hosts for these players because of the recruiting dead period, but there will be a lot of players that are currently committed to Michigan to show those uncommitted prospects around. Some of the top uncommitted players that plan on making the trip to Ann Arbor include Rivals100 cornerback Ceyair Wright and 2022 five-stars Domani Jackson and Will Johnson. Check out the full list of visitors here.