Cheat Sheet: Recruiting headlines from week that was; weekend preview
Welcome to your weekly Rivals 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: Is Clemson in trouble without Trevor Lawrence? | Three-Point Stance
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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Pac-12 battle ends in an upset
This Pac-12 battle got heated at the very end and Stanford upset USC to land coveted defensive lineman Aaron Armitage from New Jersey. The Cardinal were the only team to host Armitage before the pandemic shut down recruiting visits, but it still seemed like USC had the edge right up until he announced his commitment.
Commitment breakdown: Rivals250 DL Aaron Armitage chooses Stanford
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Red River flip
It’s not often you see a Texas commit flip to the Sooners, but that’s exactly what top ranked athlete Billy Bowman decided to do. He’s excited about his fit on the offense and it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that five-star Oklahoma quarterback commit Caleb Williams helped lure the playmaker to Norman.
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Terps lose local commitment
While Maryland hasn’t really gotten a ton of top local targets in this recruiting cycle, the Terrapins have done a really good job getting a lot of local playmakers on the defensive front to join this recruiting class. Those efforts took a blow this past week when Rivals250 defensive tackle Marcus Bradley announced his decommitment. The local prospect had been one of the leaders of this recruiting class, making his decision to open up his recruitment all the more surprising.
Rivals250 DT Marcus Bradley explains his decommitment & what's coming next
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Aggies double dip in Florida
Texas A&M went into Florida and scored twice with a commitment from Yulkeith Brown and Amari Daniels on the same day. Coach Jimbo Fisher tapped into his Florida roots from his time at Florida State and used his connections to win over the two prospects.
Texas A&M commit Amari Daniels plays with 'heart' and 'passion'
Amari Daniels comments on Texas A&M
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LSU fends off Alabama for major in-state prospect
Ed Orgeron held off Nick Saban for in-state standout Sage Ryan this past weekend. Ryan, the No. 3 safety in the 2021 class, has been leaning toward LSU for a long time and has many connections there, but Alabama seemed to close the gap significantly and possibly even lead within a few days of his announcement. LSU did not back down and its efforts were rewarded with Ryan’s commitment.
Trevor Faulk on new LSU commitment Sage Ryan: 'He's a defensive weapon'
LSU edges out Alabama to keep Rivals100 DB Sage Ryan in-state
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Class of 2022 prospects not wasting time
Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Rutgers all pulled in very important 2022 commitments this week.
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Up first was Rivals100 offensive lineman Collin Sadler. The South Carolina native announced his commitment in an exclusive with Rivals.com. Sadler’s pledge is big for Clemson for many reasons as the Tigers try to consistently land highly rated offensive linemen.
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Alabama, LSU and Auburn were chasing Rivals100 prospect Deyon Bouie but the Peach State prospect had his mind made up a while ago. Bouie announced his commitment to Georgia, his dream school, earlier this week.
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Ohio State already has the top ranked 2022 recruiting class and the Buckeyes extended their lead on the rest of the country when they landed a commitment from Rivals250 tight end Benjamin Gosnell. The North Carolina native is the second 2022 tight end to commit to the Buckeyes.
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Rutgers is continuing to work on locking down in-state difference-makers, and Greg Schiano’s latest success is a commitment from Jovanni Bermudez. The speedster is the second 2022 wide receiver to commit to Rutgers and follows former Egg Harbor City (N.J.) Cedar Creek standouts Bo Melton, Malachi Melton and Owen Bowles to Rutgers.
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Other important 2021 commitments...
Jailen Weaver commit: What does it mean for Nebraska?
Coach's take: DE Weaver has rare athleticism for such a large young man
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What to look for this weekend:
The biggest scheduled commitment this weekend is coming from Rivals100 safety Derrick Davis. The Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway star, who is scheduled to announce his commitment at around 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, has narrowed his list of contenders to Ohio State, Penn State and LSU. He visited Ohio State and LSU in the past month, but he’s also been to Penn State many times throughout his recruitment.
Rivals100 DB Derrick Davis talks LSU visit & previews Nov. 7 commitment
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There are a couple huge games in the college football world this weekend, but none have the recruiting implications of Florida vs. Georgia. The Gators and Dawgs are fighting over some key 2021 prospects in Rivals250 defensive back Terrion Arnold and Rivals250 athlete Xavian Sorey. Arnold doesn’t tip his hand much, but Florida probably has the edge with him. Sorey recently took a trip to Gainesville, but he could visit Athens in the next few weeks, which might swing the momentum from the Gators to the Bulldogs.