Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of physics states that for every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction. And while Newton wasn’t known for his love of football recruiting, his principles can easily be applied to the reaction a major commit can have on the recruiting landscape.
Last week, the commitments of Rivals100 running backs Evan Pryor caused ripple effects throughout college football. TreVeyon Henderson's pledge to the Buckeyes on Friday did the same.
Virginia Tech, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Clemson, Oklahoma, Texas and Michigan were all in the mix for Henderson and a few programs were already locked in to get official visits down the road. The recruiting dead period threw a wrench in Henderson’s plans to take visits through the spring and summer but that didn’t stop his commitment to Ohio State, even though he has never visited the Columbus campus.
Today, we examine the other prospects that could be impacted be his decision.
MORE DOMINO EFFECT: Evan Pryor's commitment to Ohio State
Mack Brown and his staff felt like they were picking up some momentum with Henderson just a couple weeks ago but now that he is off the market the Tar Heels can turn more of their attention to Shipley, the top-ranked back in North Carolina and the No. 1 all-purpose back in the Rivals250. North Carolina has already taken a commitment from all-purpose back DeAndre Boykins but his positional versatility gives the Tar Heels some flexibility. Notre Dame and Clemson have been considered the top two for Shipley but the Tar Heels have been quietly picking up steam with the NC State legacy. Current North Carolina commits Drake Maye and Gavin Blackwell have Shipley’s ear and they are making some progress.
It seemed like Edwards and Henderson were going to be racing to commit to Ohio State but about two weeks ago Edwards decided to slow down his recruitment because he is currently unable to take his visits. Ohio State would love to take commitments from Pryor, Henderson and Edwards but that seems very unlikely. Now Edwards seems like he is trending towards programs like Georgia, Michigan and Michigan State. The Florida programs, Oklahoma and Texas have also piqued his interest.
Johnson’s recruitment is a bit up in the air right now but the former Ohio State target has plenty of options. LSU, Stanford, Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M were able to host him in the last couple months. Georgia and Texas A&M appear to be in the driver’s seat right now but LSU, Oklahoma and Stanford are right in the mix too. Johnson is expecting to take a visit to Georgia as soon as he can but there is still a lot of time for things to play out. At this point, the odds of Johnson ending up in the SEC are high but Oklahoma, Stanford and Baylor have a strong foothold in the LSU legacy’s recruitment.
Brown’s odds of signing with a SEC program are even higher than Johnson’s. Auburn and Georgia look like the frontrunners now that Ohio State has dropped out of the race. Florida is expect to get Brown on campus at some point and Tennessee is pushing to get more involved in the race. Look for Brown to make the rounds once the recruiting dead period ends and a commitment could come in the weeks after he takes his next few visits.
