East Coast Spotlight: Five who will decide before visits resume
Last Thursday, the NCAA confirmed that the dead period for college football recruiting will last until at least Aug. 31, meaning the earliest college visits can take place will be September.
Prospects are locking up spots in classes at a historically early juncture and that trend now figures to continue. Here’s a look at five prospects on the East Coast who are likely to make commitments before visits resume.
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PROSPECTS TO COMMIT SOON: Midwest | Florida
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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The top-ranked quarterback will announce his commitment on July 4 and Oklahoma looks to be leading Maryland and LSU. Williams has built great relationships with each coaching staff but his bond with Lincoln Riley seems to be tipping the scales in favor of the Sooners.
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley and offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery have the longest relationships with Williams and that has paid off to some extent but it could be hard for the Terps to get over the hump by the decision day. LSU lost its momentum earlier this year after changes to the coaching staff and taking a commitment from Garrett Nussmeier.
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Chappell, who is slated to commit on July 4, listed Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Tennessee and West Virginia as his finalists but the Aggies have a great chance of adding this high-potential defensive back.
Texas A&M signed a couple East Coast prospects last recruiting cycle and they already have one this year in Jahzion Harris. Assistant coach Elijah Robinson is the driving force behind Texas A&M’s recruiting efforts on the East Coast but defensive backs coach TJ Rushing has also done a great job building a relationship with Chappell.
West Virginia has done a very good job recruiting the Philadelphia area in the past and Chappell has maintained a close relationship with that staff as well.
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Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Maryland and Tennessee are the finalists for Dumas-Johnson but he is incredibly shy when it comes to doing interviews or dropping hints about which direction he might be headed.
Maryland and Florida are the only two schools he has visited so far so they are the best bets right now. The Terps hold commitments from a few of his teammates while Florida only has a commitment from one of his teammates.
Unlike many of the other players on his team, Dumas-Johnson is a Baltimore native and that could bode well for the Terps when he announces his decision on July 8.
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Wilson is trending toward North Carolina but South Carolina, Arizona State and Penn State aren’t making this an easy decision, scheduled for July 12. Most of these schools want Wilson to stand up and play mostly outside linebacker but it is a position he is largely unfamiliar with. Wilson is used to playing with his hand in the ground as a traditional defensive end with a natural pass rushing skillset.
With the way the Tar Heels are making a push for players in the Virginia Beach area, it’s hard to see him ending up anywhere else, despite the efforts of the other coaching staffs.
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Page hasn’t set a commitment date just yet but he said he will announce later in July. Clemson, Tennessee and North Carolina have long been the top contenders to land his commitment but the Tigers could have an edge. They were certainly the early leader but Tennessee and North Carolina closed the gap significantly earlier this year. Clemson seems to be holding onto that lead with Tennessee still looking like a major contender.