This spring has brought a very unique recruiting landscape, forcing coaches to adjust their approaches. Some staffs are doing that better than others and are being rewarded with new additions to their 2021 recruiting classes. Here is a look at the 11 biggest commitments in the East region through the first four weeks of the spring season.
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RELATED: Biggest spring commitments in the Midwest Region
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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1. WYATT MILUM, West Virginia
West Virginia landing a commitment from Milum was the most important in-state get in this class. The big-time offensive tackle should be an almost immediate contributor for the Mountaineers. Head coach Neal Brown and his staff invested every bit of the time and energy they needed to to make sure Millum felt as comfortable as possible with the program and the people in it. Millum brings a ton of physicality and athleticism to the offensive line and will clearly be one of the Mountaineers' cornerstones for the next few years.
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2. LANDON TENGWALL, Penn State
Penn State had been a leader for Tengwall for a long time, but landing his commitment was absolutely huge for James Franklin and his coaching staff as they try to build this recruiting class. Before Tengwall announced his commitment, there were only two three-star prospects committed to Penn State, and since then Tengwall has helped lead the charge for Penn State's rise up the recruiting rankings. He should be a very early contributor on the Penn State offensive line because he's shown the skill set to play tackle or guard on the left or right side at the next level. Tengwall is also working hard to continue to help build Penn State's momentum on the recruiting trail with players like Nolan Rucci.
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3. KEESHAWN SILVER, North Carolina
North Carolina has been one of the biggest surprises of this 2021 recruiting class so far, and Silver is one of the biggest reasons for its success. Not only is he an outstanding prospect who is poised to rise up the recruiting rankings, he has also helped lead their recruiting efforts for many top in-state prospects. He has the ability to play very early in his career and move around the defensive front to create mismatches and wreak havoc on offenses.
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4. DRAKE MAYE, North Carolina
Quarterback Drake Maye was an early commit to Alabama after an outstanding junior season, during which he put up ridiculous stats throwing to future Power Five receivers. Maye flipping to the Tar Heels was one of the biggest moves in this recruiting cycle so far. Alabama losing one of its highest rank commitments, let alone a quarterback, is unusual. Maye has also helped the Tar Heels on the recruiting trail because of his relationships, not only in the Charlotte area but throughout the country. Look for the Tar Heels to lean more on Maye's influence as this recruiting cycle goes on.
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5. DEMEIOUN ROBINSON, Maryland
Maryland already had a couple of commitments from local players before Robinson's commitment, but getting one of the highest-ranked and most publicized names in this recruiting class to announce his commitment to the Terps was a huge move for Mike Locksley and his staff. Locksley is an excellent recruiter that's been known to cherry pick prospects from the Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia area regardless of where he was coaching. Now that he is back in College Park, he is trying to keep players home and make sure the Terps have the talent to compete for years to come. Robinson is a big part of that future and his connections with many local players have already paid some dividends.
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6. EVAN PRYOR, Ohio State
Pryor's commitment to Ohio State set off a chain reaction that was quickly followed with another running back commitment for the Buckeyes, but Pyror was certainly one of the biggest commitments so far out of the East region. He has the skill set to be a major piece in Ohio State's offense down the road, but there will be stiff competition for snaps. The recruiting world is still feeling the effects of Pryor's commitment to Ohio State, and there could be more developments down the road.
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7. TREVEYON HENDERSON, Ohio State
Henderson quickly followed Pryor's commitment to Ohio State with one of his own. Many schools were hoping to land Henderson, but he decided Ohio State was the place for him without even visiting. Look for Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and many others to continue to pursue Henderson throughout the recruiting cycle and to potentially even get visits from him once prospects are allowed to get back out on the road.
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8. KHAYRI BRANTON, Rutgers
Rutgers has also been a surprising team in this recruiting cycle, thanks to Greg Schiano and his coaching staff's connections around the state. It's a fairly good year for talent in New Jersey and the top prospects have, so far, given Rutgers a very strong look. Banton is one of those top prospects in the state and he has a very bright future. The athleticism he brings to the defensive side of the ball is outstanding, and he has the skill set to play fairly early. Expect Banton to show significant growth on the field and physically once the Rutgers coaches get a hold of him.
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9. ELIJAH JEUDY, Georgia
Georgia reached back up to Philadelphia to land edge prospect Elijah Jeudy. This is a big one for the Dawgs because he fills an important need in this recruiting class. He has great athleticism and brings versatility to the defense because he can play with his hand in the ground or drop back in coverage. Look for him to create a lot of problems for quarterbacks in passing situations because of his quickness off the edge and his large arsenal of pass-rushing moves.
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10. LOUIS HANSEN, Michigan
Michigan has been putting some talented tight ends into the NFL lately and that is something that wasn't lost on Hansen during the recruiting process. Assistant coach Don Brown and his connections to the New England area played a big role here. Hansen was one of the most coveted tight ends in the nation and many schools were hoping to get him on campus this spring, but the relationships that he has in Michigan ended up winning out. Now the Wolverines have a key weapon for their offense for the next few years.
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11. RANEIRIA DILLWORTH, North Carolina
Dillworth’s commitment to North Carolina is a big one because of what he can do on the field and because of the teams the Tar Heels beat to land his pledge. He has an Isaiah Simmons-type of skill set and his impact should be felt very early in his career. He’ll see time on special teams and on defense at linebacker, safety and as an edge rusher. Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina will still try to recruit Dillworth, so the Tar Heels need to make sure they don’t let him stray.
