Five teams that won recruiting battles in the East in September
September was a very busy month for commitments in the East. More than 20 seniors and juniors issued verbal commitments, and about 20 teams were involved in the fireworks. Here's a look at five teams that won big in the East in September.
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BOSTON COLLEGE
Jeff Hafley and his new team have gotten off to a bit of a slow start but expectations aren't super high for the first year head coach, which is what makes everything they accomplished on the recruiting trail in September all the more impressive. The Eagles added three important commitments last month, and the biggest is likely linebacker Casey Phinney. The local prospect flipped from Michigan to Boston College, which is a major win on its own but it also puts the Eagles in a better position to land a commitment from his teammate and Boston College legacy Drew Kendall, a Rivals100 offensive lineman.
Boston College also got commitments from impressive athlete Jamareeh Jones and coveted 2022 quarterback Peter Delaportas. Jones projects to the defensive side of the ball, and he could be a steal. He would have benefited greatly from a fall football season in Virginia. Delaportas assumes the title of "quarterback of the future" at Boston College, and the coaching staff is really excited about his arm talent, athleticism and overall skill set.
Boston College may have been the biggest winner in East in September, but its overall 2021 team ranking didn't jump up too much. It moved from outside the top 30 to No. 28 in the team rankings after the commitments from Phinney and Jones. In the 2022 team rankings the Eagles currently sit at No. 12 in the nation.
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OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma has been a major presence in the East this year, starting with the commitment from five-star quarterback Caleb Williams on the Fourth of July. That really helped the Sooners with Rivals250 receiver Jalil Farooq. They did a great job battling teams like Maryland, Alabama and a few others to make sure Farooq joined their talented receiving corps. In the end, Williams was the biggest recruiter for Farooq. The two have been friends for a long time and the opportunity to play with Williams in Norman was too good for Farooq to pass up. Oklahoma has moved into the top 15 of the team rankings thanks to Farooq’s commitment, and there’s a possibility for more additions to this recruiting class, which should push the Sooners higher in the team rankings before all is said and done.
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OREGON
The Ducks are choosing their last targets carefully, and they picked up two really good ones from the East region in September. Four-star safety Daymon David had been very interested in Michigan and Boston College, but the chance to play for Oregon in the Pac-12 was too good of an opportunity for him to pass up. He brings a really impressive skill set to the table, but is very raw technically. He'll need to really work on his body and footwork before he reaches his full potential.
Oregon's second addition from the East last month came in the form of Jabril McNeill, the younger brother of current NC State defensive lineman Alim McNeill. Currently ranked as a three-star athlete, McNeill's rating would have greatly benefitted from an in-person evaluation in the spring or summer so his measureables and skill set could be confirmed and re-evaluated. The pandemic obviously made that impossible, and now he will have to wait until the spring for his football season because the state of North Carolina has postponed the fall season. Clearly, McNeill has a lot of talent and the Ducks are banking on their ability to develop him into an effective edge prospect.
With McNeill rated as a three-star, only the addition of David helped move Oregon up in the team rankings. The Ducks are ranked No. 3 in the team rankings, but they have closed the gap between their program and Ohio State. With a few spots remaining in this class, Oregon cold conceivably jump Ohio State if everything plays out correctly.
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PENN STATE
Penn State did a great job laying the foundation for the future with a couple of big commitments in September. The Nittany Lions missed out on a number of top in-state players in the 2021, class but they now hold commitments from two of the top ten in-state players in the 2022 class. Rivals250 prospects Drew Shelton and Ken Talley committed to Penn State last month, pushing the Nittany Lions up to No. 3 in the team rankings for the 2022 class. Losing Penn State legacy and coveted offensive lineman Nolan Rucci to Wisconsin and North Carolina offensive lineman Diego Pounds to the Tar Heels hurt, but Penn State dulled the sting by beating Michigan for Shelton. The big-time offensive tackle has all the measureables college coaches are looking for right now and he is pretty advanced from a technical perspective for a prospect his age.
Talley had been a Penn State lean for some time, and his relationship with current Nittany Lions staff member Deion Barnes helped push Penn State over the top. Talley brings a ton of athleticism and versatility to the defensive side of the ball, and he should really help Penn State on the edge of the defense. Talley is also very close with a number of important Penn State targets in the Philadelphia region and he should help in their recruitments.
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WISCONSIN
Wisconsin was possibly the biggest winner of September in the East because the Badgers got the highest-rated player to announce his commitment last month. Offensive tackle Nolan Rucci was torn between the Badgers and Penn State because he has so many connections to both schools, but the Badgers were able to pull out the win here. Rucci‘s father, Todd, played for Penn State and the Nittany Lions have been trying to get his youngest son to continue the Rucci tradition. Wisconsin gained a lot of ground when his older brother and current Badger, Hayden, was home earlier this summer because of the pandemic. Nolan learned a lot more about the Wisconsin program from Hayden and became a lot more comfortable with the idea of playing with his brother for another few years. The Badgers were ranked outside the top 20 in the team rankings very recently but now have a top 15 recruiting class, thanks to Rucci and a couple of other recruits joining this 2021 class.