Published Feb 22, 2023
Four-star OG Casey Poe discusses spring plans, major contenders
circle avatar
Nick Harris  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Analyst
Twitter
@RivalsNick

Lindale (Texas) four-star offensive guard Casey Poe has been a name that has circulated around recruiting circles in the state of Texas since his sophomore season, and now his worth around the country has risen to national status.

Coming off of a junior season where he starred for a strong Lindale offensive line, Poe enters his busy offseason with a plethora of recruiting attention from major programs across the country.

"My junior season went really good," Poe said. "We made it to the third round and we had a really good o-line. We had a lot of good people around me, it was one of my favorite seasons to date."

Despite battling a preseason injury that sidelined him to begin the year, Poe was able to finish the season strong for his Eagles.

"I feel like personally that I had a very good season," he said. "I had knee surgery before the season and it took me out of the summer and the first two games. Bouncing back from that was hard but I have great coaches and great guys around me. I felt like we got work done after that."

Advertisement

Poe is now up in the twenties on his offer list, and most of the major programs continue to reach out with interest.

"It's been a crazy offseason, I feel like my phone is always going off," he said. "There's a long list. Oklahoma, Alabama and Texas Tech hit me up a bunch. Then there's Auburn, TCU, Michigan State, Clemson, Baylor."

The East Texas standout will head out to Clemson next month where he is expecting an offer from the Tigers.

"I feel like there's something in the works there and once I get on campus that I'll get it," he said. "They recruit close to them at first and then once they spread out, they like getting guys on campus and then once you get to meet the staff, you get the offer."

Hugh Freeze and offensive line coach Jake Thornton have Auburn lined up for a visit next month as they have keyed in on Poe and have made him feel like a priority.

"Auburn has been an historically good program in the SEC," he said. "Coach Freeze is a really good guy, really good coach. Coach Thornton, I've been able to speak to him multiple times on the phone. He seems like a cool guy and country guy, somebody I'd like."

Nick Saban paid a visit to Poe during the January evaluation period, and it was something that had his whole town buzzing.

"It was awesome," he said. "Our whole coaching staff got to meet him and our principals got to meet him, it was really exciting. It was just really good seeing him down here. Just knowing that he's interested and that he took the time out of his day to come see me face-to-face, that was great."

Oklahoma has long been involved with Poe and is in a solid position going into the spring as Brent Venables connects with the family on a routine basis.

"Coach Venables, he's a really good guy," Poe said. "We talk pretty often. The main thing about them is that they're just so energetic and fired up. I went down for their junior day and every coach just seemed excited to be there and seemed to have a real passion for the game. You can tell how much they care on and off the field for their guys over there."

Poe's plan this spring will see him visit double-digit programs before whittling it down to a select few for summer official visits.

"I'm gonna have a pretty busy March seeing five or six different schools and then in April I'll do the same thing," he said. "In the summer I plan on taking my officials and hopefully before my senior season I'll be able to make a decision. It's gonna be hard."

At 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, Poe is ranked as the No. 150 recruit in the country for the class of 2024, according to Rivals. He is ranked as the No. 7 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 26 recruit from the state of Texas.