National Rankings Director Adam Friedman spent last week on the road in New England, New Jersey and Pennsylvania visiting schools to see top college prospects. Below he offers a look at the rising stars in the region and the latest recruiting news on major prospects:
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There was no bigger winner from the "Show Days," a series of carefully scheduled school workouts in Connecticut and Massachusetts to maximize exposure to college coaches, than the Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick School's 6-foot-6, 281-pound Miles Walker. The huge offensive lineman worked out in front of more than 10 Power Five coaches on Monday and on Wednesday he landed offers from Penn State, Iowa, Indiana and Texas A&M. Northwestern and Duke are scheduled to get him for official visits next month.
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Loomis Chaffee is loaded with major prospects but none are literally and figuratively bigger than Olaus Alinen. The 6-foot-7, 300-pound Rivals250 offensive lineman is preparing for a series of official visits to Alabama, Miami, Georgia and Ohio State next month and aims to commit fairly soon after these visits are done.
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Boston (Mass.) Catholic Memorial's strong underclassmen ranks are led by Guerby Lambert, a highly-sought after 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive tackle. With an offer sheet that is well into the double digits, Lambert has been a prime target for Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State. They've been in touch with him most. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and Maryland are all in line for visits in the coming months.
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Samson Okunlola is an exceptional talent and getting to see him twice in the span of just a few days will prove to be very helpful in the evaluation process. As for his recruitment, Okunlola is getting closer to announcing his official visits and narrowing his list of options. He was just at Oregon this past weekend but there are other trips in the works. A recent offer from Alabama could shake things up a bit but Okunlola would like to wrap up his recruitment sooner rather than later.
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Chase Bisontis looked impressive at a morning workout last week, as did his teammate Jordan Thomas. Bisontis, one of the highest ranked offensive linemen in the 2023 class, has trimmed off most of the bad weight he was carrying last season and looked solid technically during position drills. He announced a top five of Texas A&M, Rutgers, Georgia, LSU and Michigan State on Saturday and has his Michigan State official visit planned for June 17.
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Thomas, a 2024 Rivals250 defensive lineman, has grown considerably and could end up as more of an interior defensive lineman before all is said and done. Thomas landed a Texas A&M offer on Wednesday after Aggies defensive line coach Elijah Robinson watched his workout that morning.
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Defensive lineman Sydir Mitchell is one of the highest-ranked players in New Jersey's 2023 class and the Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic star's recruitment is shaping up to be a battle between Georgia and Texas A&M. He took an official visit to Georgia this weekend but prior to that trip he named the Dawgs and Texas A&M his top two. Texas and Auburn have official visits locked in and Texas A&M and Miami are likely to get the remaining two. Mitchell says he'll be committed by the time the season starts this fall.
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Offensive lineman Peter Jones at Malvern (Pa.) Malvern Prep is one of the highest-ranked players in the 2024 class and with good reason. He checks all the boxes from a physical perspective and he posted really impressive film from this past season. Penn State and Notre Dame are the main contenders right now but Michigan, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and a couple other programs in the south could get him on campus for a visit this summer. It wouldn't be surprising to see Jones's stock rise throughout the summer.
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Adon Shuler has been an in-demand prospect but the four-star at Irvington, N.J. says he's locked in with the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame's future safety is about 6-feet tall and 190-pounds. He has the athletic skill set Notre Dame is looking for in a safety but he also has the frame and playing style that will allow him to make some plays in the box.
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Andrew Rappleyea looks like he's been working hard to improve his game. At 6-foot-4, 225-pounds, the Penn State commit appeared much more explosive in person than he did on film from this past season. Rappleyea is more sudden now getting in and out of his cuts and it's made him a better route runner. He made a really impressive one-handed catch down the field for the last rep of his workout. Penn State fans should be happy he's locked in with the Nittany Lions.
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Lawrenceville (N.J.) Notre Dame quarterback AJ Surace holds offers from Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Indiana but he'll be hitting a number of college camps this summer in an effort to make sure teams around the country are familiar with him before he announces a commitment. Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Michigan are just a handful of schools that haven't offered Surace yet but he will camp at each of them this summer. His father, Bob Surace, has been the head coach at Princeton since the 2010 season.
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Jaylan Hornsby's stock has been sky-rocketing over the last couple weeks. The wide receiver and AAU basketball player has an offer sheet nearing double digits with his latest offers coming from Pittsburgh, Maryland, and Rutgers. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver is very new to the recruiting process so there is still a lot for him to figure out before he even starts visiting more schools. Keep an eye on Hornsby as the summer camp season begins because he could see many more offers come his way.
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Vincent Drolet, out of Choate Rosemary Hall, was one 2023 player that really improved his stock during the "Show Days." The 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end is more of a receiving threat but seems to be a willing blocker. Drolet will have to show some physical development before he could be counted on to be a regular contributor at the next level but it shouldn't be too hard for the strength and conditioning staff to take care of. Duke offered just a couple days after his workout.
