Advertisement
Published Mar 26, 2018
LSU, OU carry serious buzz at Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in Dallas
Default Avatar
Josh Helmholdt and Nick Krueger
Rivals.com

COPPELL, Tex. – At every Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas, it can be counted on that several programs will be a common point of discussion among the players in attendance.

After Rivals.com analysts were able to speak with many of the athletes at Sunday’s event in the Dallas area, both about the teams that were recruiting them and the programs they thought their peers may be leaning toward, a few names continued to come up.

Here are five teams that should feel good about their recruiting momentum with the prospects that were in attendance.

RIVALS 3 STRIPE DALLAS: Krueger's Takeaways | Prospects that earned stripes | Full coverage

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

1. LSU

The Tigers may be more traditionally associated with recruiting the Houston or East Texas areas more heavily, but they were on the minds of several top players. Branson Bragg, the nation’s second-ranked center and a Rivals250 prospect, has a number of teams working on him but he said that in the near future, LSU and Oklahoma are the only schools he expects to visit. Bragg said that he is quickly developing a relationship with new offensive line coach James Cregg, who will be happy to hear how Bragg earned OL MVP honors and an invitation to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas.

Meanwhile, the Tigers continue to press 2020 standout running back Jase McClellan, who is committed to the Sooners, and are part of a handful of SEC teams looking to poach him. Another top 2020 prospect from Florida by way of Texas, Lejond Cavazos, has now taken multiple visits to Baton Rouge and made mention that his relationship with defensive backs coach Corey Raymond is becoming stronger.

2. OKLAHOMA

If Dallas was any indication, the Red River Recruiting Rivalry is leaning in Oklahoma’s favor. Of the Sooners' five commitments in the 2019 class, two earned invites to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge based on their play Sunday. Rivals100 wide receiver Trejan Bridges and Rivals250 tight end Austin Stogner were both part of an extremely deep group of pass-catchers at Sunday’s event. But their play stood out enough to earn the coveted Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge invite. Bridges even took home the overall position MVP, over a group that included several other four-stars as well as five-star wide receiver Theo Wease.

A pair of running backs the Sooners are recruiting and have offered in IMG Academy’s Noah Cain and Oklahoma City’s Marcus Major were among the best at their position. Other prospects with Oklahoma offers and interest who had solid outings Sunday included offensive tackle Stacey Wilkins, center Branson Bragg and athlete Anfernee Orji. Additionally, Oklahoma was among the most popular picks for Wease when his fellow campers were asked which school they expected him to commit to.

3. Baylor

If the Bears can land a commitment from four-star quarterback Grant Tisdale, that would be a huge step in Matt Rhule’s quest to reverse the fortunes of a program that’s been starving for some optimism. As Tisdale’s recruitment has moved forward since spiking a bit with an offer from Ohio State last year, it seems as though things have come back to Earth a little bit, putting Baylor and Texas Tech in what seems to be a more favorable position as of late. Tisdale said his most recent visit has helped solidify his relationship with the Bears’ staff and if some of the other teams he’s been hearing from don’t step up soon, the opportunity for Baylor looks all the more promising.

Four-star defensive athlete Anfernee Orji also said that after a recent visit to Baylor, he feels as though the Bears have made him one of their top targets in 2019. Orji has a strong offer list, but the schools that have been involved most heavily with him have come in the form of more out-of-state programs that he hasn’t made serious arrangements to visit thus far this spring.

4. Texas Tech

One of the achilles' heels of Red Raiders recruiting over the past few years has been the inability to find quality defensive line prospects. Texas Tech seems to be making a strong case to Mansfield-Legacy three-star defensive tackle Taurean Carter that it's looking to change that and he could play a key role in helping reverse its fortunes. He said his relationship with new defensive line coach Terrance Jamison is "very strong" and he reported having a positive experience while out there on a visit in the last month.

In addition to the momentum it seems Tech is building with Tisdale, top targets in offensive lineman Marcus Alexander and wide receiver Langston Anderson were among the players that put forth strong performances.

5. SMU

The Mustangs have been ambitious recruiting with Sonny Dykes now at the helm on the Hilltop. On Saturday, running back MVP Qualan Jones made a visit, and on the day before offensive tackle Preston Wilson made a trip as well to check things out under the new staff - both left giving high marks to what they saw. Other prospects at the camp that have been dealing with SMU most recently included Oklahoma defensive end Trace Ford and local products Trevor Stange and Brandon Crossley.

One prospect SMU could make a sneaky move with is Coppell three-star defensive back Jonathan McGill. He has had plenty of action thus far in the way of his recruitment from Pac-12 teams in particular, but hasn’t seen more local Power Five teams make the leap toward offering him.

MORE SMU: TheHillTopics.com

Advertisement
Advertisement