Making the Case: Five-star DE Tunmise Adeleye
Tunmise Adeleye has been back on the market ever since decommitting from Ohio State in early August and now the five-star defensive end has his three finalists.
Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M made the cut for the Katy (Texas) Tompkins standout who was expected to play his senior season at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy but decided to transfer back home.
Now with a final three, Adeleye could be focused on making his second pledge and wrapping up the recruiting process.
The Crimson Tide has landed plenty of elite defensive linemen over the last many years, not something that’s lost on Adeleye, and that level of recruitment, development and dominance is something that could appeal to the five-star.
Adeleye has spent time in the state of Florida, has connections there and he also sees the job coach Dan Mullen is doing to turn the Gators back into a national contender again.
And with Texas A&M, it’s the home school. Just over an hour from where Adeleye lives, College Station is close, coach Jimbo Fisher could be waking up a major program into an SEC contender and the Aggies have also done a superb job of recruiting players along the defensive line in recent years.
Analysts and publishers from the Rivals network take a closer look at where one of the most sought-after defensive linemen in the country will land.
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MORE: Five 2022 East Coast prospects now on the radar
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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ALABAMA
"Tunmise Adeleye was considered an Alabama lean after attending the Tide’s camp in 2019. He returned to Tuscaloosa with his family last fall for the heavyweight showdown against LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium. He was scheduled to return to Tuscaloosa in late March or early April prior to COVID-19 shutting down the country. He didn’t visit and gave an early commitment to Ohio State. Alabama has remained steadfast in its pursuit of the five-star defender. His former teammate, Jalen Milroe, flipped from Texas to Alabama in August. Milroe along with Crimson Tide coaching staff continue to push for him to join the top ranked class in the country. Alabama has a great chance to land his signature, but It remains a very tight battle between the Tide, Aggies and Gators." - Andrew Bone, BamaInsider.com
FLORIDA
"UF fell just short of scooping up a commitment during the first go-around but could end up hitting the jackpot when it matters the most. Adeleye has family residing all across the Sunshine State and stated in the past that Florida is the school making the strongest push for his services, led by defensive line coach David Turner. It sure doesn't hurt that close friend and former IMG teammate, Kamar Wilcoxson, is already in Gainesville as well. Mutual interest has been very high for quite some time, with the Gators being the program he's arguably most familiar with. Florida was also the last school to receive a campus visit in March, so that could play a major role given the current circumstances and uncertainty surrounding the dead period. The Gators check off several boxes for the five-star prospect." - Corey Bender, GatorsTerritory.com
TEXAS A&M
"Adeleye has been tight-lipped about his recruitment, but the Aggies have a few things in their favor right now. First is his relationship with defensive ends coach Terry Price, who was the first coach to offer him. The two have developed quite a rapport. Second is location -- the Aggies hold an obvious edge here, and he's been in College Station for the past several days. And, of course, he was able to watch A&M beat the team I consider to be the other major factor for him, Florida, in person. Add all those up and the Aggies seem to be a formidable contender for his commitment." - Mark Passwaters, AggieYell.com
THE VERDICT
“As much as I thought Florida was going to be the pick after he decommitted from Ohio State I feel that the Aggies have too many advantages here especially being the home-state school he is able to visit often. Adeleye is hard to read and could change his mind many times but I have Texas A&M over Florida right now.” — Mike Farrell, National Recruiting Director