Mid-South Spotlight: Winners and losers of October
Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Cole Patterson breaks down notable winners and losers from the month of October in the Mid-South region.
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WINNER: Texas
Texas is an easy winner from October for the simple fact that Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns landed a five-star prospect. Ryan Wingo chose the burnt orange over in-state Missouri in a recruitment that went down to the wire. By winning out for the receiver, Texas features two elite-tier prospects in Wingo and defensive end Colin Simmons.
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LOSER: Zach Arnett
It hasn’t been the best of starts for Zach Arnett in his first season at the helm for Mississippi State. The first-year head coach hasn’t put the best product on the field and the recruiting success hasn’t been much to write home about to this point, either.
Rivals250 defensive back PJ Woodland backed off his pledge only to commit to SEC West rival LSU. Holding onto Rivals250 receivers JJ Harrell and Braylon Burnside is absolutely mandatory for Arnett and staff.
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WINNER: LSU defensive back recruiting
LSU never really has any trouble recruiting wide receivers or defensive backs, and that was again the case in October, as the Tigers flipped a pair of defensive backs that were committed to division foes in the span of a couple of days.
First, the aforementioned Woodland announced his commitment to the Tigers last Sunday. Then a couple of short days later, in-state New Orleans defender Bernard Causey, who was previously committed to Ole Miss, quickly followed suit.
Brian Kelly and staff are not only improving the secondary on the trail but the Tigers are also hurting rivals at the same time. That’s usually a good formula for success.
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LOSER: Jimbo Fisher
Texas A&M got a much-needed SEC win over South Carolina this past weekend, but it was an otherwise rocky month for Jimbo Fisher on the recruiting trail.
That included two losses to Alabama and Tennessee. On the surface, that’s not the end of the world. But there were higher expectations for Fisher's sixth season at the helm in Aggieland.
But the recruiting trail was really where the Aggies were hurt. Rivals100 wide receiver Dre’lon Miller decommitted from A&M in the middle of the month. Then, Rivals250 offensive tackle Weston Davis flipped to LSU late last week. If struggles continue, it’s not out of question for more defections to happen.
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WINNER: Clemson in the Lone Star State
It hasn’t been the season that Clemson has been accustomed to enjoying under Dabo Swinney, which only raised concerns about the Tigers’ recruiting haul in the 2024 cycle.
But, despite some on-field struggles, the Tigers have received good news in October. The most important development was Rivals100 receiver Bryant Wesco, a potential five-star candidate, reaffirming his pledge to Clemson and essentially shut down his recruitment.
Not alone, Rivals100 defensive back Corian Gipson was among many other Tigers pledges to voice confidence in Swinney and the program. Clemson has recruited Texas well in recent years and that looks to continue being the case with the likes of Wesco and Gipson holding firm.
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WINNER: Kobe Black
Waco (Texas) Connally defensive back Kobe Black is the highest-ranked prospect in the region that remains uncommitted. The Rivals250 prospect has been able to sit back, continue to listen to different pitches and weigh everything that the programs involved for his commitment have to offer.
Texas has long been perceived as the team to beat for Black. But programs such as Texas A&M, Oklahoma, LSU and others have been trying to chip away for the four-star. Black could be closing in on a commitment. But regardless of where he goes, he’s a winner as the top remaining player on the board in the region.