Midwest spotlight: Five hot prospects
National Signing Day is in the rearview mirror for college coaches, and recruiting for the next classes of athletes is ramping up. Here is a look at five prospects in the Midwest region who have been frequent recipient of scholarship offers in recent weeks.
MORE: West Coast recruiting notes | 3 Stripe Orlando recruiting notes
Recent offers: Iowa State, TCU, Missouri, Ole Miss, SMU
On film: Antwine is growing into a zero-technique. He plays with great pad level and has the quickness and strength to collapse the pocket.
Recruitment: Antwine did not pick up his first scholarship offer until Feb. 16, and it came from Arkansas State. Since then, he has been growing that number at a tremendous pace. Between March 9 and March 13 Antwine more than doubled his offer total, landing seven of his 11 offers in that five-day stretch. In the midst of that offer run, Antwine took advantage of junior days and visited SMU, Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. He plans to take his next visit to TCU on April 1 and is also working to schedule a trip to Tulsa.
Recent offers: Boston College, Buffalo, Colorado State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Purdue
On film: An undersized linebacker who could also project to the hybrid safety role, Asamoah is an outstanding athlete who is always around the football and plays bigger than his measurements.
Recruitment: Asamoah named a top six of Cincinnati, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and UCLA on Feb. 24 and announced a commitment date of April 21. That did not deter new schools from trying to get into the mix, as the Central Ohio athlete picked up six offers over the next three weeks. The new offers have succeeded in delaying the commitment of Asamoah, who has backed off that April 21 date and has no updated timeframe. He is working to set up visits with Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Pittsburgh to see spring practices and/or games.
Recent offers: Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan State, USC
On film: College coaches are always looking for those elusive left tackle prospects, and with his height, length and fleet-footedness, Carroll has shown potential to fill that role.
Recruitment: The high point of Carroll’s offer rush really came in the months of January and February, but he is still worth a mention here because no other 2019 prospect in the region has been on as much of an offer tear as Carroll this winter. Between Jan. 14 and Feb. 23, Carroll landed 15 Power Five offers from Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Tennessee and UCLA. Virginia Tech, where his older brother, Collin, was a long-snapper, also offered during that stretch. His next visits are planned to Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
Recent offers: Arizona State, Arkansas, LSU, Louisville, Notre Dame, Ole Miss
On film: Tatum plays in both a two-point and three-point stance in high school, but will almost certainly play with his hand in the ground in college where his size/athleticism combo has the potential to be elite.
Recruitment: There are some big-name programs among Tatum’s first 15 offers, including both in-state Power Five schools. The Oklahoma Sooners were the second team to offer and have gotten off to a good start with the three-star defensive lineman. A recent offer and subsequent visit to TCU also got Tatum’s attention, while Georgia has done a good job building a strong, early relationship even though he has yet to visit. Tatum has shown no urgency to make a commitment, and with his current streak of offers still going and the Spring Evaluation Period around the corner, he could double his current number of offers before summer.
Recent offers: Iowa, Louisville, Pittsburgh, TCU, Wisconsin
On film: A converted wide receiver, Whyle has maintained all of his receiving skills while filling out his 6-foot-5 frame. He likely stays as a flex tight end at the college level.
Recruitment: A member of three-time defending state champion Cincinnati LaSalle, Whyle has picked up 13 scholarship offers just since March 1. He also plays on the Lancers' basketball team, which has delayed his opportunities to visit schools this winter. As soon as basketball season is finished, Whyle plans to hit the road, with Indiana, Louisville and Ohio State among his first expected stops. Nearby schools Cincinnati and Kentucky are the only ones he has been able to visit recently.