Midwest Spotlight: Five who will decide before visits resume
Last Thursday, the NCAA confirmed that the dead period for college football recruiting will last until at least Aug. 31, meaning the earliest college visits can take place will be September. In the Midwest, 33 out of 47 prospects (70 percent) rated four-stars or higher are currently committed to a college program, and more are expected to announce this summer. Here is a look at five prospects in the Midwest who are likely to make commitments before visits resume.
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There were no surprises when Anthony announced his top four of Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Penn State on June 20. The East Lansing native holds more than two dozen offers, but it has been pretty clear which schools are the strongest contenders for some time. Like most prospects in the 2021 class who remain uncommitted, Anthony was hoping to make official visits before having to render a decision. When the NCAA pushed the dead period out to July 31, though, Anthony acknowledged a summer decision without visits was “very likely.” There is no set date or timeframe for that decision, but expect it to be made before his senior season begins.
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Based on recent social media posts, it appears Buddin has already filmed his college commitment video. The Rivals250 linebacker had planned to announce a specific decision date this week, but he may end up just announcing his commitment the way things are headed.
Penn State has been considered the team to beat here for several months. The Nittany Lions have recruited the state of Michigan very well and there are several connections there for Buddin. However, the new coaching staff at Michigan State has gained ground quickly in this recruitment. Expectations are one of those two schools if the pick is soon, but officially Boston College, Florida State, Michigan and Minnesota are also in his top group.
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The last couple months have not produced much in the way of information about Dingle’s recruitment. The four-star tight end has gone quiet, but in the early stages of spring he was still planning to have a summer decision. A lot has transpired since Dingle made those comments, but it was clear then that he had already anticipated a decision without additional on-campus visits.
He had planned spring visits to Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt as well as in-state programs Kentucky and Louisville. While those did not take place, Dingle did visit many of the schools on his offer list prior to the visit shutdown.
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After collecting over 30 scholarship offers, Keeler announced a top five of Michigan, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Texas Tech and Virginia in May. Several of those schools that made the list, like Rutgers and Ole Miss, only recently came into Keeler’s recruitment and he has not been able to make visits to those schools yet. That does not suggest, however, that a school like Michigan where he has visited before is necessarily the team to beat even with a summer decision likely, according to the three-star lineman. An exact timeframe for that decision has not been set and Keeler could still push his decision into senior year, but right now the expectation is a preseason commitment.
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When Montgomery released his top six at the end of last month, it felt like that was portending a summer decision. For his part, Montgomery has never committed to a decision timeframe and always left his options open about when to decide.
The six schools that made his top group back in May were Arizona State, Boston College, Minnesota, Missouri, Penn State and Purdue. However, Florida State has shown increased interest lately and an offer from the Seminoles could expand that group. If nothing significant develops in the next month I still think a summer decision is likely for Montgomery, but it is not guaranteed.