NextGen Five-Star Pro Day: Five programs with buzz
EMERSON, Ga. — There was a gathering of some of the best underclassmen prospects in the nation on Wednesday outside of Atlanta for the NextGen Five-Star Pro Day. selected by Rivals.
With so many top prospects in one spot for the 2025, 2026 and even 2027 classes, there were some programs that came up quite a bit when talking to the underclassmen.
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USC
The Trojans have a lot of momentum right now on the trail after nabbing 12 commitments for the 2024 class in June. They’ll likely finish the class strong. Yet, they are keeping an eye toward the future.
There were several prospects in the event who mentioned the Trojans. Georgia 2025 four-star linebacker London Merritt mentioned USC. So did Fahaeem Delane, the No. 25 prospect in the 2025 Rivals250. Two players from Southern California, Zech Fort and Keenyi Pepe, also have the Trojans in the mix.
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OKLAHOMA
Brent Venables is looking to gain some traction with recruits as he prepares his program to move to the SEC. Our offensive line MVP from the camp, SJ Alofaituli, has the Sooners as a prominent team in his recruitment.
The four-star was a nightmare for defensive linemen all camp. Our linebacker MVP Christian Jones also said the Sooners are among the programs recruiting him the hardest.
Class of 2026 Florida prospect Keenyi Pepe also likes the Sooners. He was rocking the Oklahoma gloves during the event.
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OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes are one of the Midwest programs with a strong national footprint. So, it was no surprise that they came up a lot in our talks with recruits. Class of 2025 four-star safety and Ohio State commit Jontae Gilbert was at the event. He mentioned several programs are trying to flip him from the program.
Jordon Davison, the No. 1 running back in the country, is high on Ohio State. So are a pair of talented defensive ends – Georgia four-star London Merritt and Chicago four-star Christopher Burgess.
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FLORIDA
The Gators are looking to get to the next level under Billy Napier and their recruiting is picking up. To keep it in a strong position, the Gators will need to maintain the attention of young recruits. That mission is being accomplished.
Quarterback MVP Will Griffin is a terrific prospect and Florida is pushing hard for the 2026 prospect already. Two-way 2025 superstar DJ Pickett also holds Florida in high regard. His best long-term position is safety and Gators might be the program to beat for him.
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GEORGIA
Right now it’s going to be hard to keep the back-to-back champs off any list like this. Georgia is red hot right now on the field and on the recruiting trail. It’s the place elite recruits want to be. DJ Pickett also mentioned the Bulldogs as a team recruiting him hard.
The buzz in Athens is that the program covets 2025 offensive lineman SJ Alofaituli. He’s certainly feeling the love from the program. Georgia is also involved for 2026 quarterback Will Griffin. Class of 2026 wide receiver Aaron Gregory had a terrific camp and Georgia is on his mind as well.