HONOLULU -- The fourth annual Polynesian Bowl is this Saturday in Honolulu and top prospects from around the country arrived in Hawaii on Monday. Before the group begins practice, they met with the media. Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst Woody Wommack was on hand and shares his news, notes and observations.
MORE: Texas commit Prince Dorbah talks Longhorns staff changes
Demas discusses Evans saga
The biggest story in the recruiting world over the past few weeks has been the bizarre odyssey of five-star running back Zachary Evans. After privately signing early with Georgia in December and being expected to announce his commitment at the Under Armour Game, Evans instead postponed his announcement. After an apparent change of heart, Evans was released from his letter-of-intent by Georgia and is now back on the market in the lead up to Signing Day in February.
Demond Demas, a five-star Texas A&M signee, has known Evans for years and shared his opinion on Monday. Demas said he felt for Evans as he wrestled with the decision and said he hoped that Evans would end up with him at College Station. The two remain close and have been in contact, with Demas lending a sympathetic ear for his longtime friend Evans as he has wrestled publicly with his decision.
As two of the more unique personalities in the class, it’s not a surprise the two have a bond and because each is also very talented, it would make for quite the offensive pairing in College Station, both on and off the field.
Texas commits good with coordinator changes
Texas made a number of changes to its coaching staff since the end of the 2019 season, including new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Two of the Longhorns most high-profile signees said on Monday that they more than support the changes.
Five-star running back Bijan Robinson chose Texas over Ohio State and had a great relationship with new Longhorns offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich from his time with the Buckeyes. On the defensive side of the ball, four-star linebacker Prince Dorbah also praised the hire of Chris Ash as the Longhorns new defensive coordinator. Dorbah added that while he and Ash are still building a relationship, he fell in love with Texas the school and couldn’t have imagined going anywhere else, regardless of a staff shake up.
Wazzu hire could help Cougs avoid mess
Reports broke late Monday night that Washington State would be hiring Hawaii’s Nick Rolovich to take over as head coach, filling the vacancy left when Mike Leach left for Mississippi State earlier this month.
Because of the nature of how Leach left and when, several Cougars commits weren’t sure if they would ask for a release from their letters-of-intent. The school’s most important signee, four-star quarterback Jayden De Laura, said he was blindsided by the news of Leach leaving, especially after Leach signed an extension in December. But De Laura said he was encouraged by the thought of Rolovich getting the job, especially since De Laura’s first offer came from Rolovich and his staff. DeLaura told me on Monday that he and his family have explored asking for a release from his letter-of-intent, but if Rolovich is hired he will likely stick with the Cougars.
Three-star Wazzu linebacker signee Moon Ashby also said he had been hoping Washington State might hire Alex Grinch, but he said the idea of playing for Rolovich is also appealing.
Five-star Oregon linebackers happy with returning Ducks
The Oregon Ducks are bringing in the best linebacker class in school history, headlined by five-stars Justin Flowe and Noah Sewell. Each will be counted on to play early and often for the Ducks and both said they were thrilled to hear that a quartet of Oregon defenders would be returning to school instead of leaving early for the NFL Draft.
Defensive backs Thomas Graham and Deommodore Lenoir as well as defensive linemen Jordan Scott and Austin Faoliu all announced they would be returning to school on Monday, which came as great news to both elite prospects. Flowe said that while the linebackers will directly benefit from having big bodies like Scott and Faoliu in front of them, having Lenoir and Graham behind them should help him and Sewell play with more freedom when they arrive in Eugene later this year.
Passing the eye test
While the usual suspects like five-stars Flowe, Sewell and Robinson all passed the eye test with flying colors, there were a few other surprise prospects who would have easily made the all-lobby team.
Three-star offensive line commit Levi Rogers has a very similar build to former five-star and current Stanford offensive lineman Walker Little. In fact, Rogers might even be more physically mature heading into college than Little was at the end of his high school career.
Another player that impressed on the hoof was three-star Oregon defensive tackle signee Maceal Afaese. Ducks fans will hope that he follows the trajectory of another Hawaiian native that turned into a star, former four-star DeForest Buckner. Notre Dame four-star defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina also has the build of an elite run-stuffer and could provide the Irish with the type of body that has been missing in the middle of the defensive line over the past few years.
