Easter Weekend saw a lot of top prospects make their commitments and some could have been lost in the shuffle of the holiday. We take a look at many of the biggest pledges and rank them in order of importance.
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1. Gabriel Harris: Georgia
The Bulldogs were always going to be a major contender for the four-star defensive end now at Valdosta, Ga., especially after he backed off of an early commitment to Florida State. Harris should have a major impact along Georgia’s defensive line as he’s big, strong and plays with ferocity.
There is a toughness and all-business approach to his game that especially stands out. While he’s more brute force than finesse coming off the edge, Harris plays that role well and should be able to dominate physically even in the SEC.
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2. Kyler Kasper: Oregon
Kasper's commitment to Oregon gives first-year coach Dan Lanning and position coach Junior Adams a big recruiting win. The four-star receiver also had Tennessee high on the list, he’s an Iowa legacy and the Ducks overcame all of it.
Kasper loved his visit to Eugene and especially meeting with the new coaches, so Oregon won out and made a big regional statement win by getting Kasper on board. He’s a big, outside receiver and a major target so he should be used a lot in Oregon’s offense.
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3. Bryson Rodgers: Ohio State
Over the last many months, different programs have stood out most to Rodgers. The four-star receiver had Florida at the top for a while and then he released a top seven without the Gators. Then when Ohio State offered, he said it was a dream come true.
The Buckeyes have done such a great job recruiting and developing receivers in recent years so getting into Florida for a four-star is really important. It helps that every recruit seems to love position coach Brian Hartline, too.
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4. Dijon Johnson: Ohio State
After seeing him this offseason, Johnson is much better than his low three-star ranking and that will be reflected in the next rankings release. With nearly 40 offers, Johnson is a big, physical defensive back who should continue on an impressive tradition of development at those positions in Columbus.
This is especially big as Ohio State now has as many commits from the state of Florida as it does the state of Ohio plus Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Miami and so many others closer were pursuing the Tampa (Fla.) Wharton standout.
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5. Zane Flores: Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has always been exceptional at finding prospects who are not highly recruited and then turning them into high-end players and Flores fits the bill. The three-star quarterback from Gretna, Neb., completed 70 percent of his passes as a junior and put up big numbers but Nebraska never offered and other regional programs were slow to come around.
Kansas made a serious push and Kansas State was in the picture as well but Oklahoma State got involved early and landed his pledge over the weekend.
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6. Grant Gray: UCLA
Other Pac-12 programs were involved with Gray, especially Cal, but UCLA made the Norco, Calif., three-star receiver a big priority and over the weekend he picked the Bruins. Gray is an exceptional route runner and he has great hands so coach Chip Kelly will find ways to get the ball in his hands as he’s done with other players similar to Gray during his coaching career.
This one might have slid under the radar nationally the last few days but Gray is a big addition to the Bruins.
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7. Tyree Patterson: Florida
Patterson had more than one-third of his team’s catches and more than half of his team’s touchdowns as a junior so Florida could be getting a sleeper in its class. A high three-star prospect, Patterson had a dominant year but his recruitment didn’t really take off as Liberty, UMass and North Texas were his only other offers.
The Eustis, Fla., standout could be one of those players that make first-year coach Billy Napier look really smart because there is no doubting his production on the high school level.
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8. Eddie Pleasant: Michigan State
Georgia Tech and Florida State received visits from Pleasant in recent months but it was his trip to Michigan State that locked in his commitment with the Spartans and it’s important for numerous reasons.
The Spartans need more of a national approach to recruiting and that has panned out so far this recruiting cycle with two pledges from Texas and now one from Florida.
Pleasant loved his time with coach Mel Tucker and position coach Harlon Barnett. Southeast programs were recruiting the Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day standout but Michigan State stole him away.
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9. Tyler Walton: Wake Forest
Walton did not have many offers but had a handful of Power Five programs after him so his commitment to Wake Forest is big for coach Dave Clawson and staff. The Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett defensive end is 6-foot-5 so he has tremendous length, he carries 230 pounds well and can play with his hand down. But he prefers to stand up and then can blitz, has a nice inside move and uses his long arms well to knock down passes.
Edge rushers are so important to a defense and Walton is a really good one who didn’t see his recruitment take off, but has the skill to play high-level football.
