Georgia linebacker Wesley Steiner released his final four schools last week and Auburn, Georgia Tech, LSU and Stanford are the finalists. There is no timeline on when Steiner will make his decision, but it could happen as early as this summer. He plans to camp at each school other than Stanford (due to distance) in June and those visits will be crucial.
There is still time for the list to change, but heading into the summer visits, here is how the contenders would rank based on the intel I have on Steiner’s recruitment.
1. AUBURN
There are a couple of factors in this ranking. One; Auburn was the first Power Five school to offer him almost a year ago. They had him on campus for camp, Steiner impressed and earned the offer. The Tigers have been recruiting him hard since. Another reason is linebackers coach Travis Williams. Most call him T-Will, and he has to be one of the best at building relationships in all of college football. Steiner and Williams have connected and the two are in regular contact. At this point, Auburn looks to have a strong hold on the top spot.
2. STANFORD
If Stanford was closer, it could very well be considered the frontrunner. As much as Stanford has to offer student-athletes, it is not easy for it to land top Georgia athletes due to distance and the way it handles recruiting. Steiner visited Palo Alto on his own dime early in the spring, but his next visit would be an official. Stanford does not bring student-athletes in for official visits until mid January, so if Steiner wants to return, it will be in 2020. That could really hurt the Cardinal program in this race. Steiner is expected to be committed well before then. Steiner loved the culture, the academics, the setting and more, so Stanford still has a shot, but the slower recruiting process may set them back in this race.
3. LSU
With LSU, it is hard to put them last on this list due to it being LSU, Steiner’s connection with assistant coach Dave Aranda and him having family in the Boot. But what it comes down to is, they are not recruiting him quite as hard as they once were. The attention Steiner is getting from Auburn, Georgia Tech and Stanford is more than what he gets from Auburn and he has noticed.
At one time, LSU was right up there with Auburn, but over the last six weeks or so, based on what we are hearing, LSU has not made Steiner feel like a true priority. These Tigers can’t be ruled out, but LSU has slid down the list this spring.
4. GEORGIA TECH
Georgia Tech is in this more than some may think. It is the in-state school, he has visited there twice in 2019 and it will be his first visit of the summer. Assistant coach Andrew Thacker has done a great job here making Steiner feel like a priority. Steiner likes the culture change on the Flats and Georgia Tech is definitely in this race. Not that long ago, Steiner had a top three and Georgia Tech was not on that list, so they have made a strong move over the last couple of months to extend his list by a school.
