Committing on a holiday is nothing new and Mother’s Day on Sunday was another busy time for pledges across the country. Here is a breakdown of each one ranked in order of importance:
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1. GABARRI JOHNSON TO MISSOURI
Washington, Utah and Arkansas were the three front-runners for the Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln four-star quarterback but over the last few weeks as some of those programs landed quarterbacks and Missouri started getting involved with Johnson things picked up quickly. He visited Columbia a couple weeks ago, fell in love with the town, the players and the coaching staff and said it was his best visit. A decision came down to Missouri and Washington and on Sunday, the four-star quarterback picked Missouri.
Johnson is not going to be a huge, physical threat but he has precision passing, an effortless delivery and he’s very collected in the pocket to make all the throws.
Grade: A-
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2. ZAHBARI SANDY TO SOUTH CAROLINA
The relationship that coach Shane Beamer and position coach Torrian Gray built with Sandy was one of the many deciding factors for the high three-star safety from Washington (D.C.) St. John’s when he committed to the Gamecocks over Maryland, Ole Miss, Tennessee, West Virginia and others on Sunday.
Sandy will be in the discussion for a bump in the rankings because he’s a super versatile defensive back who can play cornerback, defend the slot, be a one-high safety, come down into the box for run support and he’s a physical kid with length. These are the recruiting battles South Carolina needs to keep winning.
Grade: A-
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3. TY LEE TO UCLA
I was standing next to Lee in Bullhead City, Ariz., last offseason when he landed an offer from USC and it looked like the Trojans were going to win out in his recruitment. But there was a coaching change there and a lot of turnover and then other priorities picked up like his interest in Utah, UCLA and other Pac-12 programs.
The three-star safety from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco committed on his official visit over the weekend and while this might have been a little under the radar it’s still important. Lee can play safety or come down and grow into an outside linebacker which is the expectation in Westwood. Having Ken Norton, Jr. on staff there now was a big deal in his decision.
Grade: B+
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4. DANTE LOVETT TO VIRGINIA TECH
A few months ago it looked like Cincinnati would be tough to beat for the three-star defensive back from Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha but Virginia Tech made a serious push and landed his commitment over the weekend. Winning these types of recruiting battles will be crucial for first-year coach Brent Pry and his staff as they look to rebuild in Blacksburg.
What stands out most about Lovett is his versatility. Cornerback is expected to be his primary position for the Hokies but moving to nickel or safety is also in the cards and having that ability to move all over the secondary to help out the defense will be huge.
Grade: B
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5. DEVEN BRYANT TO WASHINGTON
The three-star inside linebacker from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco does not have a boatload of offers and the local schools were slow to show interest but Bryant is a thumper and productive, with more than 80 tackles on a loaded defense last season.
Washington’s new coaching staff showed Bryant a lot of love and with Courtney Morgan on staff now he has a tremendous amount of Southern California connections and so this was a nice recruiting victory. After a couple visits with the Huskies and their new staff, Bryant knew for a while this was the spot.
Grade: B
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6. KANSAS STATE ADDS TWO JUCO COMMITS
Kansas State landed two 2022 junior college prospects over the weekend and it should not go unnoticed because both are talented and productive. Running back Anthony Frias from Modesto (Calif.) Modesto C.C. rushed for 851 yards and 17 touchdowns on 169 carries last season and defensive back Jordan Wright has excellent speed and ballhawking capabilities.
According to a source, the feeling among some coaches is that there is some excellent talent in the junior college ranks and looking there instead of the transfer portal for some key pieces is being undervalued. Kansas State took advantage of that and landed two skilled players.
