Ranking the Fourth of July's recruiting fireworks

July 4 has become one of the busiest commitment days of the year and that was the case again this year. Below, we rank all the pledges from Tuesday as there were some major ones throughout the day.

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Not only was this the biggest commitment of the day but also a huge surprise since many thought Auburn had taken the lead for the Phenix City (Ala.) Central four-star receiver. But Coleman committed to Texas A&M and it gives the Aggies a major playmaker on the outside.

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The Tar Heels are loading up in the secondary this recruiting cycle, first flipping four-star Zion Ferguson from LSU and now landing White as he picked North Carolina over Florida, Michigan and many others. As a safety, White brings a lot of athletic and playmaking ability.

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Ohio State was considered the frontrunner for the longest time and even at OT7 Nationals, Moore hinted that the Buckeyes were going to be near-impossible to beat. That changed after a late visit to Florida State as the Seminoles swooped in and stole his commitment.

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Arkansas landed a big-time playmaker who averaged more than 24 yards per catch last season and could be a major outside threat for the Razorbacks. Texas Tech and Oregon were two other programs involved in his recruitment but Arkansas won out.

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Missouri emerged as a real contender for the St. Louis native in his recruitment with Florida State, Louisville and others. When given the chance to catch balls and make plays, Madison has elite size and other qualities. He just doesn’t get the ball thrown much his way at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas but that should change in Columbia.

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UCF beat out Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Florida State and others for Fox as the Knights have been on a tear early in July – Fox’s commitment along with Ja’Qualin Birdsong and Waltclaire Flynn. The four-star tight end didn’t put up huge numbers in his junior season but when the ball is thrown his way Fox can make things happen.

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Tennessee is the in-state school with a ton of momentum heading into this season and Wisconsin develops offensive linemen as well as any program in the country but Clemson won out for O’Connell. He moves well for his size and could still easily add 15-20 pounds to be even more physically dominant at the line of scrimmage.

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Auburn beat out Arkansas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech and others for the Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville linebacker who had 115 tackles, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 15 quarterback hurries last season. Barber is outside the Rivals250 and No. 15 at inside linebacker but his tape shows someone who could be more toward the top 10 at his position.

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Kansas pulled off a huge recruiting win on July 4 when the Katy, Texas, standout picked the Jayhawks but had Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and others in his recruitment. Brinkley could be an outside linebacker who plays in space or he could rush off the edge. There aren’t many athletes that have such an impressive build in the class.

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Morgan might be drastically underrated right now and things will be reviewed through his senior season but there aren’t many safeties with the speed and closing ability of the Phenix City (Ala.) Central recruit. Auburn was believed to have the edge but after a later visit to Florida State the Seminoles won out.

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Arizona State, Texas A&M, UTSA and others were involved and for a while the Sun Devils looked best, but then Texas got much more involved and landed the three-star tight end. Earlier in the week, four-star receiver Parker Livingstone joined the Longhorns and Washington is another big target.

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Playing left tackle in high school, Mandell could stay outside or most likely move inside in college. He definitely likes to mix it up and stay on his blocks. Those are Mandell’s strengths now as Wisconsin beat out Iowa State, Iowa and many others.

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It’s never bad going to Texas for talent, never bad going to a top program like Aledo and never bad getting a Louisville legacy on board. Arizona State is going to focus more on in-state players but recruiting Texas has been a winning strategy as well and Johnson is another nice DB pickup for the Sun Devils.

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Foster is a big boy but even with his 6-foot-5 frame, the three-star prospect can stand up and come off the edge to disrupt the backfield or put his hand in the dirt and win that way as well. He could be in for a rankings bump because of his size, athleticism and production as a junior as Baylor beat Kentucky, Mississippi State, Louisville, Georgia Tech and Arkansas.

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Missouri has had a great start to July with five commitments already including Keys, who chose the Tigers over Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. An aggressive corner who loves to break on the ball and hit people, Keys is the fourth-straight Missouri commit from Florida.

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The Mesquite (Texas) Dallas Christian three-star cornerback could be one of the biggest steals of July 4 as he chose Purdue over Nebraska, SMU and others. He has been highly productive on both sides of the ball. Over the last two seasons, Nettles has 109 tackles and eight interceptions and is also an elite receiver.

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Michigan State beat out Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M and Oklahoma for Denson as the Spartans were one of the first to offer and then the coaching staff stayed heavily involved with him throughout his recruitment. A versatile defensive back, Denson could play corner, nickel or safety for the Spartans.

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Indiana could have landed a big-time steal in Meikle, who is incredibly athletic, fast and physical to win off the edge. His speed coming off the edge stands out most. The Hoosiers were his only Power Five offer, but Meikle could definitely play.

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Currently listed as a safety, it’s likely the San Diego (Calif.) Madison standout moves to outside linebacker in college. With his size and length, that shouldn’t be a problem at all. The Sun Devils beat Cal, Washington State and others for Hughes.

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It felt like Georgia Tech could win out for the three-star cornerback out of Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake which would have completely made sense. But on July 4, Louisville landed Mosby’s commitment. Originally from Louisiana, Mosby didn’t put up huge stats last season but he’s very good in coverage and is a solid addition from a major recruiting territory.

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For months, the three-star cornerback from Phenix City (Ala.) Central talked highly of Cincinnati but Boston College, Georgia Tech, Indiana and Houston were some of the others that were pushing.

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His junior season was Agumadu’s first on defense and he’s already being used all over. Whether standing up and playing in space, coming off the edge or even moving inside on some packages, Agamadu might not have elite speed but he’s always around the ball. Missouri was his only other Power Five offer.

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Vanderbilt has done a phenomenal job loading up at wide receiver in the 2024 class with high three-stars Markeis Barrett, Dorian Williams and Joseph McVay. Now Brown is that slot threat the Commodores needed, too. Last season at Houston Lamar, Brown finished with 35 catches for 988 yards and 14 scores.

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Old Dominion, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and MIami (Ohio) were the other main contenders for Scott but after an elite performance at Kentucky’s camp, the Wildcats offered and he committed soon after. Scott ran in the 4.4 range at both Kentucky and South Carolina so at defensive back, he’s bringing a lot of speed.

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