RCS Dallas: Teams that should be pleased
COPPELL, Texas — The Rivals Camp Series made its latest stop in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on Sunday, and regional standouts shined on the big stage. The state of Texas was represented well with its top talent while prospects from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and more also made the trip in. While the state of Texas is a fertile recruiting ground for schools across the country, these five programs stood out in talking to recruits at the camp.
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RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info for 2022 series
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BAYLOR
It's hard to make an argument for any team being more pleased than Baylor coming out of Sunday after strong performances from a pair of commits paired with a wealth of buzz with uncommitted prospects.
Four-star quarterback commit Austin Novosad, three-star tight end commit Hawkins Polley and three-star linebacker commit Taurean York were all exceptional and were each deep in the conversation for their respective positional MVPs. Novosad was solid despite a 30 mph wind that affected the skills portion of the camp in the afternoon. Polley possesses some of the strongest hands in the state and pairs it with an eye-catching route-running ability. York uses his quick lateral movement in coverage that makes him one of the more athletic linebackers in the state.
The buzz was certainly generated as well as prospects such as TayShawn Wilson, Ashton Porter and Marquise Collins all have the Bears high on their lists following strong visit experiences in Waco.
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HOUSTON
Houston was represented by its lone commit, three-star athlete Jakoby Banks who performed well against stiff competition. His speed and route-running ability makes him a threat in the open field, giving the Cougars a high-floor option to pair with freshman receiver Matthew Golden when Banks arrives on campus.
When looking at Houston's recruiting advantages, the Cougars are on the cusp of a program-defining move to the Big 12, and their success in 2021 paired with the potential to play in a New Year's Six bowl in 2022 has forced high-end prospects to take a serious look at Dana Holgorsen's squad. Legacy recruit Mikal Harrison-Pilot still has Houston in the thick of the race with Michigan, Texas and Arkansas involved. Four-star cornerback TayShawn Wilson has Houston in his top three along with Baylor and Texas and will most likely use an official visit on the Cougars this summer.
Houston also remains on the outside looking in for four-star wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway.
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OKLAHOMA
Brent Venables and his staff have wasted no time getting acclimated with top-tier recruits in the region as Oklahoma trends for multiple top prospects that were at RCS Dallas this past weekend.
Most notably, 2024 top-10 prospect David Stone still has the Sooners in the pole position despite a recent move out of the Sooner State to play at the IMG Academy. Additionally, the Sooners remain threats to land potential commitments down the line from four-stars Jaydon Chatman and Jaquaize Pettaway.
Chatman's recent visit to Norman opened his eyes toward the possibility of playing north of the Red River and Pettaway's relationship with wide receivers coach Cale Gundy has the Sooners deep in the race for him as well.
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TEXAS
Texas' newest commit took home linebacker MVP honors on Sunday as North Crowley (Texas) product S'Maje Burrell cemented himself in the rankings-riser conversation with a strong performance against an athletic running back group.
The Longhorns were also well-represented in talking to uncommitted recruits as Ashton Porter, Jaquaize Pettaway, Connor Stroh, Jaydon Chatman, TJ Shanahan, Mikal Harrison-Pilot and Kyle Parker all mentioned Texas as a contender in their respective recruitments.
While some are more likely than others, Texas' name being thrown around further cements the fact that the Longhorns have a chance to build a special 2023 class behind some key pieces. Porter and Pettaway hold the Longhorns in a top group with probably only one or two other schools in heavy contention, while Stroh and Chatman hold Steve Sarkisian's crew in high regard because of offensive line coach Kyle Flood being the first to offer.
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TEXAS A&M
The buzz around Texas A&M was scorching hot following a big visit weekend in College Station for the Aggies' Spring Game on Saturday afternoon.
One of those attendees was four-star offensive lineman Connor Stroh who landed an offer while on the visit alongside his parents who both attended the university. The Aggies immediately jump into a top grouping alongside Texas and Arkansas.
Another four-star offensive lineman made it to RCS Dallas fresh off a trip to College Station as Jaydon Chatman saw the Aggies make another considerable impression over the weekend. Alabama and Texas also make up the contenders in his recruitment.
Lastly but surely not least, five-star offensive lineman TJ Shanahan still has the Aggies in heavy contention. Texas A&M is the in-state school making the biggest impression on the RCS Dallas offensive line MVP, but Shanahan said that the Aggies will be in an official visit group with at least Georgia and LSU with the potential of more schools being added. However, Jimbo Fisher and his staff will be able to provide a proximity factor along with a long-standing relationship that goes back to Shanahan's playing days in the state of Florida.
