Rivals Camp Series in Atlanta: Teams that should be pleased
ATLANTA - The final regional stop of the Rivals Camp Series was held in Georgia last weekend and a bunch of top regional prospects showed out. Here are the five teams that should be pleased, based on what recruits said and how top targets and commits performed.
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AUBURN
No one can dispute that Auburn went through a bit of a rough patch earlier this year when it comes to the future of Bryan Harsin and the state of the program. On Sunday, though, you could never tell that happened. The buzz among the prospects in attendance was a belief in Harsin and his vision for the future of Auburn.
It helps, of course, having a prospect like Bradyn Joiner committed and doing work for you on the recruiting trail. Joiner not only looked good on the field, giving the Auburn faithful something to smile about, but he also let it be known that he is working behind the scenes to get things done for the Tigers. It all starts for Joiner and the Auburn staff in the state of Alabama and keeping talent home that should be kept home.
Only time will tell how effective everyone pushing the War Eagle brand will be, but they appear to have weathered the off-season ruckus. Belief is a powerful recruiting tool, and the Tigers appear to be gaining that back among some of the best prospects in the Southeast.
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OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma is not necessarily a team you would expect to see listed regarding a camp located in the Southeast, but new coach Brent Venables has made a concerted effort to establish the Sooners in a relatively new recruiting footprint for the Oklahoma program. Look no further than the buzz among a few of the nation’s top 2024 prospects out of Alabama to see just how much that message is resonating.
Rivals100 prospects Kavion Henderson and Jaylen Mbakwe had nothing but positive things to say about the new Sooners staff and their recent experiences in Norman. Creating a new primary area in recruiting can’t just happen overnight, but early buzz coming out of Atlanta at least showed that Venables and his staff’s efforts aren’t proving to be all for naught.
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FLORIDA STATE
It’s a big year ahead for Mike Norvell and the Seminoles program on the field. Off the field they are still doing what a Norvell staff has proved capable of doing year over year: Recruit with relentless intent. Their 2024 running back commit, Kameron Davis, was one of the more impressive prospects on the field in the afternoon session, and in the morning session Keldric Faulk looked like a man among boys.
Florida State is right in the thick of that recruitment, due to the relationship that Norvell and his staff have been able to build with the Alabama prospect. A big year on the field would really help propel the Florida State program over the hump.
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ARKANSAS
Sam Pittman is a head coach whose name always garners high praise from prospects when talking about the Razorbacks program. It was no different in Atlanta. Pittman has a way of instilling belief in his program so that everyone wants to follow the head man forward - and that is powerful.
The buzz among prospects after visiting Fayetteville was constantly how they couldn’t believe everything going on up there and what the Razorbacks had to offer. The prospects couldn’t wait to get back on campus and in large that is due to two main reasons, but perhaps none bigger than their belief in the vision that Pittman has put into place.
Arkansas’ ability to tap into states like Alabama and Georgia goes a long way toward the roster’s depth, and after Atlanta – and hearing from multiple prospects – the Razorbacks should be pleased with their efforts thus far during Pittman’s tenure.
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CLEMSON
A chink in the armor for Dabo Swinney and his Clemson Tiger program? Didn’t get that sense at all in Atlanta among some of the nation’s best. The family atmosphere that the Clemson staff provides when prospects are on campus continues to hit home. Multiple top performers on the day have Clemson as a major player in their recruitment.
Also, as the Tigers prepare for a big official visit weekend in early June, there will be no shortage of top-tier talent making its way to South Carolina. It’s getting to that time, though, where the Tigers need to close on some of these recruitments.
Clemson now needs to take the positivity coming out of Atlanta on Sunday and turn it into commitments.
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