Rivals Most Wanted: Dotson, Cook, Coburn
Each week, Rivals.com looks at three players who saw their offer list lengthen considerably over a seven-day stretch. This week's group includes three 2018 prospects who are suddenly in very high demand.
This week’s offers: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina
Status report: Dotson, who had been gradually picking up impressive offers over the last couple of months, saw his process hit a new level over the last week. After recently deciding to transfer from Nazareth High School in Pennsylvania to The Peddie School, saying that it was an “opportunity he couldn’t pass up”, Dotson will now turn more of his attention to his recruiting process. Currently, he is looking to make a final decision on his National Signing Day and remains open to all schools. However, a school to keep a close eye on during his recruitment is USC. Dotson mentioned the Trojans as a “dream school” that will likely become a major player in his process if they offer.
In his words: “It feels extremely special. It's just crazy, especially the Bama offer. I'm just feeling extremely blessed. Just for me to receive offers from such prestigious schools is just such a blessing. I didn’t think I’d be in this position this early in the campaign.”
Visit plans: Dotson has not taken any recent visits but will be heading to South Bend this weekend for the Notre Dame spring game. He hopes to visit several SEC schools during the summer to get a closer look at each of those programs, but nothing has been solidified yet.
This week’s offers: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, LSU, Nebraska, TCU
Status report: Cook saw his recruiting process explode over the last week, with huge offers coming from the Big 12, SEC and Big Ten. Cook was quick to point out that he was “100 percent open and enjoying the process.” He is also looking to experience the entire process and is likely to wait until his National Signing Day to make a final decision. Growing up, Cook mentioned that his “dream school” was Baylor, which has already offered, while he also has ties to Texas as his cousin, Eric Cuffee, is a Class of 2016 signee with the Longhorns.
In his words: “It's an amazing feeling. I didn't think it would happen so quickly, but I'm enjoying it. I don’t feel any additional pressure though. Not at all. I know how hard I work, so I don't feel pressured at all. I mean, you can only pray and work hard. I will say that I braced myself to be in this position.”
Visit plans: Cook took recent visits to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and Kansas, with offers coming from the Sooners, Cowboys and Horned Frogs. Next up are likely visits to Texas and LSU, but neither date has been solidified. Cook has also begun to think about summer camps and brought up possibly attending Texas Tech, Alabama, Texas and LSU.
This week’s offers: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Baylor
Status report: Coburn, who started last week with offers from Houston and Texas-San Antonio, has suddenly positioned himself as a defensive tackle to watch nationally in the Class of 2018. The recent offers seem to have caught Coburn off-guard as he is in the process of trying to figure out his upcoming schedule and his plan of attack. Don’t look for a quick decision from Coburn, who is likely to wait the process out. He mentioned he was a fan of UCLA growing up, so if the Bruins offer, they are a program to keep an eye on.
In his words: “Man, I don't even know how to say it. I’m like truly blessed. It feels amazing to know that colleges want me to be at their school. This is what I dreamed of, but now I know I have to work harder to maintain my position. I’m surprised, but I know I earned it.”
Visit plans: Coburn has not taken any recent visits and does not have anything scheduled in the near future. The only visit that is likely at this point is a trip to Norman to attend the Oklahoma summer camp, but more are sure to be added during the spring and summer.