Rivals Most Wanted: Ray, Ross, Williams
Each week, Rivals.com is featuring three players who are blowing up on the recruiting trail with a flurry of new offers. This week, a pair of 2017 linemen and a 2018 wide receiver take center stage.
This week’s offers: Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Nebraska, Tennessee, Florida State, Tulane
Status report: Grabbing elite offers from the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 in the last week, Ray entered this recruiting cycle without too much fanfare, but has quickly become a recruiting priority for many of the top programs. With his options growing by the day, he does not seem to be in any rush to make a final decision, however he hopes to figure out a timeline after a few more spring and summer visits. He is also entertaining the idea of enrolling early at his school of choice.
In his words: “At times, it can be overwhelming, but I’m blessed and appreciative that I have the options that I have right now.”
Visit schedule: Ray just took a visit to Louisville for its junior day and will be visiting Florida State this weekend. After Tallahassee, he does not have anything scheduled, but he hopes to take closer looks at Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss, Michigan and Oklahoma during the spring and summer.
This week’s offers: Florida State, Michigan, Miami, West Virginia, NC State, North Carolina, Louisville, Vanderbilt
Status report: When someone thinks about hot recruiting states, Florida, Texas, California and Georgia are usually at the top of the list. West Virginia on the other hand, is usually seen as a recruiting afterthought. Ross, as well as few other in-state prospects like Derrek Pitts and Riley Locklear, are looking to change that in the Class of 2017. Ross’ recent recruiting success is one major reason that the state will be much more hectic than usual during this recruiting cycle.
In his words: “The West Virginia Class of 2017 is very good. It’s the best class in a while when it comes to recruiting. It’s just an honor to be a part of it. It feels great. It’s very exciting for me and my family.”
Visit schedule: Ross took a visit to Louisville this past weekend for their junior day and has three more visits lined up. Next up will be North Carolina this Friday, North Carolina State on Saturday and then Auburn on Mar. 7. He may also attend a few summer camps, but at this point he is not sure of any destinations.
This week’s offers: Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Maryland, Charlotte
Status report: If you’re a recruit, a great way to make everyone pay attention is to get offers from some of the top SEC and ACC programs in one week. And you can double that attention if you’re a 2018 recruit. Williams, who grew up following Miami, already held offers from LSU, Penn State, as well as the Canes, but now he is undeniably a national level recruit in the Class of 2018. He plans to wait until National Signing Day and finds it 'very unprofessional' to commit and then de-commit.
In his words: “The recruiting process can be very stressful once you get to your junior and senior year, so right now I'm just enjoying every bit of it as much as I can. I’m very blessed if you ask me. I'm very blessed because some people do not get to receive this many offers or receive any, so every offer I receive I'm very excited and blessed to receive.”
Visit plans: Being that he is only a sophomore, Williams has plenty of time to take visits. He did recently take one to Florida Atlantic and will instead focus on camps this summer when he hopes to check out Clemson, Georgia, Alabama and Auburn. He is also considering taking a visit to West Virginia.