Rivals Most Wanted: Ruckert, Marshall, Cain
Each week, Rivals.com is featuring three players who are blowing up on the recruiting trail with a flurry of new offers. This week, three young skill position players have popped up on the radar of some major programs.
This week’s offers: Maryland, Ohio State, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Tennessee
Status report: Ruckert’s recent impressive offer streak actually started last Monday with Alabama, and then continued with the Buckeyes, Seminoles, Vols, Hokies and Terrapins. With the offers now rolling in, Ruckert denies having any early favorites. He says he did not follow any specific programs while growing up since there were no powerhouse teams local to his Long Island home. As the offers have been coming in fast and furious, don’t look for Ruckert to begin to formulate a list of top schools until after his hectic spring and summer visit schedule.
In his words: “It's amazing I can't express how I feel I'm just very lucky to be where I am and it just makes me realize that I can't take anything for granted. The start of the week when Alabama offered was very surprising and then it just took off from there and it all came unexpectedly.”
Visit plans: Ruckert’s most recent visit was to Penn State on May 20. He will be extremely busy in the coming weeks with a visit to Rutgers this Saturday for a camp, and then Pittsburgh on June 11, Syracuse on June 12, Boston College on June 19 and Alabama on July 17. He is also hoping to visit Florida State, Duke, Wake Forest, Temple, Maryland, Tennessee and Mississippi State, but no dates have been confirmed for these. At this point, Rutgers is the only camp he is scheduled to participate in, but that may change.
This week’s offers: Oregon, Missouri
Status report: For someone who is approaching 30 offers, it is not easy to be surprised with a new one. However, when Oregon offered Marshall a few days ago, it surprised him because he did not think the Ducks were ready to pull the trigger. The Ducks have always been an intriguing program for Marshall, who has enjoyed watching their offense in recent years. On top of the offers he already possesses, Marshall mentioned that he is still hoping to add Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State to his total. Growing up a fan of the Vols, Ducks and Louisville, Marshall’s process may continue to experience some twists and turns as new schools enter the chase, but at this point he is favoring the Cardinals, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina. Marshall’s plan remains to make a final decision prior to the start of his senior season.
In his words: “It's truly a blessing. Most people or recruits don't have the opportunities I have, so the fact that I have 28 choices as a junior means a lot. I can't do anything but thank God for all that he has done. I trusted God and stuck to my grind. I knew it was a matter of time before things started rolling in.”
Visit plans: Marshall’s most recent visits were to South Carolina and Louisville, while his next scheduled excursion is to Tennessee. He is also hoping to get a closer look at North Carolina, Oregon, Maryland and Miami in the coming months.
This week’s offers: Miami, Arizona State
Status report: Already with six offers, the rising sophomore is hoping to attract the interest of LSU, Alabama, USC, Florida State and Oklahoma down the road. Growing up in Baton Rouge, Cain admits to having a special connection to the LSU program. He also mentioned having a close relationship with 2015 four-star LB Arthur McGinnis, who signed with Oklahoma. While neither LSU nor Oklahoma have offered at this point, both would become major players if they decide to throw their hat into the ring.
In his words: “It's just a blessing from the man above and it's really cool to know these colleges have deep interest in me this early. I’m surprised, but it's just a good feeling to know that all the work I've put in is paying off.”
Visit plans: Cain’s most recent visits were to Arizona and Arizona State. This summer, he is scheduled to visit Georgia, USC and UCLA, plus possibly Oregon and participate in camps with the Bulldogs, Trojans and LSU.