Even though campus visits and off-campus recruiting have been restricted for the next month in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, there is still a lot of interesting things going on with the 2021 class.
In today’s roundtable, we ask the Rivals analysts which team’s recruiting has impressed the most among 2021 prospects?
MORE: Elite 2021 prospects | Top prospects detail canceled/postponed visits
*****
ROB CASSIDY, FLORIDA RECRUITING ANALYST
Florida is the easy answer here. The Gators have solidified themselves as the most stable program in the state and are reaping the rewards that come with it. Every major prospect in the region mentions Florida when asked about favorite schools, and it’s starting to seem as if UF may be forced to turn talented prospects away come signing day. Florida currently holds the nation’s No. 2 class. Its re-emergence as a major recruiting power has been beyond impressive under Dan Mullen.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH FLORIDA FANS AT GATORSTERRITORY.COM
*****
ADAM FRIEDMAN, EAST COAST RECRUITING ANALYST
One of the biggest stories so far this year is the quarterback recruiting at Oklahoma. Lincoln Riley is trying to trade one five-star quarterback for another. Brock Vandagriff was committed to the Sooners but decommitted and flipped to Georgia and now Caleb Williams seems to be favoring the Sooners.
Williams, the top quarterback in the Rivals250, was a heavy lean toward LSU before assistant coach Joe Brady left for the NFL. Given everything Riley has been able to with quarterbacks, it appears he has the pick of the litter.
*****
ADAM GORNEY, NATIONAL/WEST RECRUITING ANALYST
Texas has made an impression on me because the Longhorns really did not have much momentum heading into the offseason. After going 10-4 two seasons ago, Texas finished a disappointing 8-5 last year and just didn’t build upon a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia.
Even through that, the Longhorns are ranked seventh nationally with only six commitments because five are four-star recruits, led by athlete Billy Bowman. And it could only get better from here as five-star RB Camar Wheaton, five-star OL Tommy Brockermeyer and others could end up in Austin.
*****
JOSH HELMHOLDT, MIDWEST RECRUITING ANALYST
How can you not be impressed with what Ohio State has done early in this 2021 class? Ten of its 13 commitments rank among the top 103 players in the class. After several lean years, the state of Ohio has rebounded with a strong offering in 2021, and that is the foundation on which this class is being built.
Urban Meyer started to get away from in-state recruiting, but Ryan Day is winning back Ohio high school coaches with seven in-state prospects among the first 13 commitments.
This recruiting shutdown affects teams off to a fast start the least, and with the No. 1 class going in 2021 no team is off to a faster start than Ohio State.
COMMITMENT ANALYSIS: Rivals100 RB Evan Pryor commits to Ohio State
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OHIO STATE FANS AT BUCKEYEGROVE.COM
*****
CHAD SIMMONS, SOUTHEAST RECRUITING ANALYST
If I must go with one school, it has to be North Carolina. Mack Brown has come in and shown he still has what it takes to draw top recruits. He recruited well in Chapel Hill previously, and he is doing it again.
He and his staff closed well in 2020, and sitting at No. 5 in the Rivals Team Rankings, the Tar Heels are off to a very good start in 2021. Flipping elite quarterback Drake Maye from Alabama earlier this month is the highlight. Out of UNC's nine commits, five are four-stars, and that is North Carolina recruiting at a high level.
*****
SAM SPIEGELMAN, SOUTH-CENTRAL RECRUITING ANALYST
Around this time last year, Texas began adding pieces to what could be a stellar 2021 haul. The state is absolutely loaded in this particular cycle and the Longhorns have already made a dent at the top with early pledges from Rivals100 prospects Ja'Tavion Sanders, Billy Bowman Jr. and Jalen Milroe, among others.
Tom Herman's staff remains in contention for some of the top remaining prospects in-state such as five-stars Tommy Brockermeyer, Bryce Foster and Camar Wheaton, to name a few, but they have also grabbed my attention with the number of new offers to four- and three-stars. They have extended more offers in the state at an earlier pace than ever before and I'm anxious to see what the final class looks like.
