Rumor Mill: Quinn Ewers, Ty Simpson, DJ Wesolak, more
The Recruiting Rumor Mill is back with the focus turning to the 2022 recruiting class - and one intriguing member of the 2023 class. There have already been a lot of commitments, with more coming in the following weeks as the recruitments of the top 2022 prospects take shape.
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MORE: Fact or Fiction on TE Oscar Delp, RB Raleek Brown, more | Three-Point Stance on top 10 teams of CFB Playoff era, more
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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Allen was committed to LSU since early April, but when safeties coach Bill Busch was fired he lost a connection with the Tigers’ coaching staff and recently backed off that pledge. Since then, the four-star safety from Aledo, Texas, said Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Auburn and LSU have emerged as the five frontrunners to watch.
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An early LSU commitment, Anderson backed off that pledge in late January and is now back on the market, with Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M and Michigan now standing out the most in his recruitment. The Tigers were surprisingly not included in his frontrunners, but LSU is probably not out of it for Anderson. The chatter is that the Aggies look very strong right now for the Beaumont (Texas) West Brook standout, but all five mentioned above have intrigued him.
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Early in his recruitment, the feeling was that Texas held an edge for the four-star safety from Garland, Texas, but now Oklahoma has surged ahead, and according to Biddle, the Sooners are “showing a lot of love.” Rated as the ninth-best safety in the 2022 class, Biddle has Oklahoma very high on his list right now, but he also said he’s not planning to make a commitment soon.
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The feeling is that Ohio State has the edge in Curry’s recruitment, but the four-star defensive end from Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove has Alabama, Clemson and Indiana highly involved as well. Visits are going to be important for Curry, and those might not happen for months, so while the Buckeyes might be on top now, seeing schools will be a big factor as Curry works closer to a decision.
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The nation’s No. 1 prospect might have flipped his commitment from Texas to Ohio State but that was during the Tom Herman era in Austin, and the Longhorns are not giving up. It seems unlikely that the Southlake (Texas) Carroll five-star quarterback will flip back to the Longhorns, but Steve Sarkisian and his staff are working hard on Ewers and this one is not done yet. Cade Klubnik and Maalik Murphy are two other quarterbacks in focus for the Longhorns, but the pursuit of Ewers continues.
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South Carolina looks to be the leader for Glover, a three-star running back, but Florida State and Arkansas are battling for him as well. New Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer quickly had a call with Glover upon getting the South Carolina job, and now the SEC program is definitely a major player in his recruitment. Glover also likes Nebraska, so the Huskers and others are in the mix as well, but the Gamecocks have an edge.
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The top player from Louisiana has picked LSU since 2012, when Landon Collins went to Alabama, but there is some healthy suspicion that Mathews won’t end up with the Tigers. There looks to be another SEC program leading the way right now. Florida is very high for the five-star athlete from Ponchatoula, La., but then LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi State are others that are right in the mix.
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Indiana has hired former Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough to be an assistant. This could be big news since his son, Dasan McCullough, is a high four-star linebacker who has already committed to Ohio State. Could the Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley North standout follow his dad to Bloomington to give Indiana a huge score in this recruiting class? Not likely. The chatter is McCullough is not even considering backing off his Buckeyes pledge even though he's expected to transfer to Bloomington (Ind.) South.
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Texas just landed a commitment from four-star RB Jaydon Blue. Oklahoma just got four-star APB Raleek Brown to commit. But Owens, a top 2023 running back from El Campo, Texas, said neither of those decisions will affect him at all and that “iron sharpens iron.” The Longhorns, the Sooners, Georgia, Texas A&M and now Stanford are some teams to watch.
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There is a belief that Texas A&M is way ahead for the high four-star linebacker, but that’s not the case and the word is that the Aggies are even with other schools - Texas, TCU, Oklahoma, Florida, Baylor and Notre Dame being the main ones. Perkins is close friends with Texas A&M commits Donovan Green and Patrick Williams Jr., along with QB commit Conner Weigman since they play 7-on-7 together, but Perkins isn’t going to let those friendships dictate his decision. It can’t hurt that the Cypress (Texas) Cypress Park standout has those bonds, but other schools are very much in the picture, too.
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Feb. 19 is commitment day for Simpson and his recruitment looks to be down to Clemson and Alabama, with the Tigers having the edge. The timing could be telling here with Steve Sarkisian leaving Alabama for Texas, but there’s no doubt the Crimson Tide remain seriously involved here. But Clemson has long been involved in Simpson’s recruitment, the same coaching staff is there and the feeling is that the Tigers are in a good spot now.
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Tuihalamaka was committed to USC for nearly a year and it looked like the Trojans had secured an early pledge from one of the best linebackers in the 2022 class and that was it. But the Mission Hills (Calif.) Alemany standout backed off his pledge in recent weeks and now it’s unlikely he will be back in this USC class. Notre Dame and Stanford have emerged as the two frontrunners to watch, with Oregon, Florida, Arizona and others in there as well. Tuihalamaka is working on an unofficial visit to South Bend soon, and that could be huge.
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Now with more than 30 offers, Wesolak continues to stay busy on the recruiting trail with more schools getting involved all the time, but already some are standing out. Even with Missouri less than a half hour away from Boonville, Mo., Wesolak has Notre Dame, Texas and Oklahoma standing out the most right now. Neither Alabama nor Clemson have offered yet, but if either powerhouse does then they’d emerge as major contenders.
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Williams landed his offer from Oregon in late January and he said it was a “game-changer” in his recruitment. The high three-star who is also looking at Cal, USC, Penn State, Washington and many others does not plan to commit until closer to his senior season, but it would be surprising at this point if the Portland (Ore.) Jefferson standout does not end up with the Ducks.