Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas: SEC and Big Ten recruiting buzz

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Practices for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas started on Monday, with some of the best players from North Carolina and South Carolina taking part in two on-field sessions. Rivals.com analysts Adam Friedman and Woody Wommack pass along the latest news and assessments of on-field showings of prospects as it relates to the SEC and Big Ten.

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Recruiting roundup: Florida offensive line target, four-star T.J. Moore, confirmed that he will be taking an official visit to Gainesville in January. Right now the plan is for Moore to visit the final weekend before National Signing Day, but things could change depending on whether or not he visits South Carolina. The one-time Gamecock commit appears to be cooling on the school and shifting his focus to Tennessee, Virginia Tech and the Gators.

Recruiting roundup: Mizzou running back commitment Larry Roundtree said he’s locked in with the Tigers and doesn’t intend on taking any other visits or calls from opposing coaches. He said a major factor in choosing the Tigers was an opportunity to see field early … Linebacker Trajan McQueen likes Missouri and hoping to take a visit before Signing Day. The Tigers have been on McQueen since early on The Charlotte (N.C.) West Mecklenburg product is also considering Louisville.

On the field: McQueen was one of a few linebackers that flowed to the ball well on Monday. He is a big body that can be effective against the run.

Recruiting roundup: Four-star Brelin Faison-Walden is set to enroll early at Penn State. He has already graduated and is not entertaining any other schools. He took official visits to Michigan, Georgia, and Virginia Tech but held firm on his commitment to the Nittany Lions.

On the field: Faison-Walden is probably the most athletic linebacker on the North Carolina squad. He was more effective playing in space than against the run but can be very physical and a big hitter. Penn State landed a very versatile player than could help in a variety of areas.

Recruiting roundup: Three-star wide receiver Tyler Hamilton committed to the Boilermakers before Jeff Brohm was hired as the head coach, and now that he’s in the fold Hamilton couldn’t be more thrilled. After officially visiting over the weekend, Hamilton beamed about Brohm and the offense he’s bringing to West Lafayette from Western Kentucky.

On the field: Because of a slow-paced South Carolina practice schedule, the speedy Hamilton’s performance was muted on Monday. As the week wears along it will be interesting to see how the coaches use the versatile playmaker on offense.

Recruiting roundup: The Gamecocks are the school paying the closest attention to this week’s action with several commitments on the field and some of the biggest uncommitted prospects heavily considering the school. Uncommitted defensive end target Brad Johnson recently visited Virginia Tech but said he’s looking forward to January official visit to South Carolina. The Gamecocks have some ground to make up to the Hokies, but shouldn’t be counted out … South Carolina continues to look like the favorite to land three-star defensive end Matthew Butler, who is set to announce on Dec. 21. Butler spoke highly of the Gamecocks on Monday and is also considering Tennessee, Texas A&M and others .. Rivals100 safety Hamsah Nasirildeen has been committed to South Carolina for a while but did take an official visit to Florida State during the season. Nasirildeen is going to take another visit to South Carolina with his parents and the Gamecocks hope that will stop the Florida State push.

On the field: There wasn’t much live action on the South Carolina side of the field, but four-star Gamecocks commit Will Register looks the part of an SEC caliber tight end on the hoof … Four-star wide receiver commit Shi Smith was having a good session in the afternoon before being forced to sit out with a minor injury. It doesn’t look like anything serious, but it would be a bummer if Smith isn’t able to give it a go as he is one of the game’s most exciting offensive players … There weren’t many defensive backs on the field that had an impact like Nasirildeen. He was a physical presence in the middle of the field and made sure that players thought twice about catching passes in his zone…Butler was very active against the run and beat the offensive lineman in front of him a number of times. His quickness made it tough for offensive linemen to keep him in front of him.

Recruiting roundup: The Vols have jumped into the mix for uncommitted three-star defensive end Brad Johnson, who said he intends to visit Knoxville officially next month. Johnson recently returned from an official visit to Virginia Tech and gave the Hokies high marks and is also considering South Carolina. Johnson was on campus for the Alabama game earlier this year and said that on-campus experience convinced him he needed return for an official visit … Three-star defensive end Matthew Butler is still considering the Vols in advance of his Dec. 21 decision. Right now South Carolina looks like the team to beat, but Butler has been keeping things pretty vague when discussing his options.

Recruiting roundup: Texas A&M got on defensive lineman Matthew Butler on campus for an official visit earlier this season. The Aggies have continued to pursue Butler and are firmly in the conversation along with South Carolina, Penn State, Tennessee, Duke, and N.C. State. Butler is going to announce a commitment on Wednesday Dec. 21.

On the field: Butler made a lot of plays against the run and offensive linemen hard a tough time dealing with his speed. He has the frame and strength to move to defensive tackle in college. Butler spent a lot of time in the backfield on Monday.

Recruiting roundup: Madison Cone has been a longtime Wisconsin commit and has helped the Badgers recruit other prospects. The defensive back out of Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth is an early enrollee and will arrive in Madison in a few weeks. It’s rare for the Badgers to land on a prospect out of North Carolina but their success this season has helped them expand their recruiting footprint.

On the field: Cone was very active on Monday and was one of the more vocal defenders on the field. He is physical with the bigger receivers even though he is one of the smallest players on the field.