This spring has been unique — to say the least — and the recruiting landscape was not immune to the domino effect caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there has been plenty of uncertainty surrounding the entire situation, college coaches and programs have remained active in their pursuit of prospects nationwide, leading to a handful of signature developments in the 2021 class.
Here is a breakdown of the 13 biggest commitments in the South Central region through the start of the spring.
MORE: Biggest commits from the Midwest
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
1. BRANDON CAMPBELL, USC
Don’t blink, but USC is quietly assembling one of the nation’s most talented recruiting classes in the country. Clay Helton and his staff have made major in-roads in the Lone Star State in recent years, signing offensive tackles Courtland Ford and Casey Collier in 2020 and Dorian Hewett the year prior. That momentum carried over into the 2021 cycle when USC edged out LSU and Penn State for Campbell, a Rivals250 running back out of Houston. Campbell is one of six four-stars embedded in USC’s current recruiting class that currently sits at No. 6 in the nation.
2. SAWYER ROBERTSON, Mississippi State
Mike Leach relocated to SEC country this offseason and the Lone Star State quarterbacks are following suit. Mississippi State landed a commitment from three-star Robertson in March. Robertson is one of two Texas-based passers in the Bulldogs’ 2021 class along with Argyle (Texas) Liberty Christian’s Daniel Greek. Robertson had a breakout junior campaign which caught the attention of not only Mississippi State, but Florida State and Texas. Robertson’s commitment is a major victory for Leach’s staff in Texas.
3. JOJO EARLE, LSU
Earle made the call to commit to LSU this week over fellow heavyweights Texas, Oklahoma and TCU. The Rivals250 wide receiver is one of -- if not — the most prolific slot receivers in all the country. The Tigers have long been a top team for the four-star playmaker, but would have been filed as an underdog to land Earle’s commitment at time he was ready to make the call. LSU signed a trio of receivers in 2020 and are preparing to replace a second-team All-SEC selection in Justin Jefferson in the slot. Earle gives the team a major recruiting victory in North Texas as it looks to re-tool its record-setting offense from 2019.
4. LATRELL NEVILLE, Virginia Tech
At different points over the past year, Neville has flirted with the idea of committing to Texas, LSU and Oklahoma, but it was the Hokies that came in and landed the four-star wide receiver. Neville becomes the latest Houston-based prospect to pledge to Virginia Tech, and the Texas-to-Virginia pipeline was one of the intriguing storylines when the school tabbed Justin Fuente as the head coach. Neville is one of two Rivals250 prospects out of the Houston area committed to the Hokies as the ACC team builds some momentum on the recruiting trail.
5. CICERO CASTON, Baylor
A new era in Waco awaits first-year head coach Dave Aranda, who is piecing together an impressive 2021 recruiting class as he waits out the COVID-19 pandemic to get back to football. Aranda spent four years as LSU’s defensive coordinator and is looking to build a team in a similar mold at Baylor.
One key piece to the puzzle was landing Caston, a three-star safety that was impressing on the camp circuit to open the spring. Caston landed overtures from Florida, Miami and Florida State, among others, but elected to stay in-state as an early part of Aranda’s first recruiting haul as the Bears’ coach.
6. LANDON ROGERS, Arkansas
There’s a new coaching staff in place in Fayetteville and much of the focus has been on finding the right fit under center. Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles closed the 2020 class out strong by landing Malik Hornsby, then locked up their 2021 quarterback within a few weeks. Rogers, the top quarterback in Arkansas, was offered and committed on the spot. All three of the Razorbacks’ 2021 commitments hail from the Natural State.
7. JACK BECH, Vanderbilt
The Commodores made some noise in The Boot toward the tail end of the 2020 cycle when they were able to fend off Ole Miss and Florida State for Rivals250 safety Donovan Kaufman. Vanderbilt is hoping to repeat history in this current class after securing an early commitment from Bech, who is one of only two players in Louisiana’s top-25 with a decision in place at this point.
8. TYAS MARTIN, Virginia Tech
The Hokies have made some noise within the Texas borders and it spread into Arkansas as well. Virginia Tech added a nice piece to its defensive line haul in Martin, a three-star tackle who also considered Virginia, Kansas and Tennessee. Martin remains the No. 1 prospect in Arkansas and the Razorbacks were not a factor in his recruitment to this point. Virginia Tech’s stock is currently on the rise.
9. DAVID ABIARA, Notre Dame
Abiara’s junior campaign was cut short by injury, but it didn’t stop a flurry of new offers from arriving over the winter. Notre Dame, along with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, quickly made an impression on the Dallas-area edge-defender and there were rumblings about a commitment soon after reeling in the offer. The Irish currently boast a top-five recruiting class and Abiara is one of eight early commitments. He would be Notre Dame’s first signee from Texas since NaNa Osafo-Mensah and Hunter Spears in 2019.
10. JACK TUCKER, Texas Tech
Tucker’s offer sheet swelled up this offseason as he added overtures from the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big-12. One constant was his relationship with Texas Tech. The Red Raiders offered the Dallas-area offensive tackle almost a year ago and distanced themselves from the other schools in pursuit. The Lone Star State is very deep at this position for the 2021 and Tucker is among the best. Matt Wells flexed a bit by keeping Tucker in-state.
11. BRADY BOYD, Minnesota
P.J. Fleck and the Gophers are rolling on the recruiting trail right now and have commanded the attention of the entire country. One reason why was the addition of Boyd, a speedy three-star wide receiver from Dallas-area power Southlake Carroll, who pledged to Minnesota and essentially kick-started its momentum. Fleck identified Boyd as a priority target around this time a year ago and was able to edge out Oklahoma State and Texas Tech for his commitment.
12. MONTAYE DAWSON, SMU
As it stands today, SMU’s No. 46-ranked recruiting class is better than Power 5 programs such as Washington, Ole Miss or TCU. Part of the Mustangs’ success is a credit to their hometown pull. Rivals100 quarterback Preston Stone opted to commit to SMU and he’s recruiting others to follow a similar blueprint. Such was the case with Dawson, a three-star all-purpose back from Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints Episcopal that turned down ACC and Big 12 opportunities to stay put in Dallas. We anticipate the Mustangs enjoying even more success with high-profile Dallas-area talent in 2021.
13. JAI JONES, Boise State
The Broncos quietly signed a trio from the Lone Star State in 2020 and, of course, that has been a theme dating back to 2011. Boise State has signed multiple players out of Texas every cycle for nearly a decade and hit a home-run by adding Jones to the fold to kick off its 2021 class. The Dallas-area linebacker boasted offers from Baylor, LSU, Georgia and Texas A&M, among others, but instead committed to Boise State. Jones will bring a unique toughness to the Broncos defense in due time.
