Southeast Spotlight: Winners and losers of October
Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Greg Smith breaks down notable winners and losers from the month of October in the Southeast.
RELATED: Mid-South winners and losers from October | Midwest
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Winner: Florida State
It was a great month on the field for coach Mike Norvell’s team. The Seminoles went 4-0 and weren’t really challenged during October. That should set them up nicely to finish strong both on the field and the recruiting trail. They are in the thick of the College Football Playoff hunt, which could take things to a whole different level.
As we close in on the Early Signing Period, Florida State showing proof of concept on the field is critical for finishing the cycle. Flipping five-star defensive lineman Armondo Blount from Miami is also a huge deal. Things are rolling in Tallahassee.
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Loser: Auburn
The Tigers lost a talented player to a conference foe this month. Four-star athlete Jalewis Solomon left the Tigers' class and committed to South Carolina shortly after. Solomon didn’t get the feeling that Auburn was his home anymore, but the playmaker found something special in Columbia.
Auburn is going to find itself playing defense with a couple of top commits to close the cycle. Demarcus Riddick continues to be a hot commodity, even though the Tigers flipped him from Georgia. Meanwhile, California offensive lineman DeAndre Carter is being heavily pursued by Texas, and the Longhorns would love to add him to their offensive line haul.
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Winner: Miami
With the way the month started Miami easily could have found itself in the ‘loser’ category. The loss to Georgia Tech was the biggest coaching blunder of the season so far. It was followed up by a double-digit loss to North Carolina. After those two games there was some discussion that the Hurricanes’ recruiting class would fall apart.
Coach Mario Cristobal rebounded, however, finishing the month with back-to-back wins on the field. The program also landed two big commitments in October. Four-star wide receiver Ny Carr flipped to Miami, and big-time four-star defensive end Booker Pickett joined the class. The Canes seem to have weathered the storm for now.
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Winner: Cam Coleman
The Central (Ala.) star wide receiver is under heavy consideration for five-star status during the next rankings refresh. Nothing that he’s done on the field this month has slowed down that talk.
Despite being committed to Texas A&M since July, his recruitment is still hot. He returned to College Station recently for a visit, which is good for the Aggies. But Coleman sits atop the wish list for Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Coach Prime at Colorado.
Coleman’s phone is not a winner, because it’s surely blowing up daily. But the wideout has a lot of options should he look elsewhere.