Three-Point Stance: Big commits, ACC recruiting, five-star predictions
Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here rating the week’s biggest commitments, a breakdown of ACC recruiting and predictions for the uncommitted five-star prospects.
1. TEN BIGGEST COMMITMENTS OF THE PAST WEEK
Commitments continue to heat up and it’s getting harder already to name the top commits of each week. Here’s my best crack at it this week…
1. DE Zacch Pickens, South Carolina – Pickens was on my list for “must-get” commitments for the Gamecocks and they reeled him in. He’s an elite pass rusher who can handle the run as well.
2. OL Tyler Johnson, Texas – A key offensive line commitment and a kid who can play tackle or slide inside and play guard at the next level.
3. QB Hudson Card, Texas – A great fit for what Tom Herman wants to do on offense. Card is a big-time early quarterback commitment for the Longhorns.
4. DB Salim Turner-Muhammad, Stanford – A very good athlete and a big, filled out cornerback who could also work at safety, Stanford is once again flexing their national recruiting muscles heading into Virginia to land a key recruit.
5. OL Andrew Coker, TCU – This kid is simply massive and could be an elite tackle or a road-grading interior lineman. He swallows opponents up.
6. WR Taj Davis, Washington – A nice fit in the Huskies' scheme, he could end up putting up big numbers and be a guy we look back on as underrated.
7. QB Jacob Zeno, Baylor – A big kid with a live arm, he’s an excellent quarterback get for Baylor and what the Bears want to do on offense.
8. RB Jamious Griffin, NC State – A powerful runner with a low and strong base, he also has sneaky speed and can hit big runs inside or outside.
9. TE Luke Deal, Auburn – A big target with reliable hands who can work the middle of the field and the red zone for Auburn. He will be a chain mover.
10. LB Luke Fulton, Michigan State – A hard-nosed kid and sure tackler, he’s the perfect fit for Michigan State with a hard hat mentality.
2. BREAKING DOWN ACC RECRUITING
It’s almost June so we can take a look at each conference as to how things are going and which teams and players are key. We continue with the ACC today…
Biggest Get: Akeem Dent, Florida State – Dent is the closest player to a five-star committed to the ACC. He gets the nod here as an elite defensive back.
Biggest Surprise: Dontae Lucas, Florida State – There aren’t a ton of early surprises in the ACC so far so I’ll go with Lucas, who is from South Florida and seemed to like Florida and some others early in the process. He’s a great get for the ‘Noles.
Great Start: Florida State – Do you see a trend here? Florida State is off to a very impressive start under Willie Taggart for 2019 although it’s still very early. An impressive 3.7 average star rating has the Seminoles squarely atop the ACC rankings.
Hot Team: Miami – Not many teams are piling up the commitments of late in the ACC, but Miami landed four-stars Keontra Smith and Avery Huff in May, so they get the nod here.
Surprising Start: Boston College – The Eagles are currently fourth in the ACC, have a solid 2.89 average star ranking and they aren’t doing it with massive commitment numbers. With nine commitments, they have room in the class and some key pickups already led by quarterback Sam Johnson III.
Rough Start: Syracuse – The Orange have only one commitment as this is being written and it’s a two-star. Recruiting needs a shot in the arm up in New York.
Recruiting Battle to Watch: Florida State vs. Miami – They will go head to head for many prospects, including some already committed this cycle and it’s turning into a nice battle for once in the Sunshine State with both programs having elite recruiters.
Do or Die: North Carolina – Is Larry Fedora in trouble? After last season he could be and with only four commitments, the Tar Heels aren’t exactly off to a hot start. Fedora needs a big recruiting year and a big year on the field as well.
3. WHERE WILL THE UNCOMMITTED FIVE-STARS LAND?
Now that Zacch Pickens is off the board, I might as well predict the remaining five-stars before we shuffle the rankings in a few weeks. Here goes:
ATH Quavaris Crouch – Clemson. The Tigers land yet another No. 1 player in the country here over Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and some others. This is just a hunch and we appear to be far way away from finding out.
OL Darnell Wright – Tennessee. Yes, this means I’m betting against Alabama, which is often very stupid, but the Vols have a few things going for them including proximity to home. Some folks close to him would love to see him wearing orange.
DE Kayvon Thibodeaux – Florida State. I know, I know, I’m crazy to think this kid will get away from USC but he’s focused so much on out-of-state teams I’m going to go out on a limb right now and say the ‘Noles pull the surprise with USC and LSU up there.
CB Derek Stingley Jr. – LSU. I don’t think Stingley gets out-of-state and that’s not only because he’s from Louisiana. That DBU thing has something to do with it as well.
ATH Bru McCoy – USC. He stays home and the lure of the Trojans will be too much to pass up despite so many offers. He seems like a kid who will stay in California and USC is his top choice there.
DT Ishmael Sopsher – LSU. I’m tempted to say Alabama here because the Tide do such a great job stealing away recruits from Louisiana, but he decides to stay home in the end.
RB Trey Sanders – Florida. I’m going with family here and, with his brother on board, He follows suit.
OC Clay Webb – Alabama. He’s been a Tide lean for the longest time and I don’t see anyone being able to steal him away.
OL Kenyon Green – Texas A&M. The former LSU commitment has many options but there is a lot of smoke when it comes to the Aggies and in recruiting where there’s smoke, there is fire.
DE Zach Harrison – Ohio State. I’m not betting against the home team here despite the interest in Penn State and Michigan. The Buckeyes have lost out on in-state five-stars before, most recently Jackson Carman last year, but they won't miss out on this one.
CB Chris Steele – USC. He’s visiting a lot of schools far from home, but in the end he becomes the next five star defensive back to stay local and play for the Trojans.