It's mid-April, aka convergence season in the world of college football and recruiting. The transfer portal is open, camp season is hitting full stride and decisions are coming in daily. Each affects the other and we have a full scope on the biggest topics in the latest Three-Point Stance.
Most eyes are already on the No. 1 recruit in America and longtime USC commitment. But the interest is picking up more this week for multiple reasons. The primary is of course as he headlines the expected competitors at the Rivals Camp Series Atlanta event this Sunday. Lewis has been busy on the visit trail as programs continue to chase the Trojans, but he’ll be back in his home state ready to sling it this weekend.
Before that point, though, Lewis’ name will also play a part in the remaining quarterback recruiting dominoes in the class of 2025. Four-star Ryan Montgomery is beginning to trend to Georgia after the Bulldogs missed out on Matt Zollers’ recent commitment to Missouri. The program, according to the recruits, has been talking about taking one quarterback in the cycle.
Recruiting is fluid, as are the plans from programs doing the recruiting, but Montgomery picking Georgia could potentially close the loop for Kirby Smart to keep Lewis in his home state – at least in theory. If UGA only takes one passer and he's not named Lewis, then the program long viewed as the top threat to USC was for naught.
Could it mean Auburn or Alabama make more sense if Lewis wants to stay in SEC country? Is his USC pledge just that much stronger that Smart and Co. had to move down their own board?
Some of those questions could be answered in a matter of hours and days.
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2. Rivals Camp Series Charlotte becomes NFL Legends Camp
In the 13 years I’ve been on the college football recruiting beat, I’ve never been as surprised to see folks keeping an eye on a prep camp like what went down Sunday in the Charlotte area. While we expected Super Bowl champion Brandon Jacobs to continue making an impact at Rivals Camp as the running backs coach, seeing fellow recent NFL back Clinton Portis, linebackers London Fletcher and Thomas Davis as well as wide receiver Plaxico Burress was about as cool as it gets.
And that group wasn’t there to just cheer on their sons, who are all intriguing prospects in their own right. They were there to absorb and eventually teach. Portis, whose son is a defensive back, split time between checking out Camdin’s work in coverage but just as much time with the running back group. He took in blocking drills and one-on-ones with advice for some of the best in the country.
Jacobs had Davis jawing back and forth about their playing days as the intensity of the running back and linebacker drills picked up. Burress began watching from afar, then much more closely as the competition level increased along with on-field temperatures. Fletcher showed up after the event began and spoke to considerable campers about coverage and awareness despite his son playing offense.
There were high school events going on all over America this weekend, but the Rivals Camp Series Charlotte had the most current and past star-power by a wide margin.
Before lunch was served on the East Coast on Tuesday, the NCAA football transfer portal window opened with literally thousands of new entrees from the top of college football on down. The volume is never the surprise, though some of the names often are. It’s not just backup quarterbacks looking to get the nod, it’s instead filled with blue-chip recruits from yesteryear looking for … something?
That’s the thing.
It used to be somewhat conventional when it came to the rationale behind a particular transfer request. Now we’re seeing former blue-chippers looking for school No. 3 in as many years, or even sometimes less. Some will inevitably blame NIL, which is a part of the process that isn’t going away, while others will drum up old-school ‘quitter’ or ‘soft’ tags to associate with players looking for their next stop.
Of course each entry is actually different. For every Kadyn Proctor who goes in knowing what’s next, there are probably too many going in blind. Perhaps it came via peer pressure or even fear of missing out. For others, unfortunately, it was not their call. The nudge from agents, handlers, trainers and others who could stand to literally profit from a move comes with a bit more force. The same can be said for colleges using the portal to make cuts to the roster, meaning the nudge is coming from the coaching staff that once bought in on a recruit with something as tangible and coveted as a scholarship.
While the numbers are staggering in the chaos that is any portal window, let’s let some dust settle before jumping to too many conclusions on the ‘why’ with young adults trying to figure things out like the rest of us.
