Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance identifies some sleeper programs for big-time prospects, ranks the top 10 returning tight ends in college football and praises five programs off to awesome starts for 2021.
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1. SLEEPER PROGRAMS FOR BIG-TIME PROSPECTS
We all assume that some prospects will end up at certain programs from the start of the process. However, here are a few sleeper programs to watch for when it comes to these big-time prospects.
OT Tommy Brockermeyer — Alabama is a true threat here despite the strong family ties to Texas. I still think Longhorns will end up with Brockermeyer, but wouldn’t be stunned if he picked Alabama.
WR Quaydarius Davis — Davis is thought time be a strong Texas lean or even a silent commitment, but he’s hard to predict. LSU and Alabama will make this interesting.
OT Amarius Mims — Everyone thinks it’s going to be Georgia or, if not, Alabama. Watch out for Auburn to be in the mix here until the end. Just like the Tigers did for Broderick Jones.
DT Maason Smith — LSU is the heavy favorite as an in-state target, but watch out for Alabama here as this could be another nail-biter between the Tide and Tigers.
QB Caleb Williams — Oklahoma is thought to be the program to beat with Brock Vandagriff’s decommitment but watch out for Clemson here. Yes, the same Clemson that signed D.J. Uiagalelei in the 2020 class. Williams doesn’t care about who he competes with. LSU is in here as well, but watch out for Dabo Swinney if Williams doesn’t pick the Sooners.
2. THE TOP RETURNING TIGHT ENDS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
I continue my position-by-position look at the best returning players in college football with a look at the tight ends.
1. Kyle Pitts, Florida — Pitts is the most athletic and dangerous tight end in college football, hands down.
2. Pat Freiermuth, Penn State — A red zone nightmare, he’s going to be more dominant this season despite extra attention.
3. Brevin Jordan, Miami — The best downfield thread at tight end in the country. He might as well be a wide receiver.
4. Jalen Wydermeyer, Texas A&M — Coming off a great first season, he’s already one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the country.
5. Matt Bushman, BYU — Haven’t heard of him like the others? You should take a look sometime. He can be elite.
6. Kylen Granson, SMU — Granson is a stat-stuffer and could be more of a weapon this year for a potent SMU offense.
7. Charlie Kolar, Iowa State — Kolar is one of Brock Purdy’s favorite targets and a real weapon in this offense.
8. Brant Kuithe, Utah — Another under-the-radar name who will do big things next year.
9. James Mitchell, Virginia Tech — Mitchell is a threat as a receiver and adds rushing touchdowns to his resume as well. He’s very versatile.
10. Hunter Long, Boston College — Long can be sneaky downfield and has a great average yards per catch number for a tight end. He will be used more this season.
3. FIVE PROGRAMS OFF TO HOT STARTS
Finally, here are five programs that are off to surprisingly great starts in the 2021 recruiting cycle.
Iowa — The Hawkeyes are never thought of as a top 25 recruiting program and have some geographical limitations, but so far so good in 2021. Local offensive lineman Connor Colby and out-of-state linebacker grab Justice Sullivan lead the way.
Kansas State — Jake Rubley is a great quarterback get for the Wildcats and their three-stars are all well thought of.
Maryland — Mike Locksley can recruit and his program is off to a nice start in 2021, thanks in part to commits like in-state defensive tackle Taizse Johnson.
Minnesota — The Gophers may only have three-stars on their commit list, but some of them, like quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, have a lot of potential.
USC — What? USC? Yep. After a horrible 2020 cycle, it’s nice to see the Trojans with three four-star commits.
