Three-Point Stance: Xzavier McLeod, North Carolina QBs, Penn State
Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman addresses three pertinent topics in this edition of Three-Point Stance.
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board
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1. Is Rivals250 South Carolina commit Xzavier McLeod on flip watch?
Florida is making a big push with defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod, and the Gators were able to get him on campus for a visit this past weekend. The Gators are trying to bolster their front line and McLeod would fill that need.
The South Carolina commit took official visits to LSU and Michigan in June before committing to the Gamecocks in August. He also took a lot of unofficial visits during the spring and summer. He wants to use the rest of his official visits, and Florida will get one.
Georgia has been a big school for McLeod, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the Dawgs bring him in at some point. For now, it seems like South Carolina still has a strong grip on his commitment, but we’ll see if that changes as the process rolls on.
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2. Is North Carolina a quarterback state?
The state of North Carolina has a history of producing elite defensive linemen, and in recent years it has become somewhat of a quarterback hotbed. Class of 2019 North Carolina signee Sam Howell was one of the better Power Five quarterbacks throughout his career in Chapel Hill, setting multiple records for the Tar Heels and finishing third in ACC history in passing TDs and second in passing yards per game. He was drafted by the Washington Commanders this past spring.
That 2019 class also featured Coastal Carolina's Grayson McCall, who is one of the most successful FBS quarterbacks since he entered college. Garrett Shrader was a four-star in the 2019 class, and he leads his undefeated Syracuse team into a huge match at Clemson this weekend.
Heisman hopeful Hendon Hooker is from North Carolina, too. He signed with Virginia Tech in the 2017 class before transferring to Tennessee. Speaking of the Heisman, one of the names to watch for in next year's Heisman race is Drake Maye. The Tar Heels redshirt freshman is considered by many to be the best freshman quarterback in the country.
Don't forget about five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis in the 2024 class. He'll try to continue this trend of big-time quarterbacks from North Carolina.
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3. Can Penn State capitalize on the White Out atmosphere?
The Penn State White Out game is always one of the best atmospheres in college football each season, but it hasn’t necessarily translated to immediate success on the recruiting trail. Over the last five years only two players have announced their commitments to Penn State in the week following the game. There was no White Out game in 2020 because of the pandemic, so that means the Nittany Lions have capitalized on their biggest event of the year just twice in their last four attempts. One of those two commitments came from offensive lineman Andre Roye, but he ended up signing with Maryland. The other commitment was from standout tight end Brenton Strange.
Could this year be different for Penn State? The visitor list features dozens of highly ranked prospects that are very high on the Nittany Lions. James Franklin and his staff are hoping for at least one commitment, and there are some prospects that could be close to pulling the trigger. Two names to keep a close eye on are 2024 four-stars Kevin Heywood and Jaylen Harvey. Both have a lot of connections to the Nittany Lions and have visited the campus multiple times.