Rivals national analyst John Garcia Jr. has thoughts on two-way standout Zy'Marion Lang's potential landing spot, the world of mega camps and offseason decisions and how they affect the recruiting process.
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1. A FutureCast for Beamer Ball.
Two-way Palmetto (Fla.) High School standout Zy’Marion Lang has a loaded June official visit slate ahead, with trips to Pitt and West Virginia booked and dates in processing with Texas A&M and South Carolina soon to be. Already with offers from each program, Lang will use the trips to become familiar with some, such as Pitt and WVU, while the SEC trips are not first impressions.
During an in-person interview with Rivals earlier this week, the Floridian lit up about the Gamecocks in particular. Still potentially on the ascent as a recruit, Lang could pull in additional opportunities closer to home when all is said and done. But unless there is a massive shakeup in the coming weeks, the vibes before the official visit run are with Shane Beamer’s program ahead of what is likely a July college decision.
“It feels like the crib over there, I love it over there,” Lang told Rivals.
When a Floridian talks about a program with this type of home feel, it is typically revealing. At least for now, Lang could be South Carolina’s to lose.
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2. Mega camps are alive and well.
Rivals took in the Mercer mega camp on Thursday and it did not disappoint. From the volume of prospects and the variance of multiple classes (even junior college and transfer portal players) it was a cauldron of future Saturday standouts. Seemingly a third of the nation’s programs had at least one coach in attendance, with many sending several to jump in on a sleeper rising senior or get the jump on head-turners in the class of 2025, 2026 or even 2027.
These events pull in a classic and modern feel, depending on the age of the onlooker, we would assume. Those long in the business would appreciate the organization and hospitality from the Mercer coaching staff, which somehow directs prospects by position and stays on track between several different sessions in succession.
On the other hand, the mingling of one coaching staff to the next for several hours, even to the point of comparing notes on recruits each could eventually compete for — that’s about as modern and new-school as it gets. Many camps with visiting coaching staffs helping to instruct or recruit are underway and more are expected throughout the country in June.
If Mercer’s large event was an indication, hundreds of verbal scholarship offers are to be sent out in the coming weeks. Rivals will have more on some stars of the first mega camp soon.
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3. Preseason decisions are serving one of two purposes.
NIL is the low-hanging fruit to blame for drastic changes in a prospect’s plan, especially a commitment flip, but of course there is much more at play than meets the eye.
If there is an early indication on the next element that will contribute to the ever-accelerated fluidity of the college football recruiting process, don’t sleep on the new NCAA rule allowing for unlimited official visits. In the last several weeks, plenty have told Rivals the popular preseason verbal commitment timeline is not just to try and end the process in order to focus on a senior football season.
The plan is to lock in a spot as a proactive plan. The summer visit craze will inevitably lead to plenty of college pledges, but they may not reflect the end of the process for all.
One Power Five talent put it into more specific perspective over the weekend. He will pick a program with the understanding there are still questions about one element of his game. Should they get answered in the fall, the additional interest will lead to offers and a very likely change in college destination. This is just one scenario in which increased visits, specifically in-season, will shake up the future of the sport as much as the coaching carousel, NIL or even team need, in some cases.
