Tuesdays with Gorney: Checking in on the 2024 five-star prospects
In the wake of new 2024 five-star Armondo Blount flipping from Miami to Florida State over the weekend, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney takes a look at the recruiting status of all the five-stars in the 2024 class in this week’s Tuesdays With Gorney:
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RUMOR MILL: Power programs hosting key targets
MORE: Five-star Ryan Wingo previews his upcoming decision
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The current top-ranked player in the 2024 class is more than locked in with Georgia and that doesn’t look like it will change after an early commitment to Ohio State. So far this season, Raiola is completing 66 percent of his passes for 1,350 yards with 16 touchdowns and no picks.
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Back at Ohio State over the weekend, Smith is making a case for the No. 1 overall ranking as he has 56 catches for 813 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Everyone knows the ball is coming his way and no one can stop him. The Buckeyes are going to be tough to beat here but Florida State and others are trying hard. How Ohio State finishes the season and the future of position coach Brian Hartline will play a role here.
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The five-star defensive end Missouri commit was back in Columbia this weekend for the Tigers’ convincing win over South Carolina. He was joined by top target Ryan Wingo and others. Don’t kill me Missouri fans but Oklahoma is not stopping here and there is at least a sliver of confidence on the Sooners’ side. I’ll believe it when I see it.
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Another candidate for No. 1 overall, Sayin committed to Alabama over Georgia, LSU and others in November of last year and isn’t one to play the recruiting game. He’s completing more than 76 percent of his passes for 1,916 yards with 20 touchdowns and no picks and he’s rushed for four more scores. Sayin has the ability to win the Alabama QB job as a freshman especially without a clear standout in Tuscaloosa now.
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LSU was right there in Simmons’ thinking for a long time but Texas was too much of a draw from a defensive standpoint, family considerations and more and the Longhorns look to have him locked up. He’s recruiting Duncanville, Texas teammate and 2025 five-star LSU receiver commit Dakorien Moore to flip to the Horns. We’ll see if that happens but Simmons looks locked up.
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This is one of the most intriguing recruitments in recent memory because Texas Tech landed his commitment in September (months after first expecting it) but Texas A&M just won’t quit - and the Temple (Texas) Lake Belton five-star receiver won’t stop visiting College Station. Hudson is saying all the right things about the Red Raiders - and then keeps showing up at Texas A&M like he did this past weekend.
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For one reason or another, Georgia never clicked with Matthews as Tennessee took the lead early in his recruitment and never relinquished it. Clemson and many others tried to get involved but the playmaking ability of Matthews and coach Josh Heupel’s offense seem to be a perfect match. He has 27 catches for 605 yards and seven scores so far this season.
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Notre Dame was believed to be the solid front-runner for so many reasons and then Georgia and Miami emerged as contenders but the Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius standout loved the idea of playing for position coach Larry Johnson too much. If Johnson is in Columbus - and there’s no reason to think otherwise - this one is over and a big win for the Buckeyes.
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This is another interesting one. The five-star safety (who’s also a legit receiver) mildly surprised some by picking Florida State over Georgia and Auburn in August. Bolden is another one who keeps visiting Tallahassee and saying the right things but then is seen with Georgia gloves at his game and visiting Auburn for the matchup against the Dawgs. FSU looks very strong here but the door is slightly open still.
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With the defense playing so much better, with the Sooners again a top-ranked team, with Stone from the state and with any concerns his family might’ve had rectified, it looks like his Oklahoma pledge is more locked in than ever. That really might not have been the case at this time last year with Miami and many others involved but Oklahoma is landing a very talented player and maybe the best interior defensive lineman in this class.
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Tennessee looked like the biggest competition and then Auburn made a real run with Florida State and Miami as finalists but Franklin picked Ole Miss in August. The Rebels are now 6-1 and the word is that the Lake Cormorant, Miss., is happy in his commitment and isn’t looking at others.
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It looked like Oregon had the five-star linebacker locked up but Georgia came on strong late, landed his Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge teammate Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and then a few weeks later Williams picked the Bulldogs over the Ducks. There isn’t a rangier linebacker in this class who can also come up and make hits. He should be a phenomenal fit in Georgia’s defense but he would’ve been elite at Oregon, too.
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Georgia landed the five-star cornerback over Alabama, LSU, Miami and others last signing day and there’s no reason to think the Bulldogs won’t keep Robinson but he has kept it interesting. The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout was back at Miami this weekend, the Hurricanes are trying to flip him and Miami was a main contender from the outset. The word is that Robinson isn’t really heavily considering a flip but Miami would be the one to watch.
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There was always talk about Auburn, Michigan and others but the Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna five-star safety committed to the Hurricanes in late August. The Tigers especially keep trying with him and Patterson has visited Auburn but there aren’t any real signs of a serious consideration of a flip or anything like that yet.
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The word leading up to Trader’s decision was that he was down to Miami and Florida State, he was leaning toward the Seminoles but many close to him wanted him to stay closer. That was the decision as Miami won out and he’s been joined by teammate Zaquan Patterson. The Seminoles have not given up but it might be a stretch now.
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South Carolina beat out Ohio State for the five-star defensive end from Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy and Stewart is saying all the right things about his commitment and that he’s locked in with the Gamecocks. That could very well be the case but some are hearing rumors that after a 2-5 start and increased pressure from Ohio State and position coach Larry Johnson, the Buckeyes aren’t totally out of this.
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Houston is having a big senior season and in August he picked Ohio State over Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and USC. The Buford, Ga., standout has always had a thing for the Buckeyes and getting developed by Johnson and it just never felt like he was going to stay in the Southeast. There have been no indications whatsoever that he’s rethinking his pledge.
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The five-star linebacker who’s also an outstanding running back is so locked in with his Florida commitment that he moved to Gainesville (Fla.) Buchholz for his senior season. Graham is a Gators legacy, he committed early and isn’t looking back.
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All indications are this is down to Missouri and Texas and all signs now point to the Tigers taking a significant lead in his recruitment. A decision has been moved up which might be an even better sign for 7-1 Missouri and while Texas cannot be counted out yet, it sure looks like coach Eli Drinkwitz (who should be SEC Coach of the Year) is going to land both elite five-star in-state prospects.
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There is going to be a debate during our rankings meetings in November if Noland will stay in five-star company as he’s having a fine senior season but not a blockbuster one and others - like Michigan QB commit Jadyn Davis and Florida QB pledge DJ Lagway - are knocking it out of the park. We’ll see. Either way, Noland looks totally locked in with the Buckeyes.
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The drama in Woodyard’s recruitment is in the rearview mirror. The five-star safety from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco made an early commitment to Georgia but rumors were floated for months that wouldn’t stick. USC made a strong run but there was also heavy interest in playing in the SEC and Woodyard flipped to Alabama in August.