Tuesdays with Gorney: Six programs that had strong Septembers
September recruiting is in the books and there were some teams that definitely had a better month on the trail than others landing commits. Here is a look at six that stood out in today’s Tuesdays with Gorney:
There were 42 Power Five commitments for the 2024 class in the month of September, dramatically slower than the summer months as prospects focus on their seasons and taking visits before things ramp up heading into signing day.
Only two programs had more than two pledges in the month. Things were slower for sure on commitment watch but these six programs (in alphabetical order) still made a big splash in recent weeks.
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KENTUCKY
The Wildcats are undefeated so far this season after whooping Florida this past weekend heading into their showdown against top-ranked Georgia this weekend. Mark Stoops has to be feeling good about his team and recruiting followed suit in September as Kentucky was only one of two teams to have more than two players commit in the month.
Twin brothers Jacob and Jerod Smith flipped from Michigan as they wanted to be closer to home and family in Corbin, Ky., after spending some time playing in Connecticut. That’s fortunate for them and for the Wildcats because the two four-star defensive ends are really talented and can bring a lot to Kentucky’s defense in the coming years.
The Wildcats also added two three-star linebackers from the state of Georgia in Savannah Jenkins’ Lorenzo Cowan and Brunswick’s Devin Smith.
KENTUCKY RECRUITING: Full 2024 commitment list
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OKLAHOMA
After going 6-7 in his first season, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables had a lot to prove this year and he’s done that so far as the Sooners are 5-0 and blew out Iowa State over the weekend. The biggest test comes this week in the Red River Rivalry against undefeated Texas – and in large measure a lot of opinions on Venables will be made by this performance.
Either way, Oklahoma very much looks back as a national player after a brief departure and the Sooners added two key defensive pieces in September.
Melissa, Texas, four-star defensive end Nigel Smith was a longtime Oklahoma lean and he finally announced his pledge early in the month. The Sooners had to battle hard as the rumor was Tennessee led for a while and Texas was right there for Danny Okoye but he ended up picking OU in the end.
OKLAHOMA RECRUITING: Full 2024 commitment list
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TEXAS
Steve Sarkisian has this Texas team ranked third overall, the Longhorns have already beaten Alabama and they are coming off a blowout win over Kansas heading into this weekend’s rivalry matchup against Oklahoma. Things are going great in Austin and while Texas added just two commitments last month, both were crucial, as it also is working on flipping 2025 five-star receiver Dakorien Moore.
The big fish was hauling in Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei’s Brandon Baker, the top-ranked offensive tackle in the class, as Texas beat Oregon and others for him. The Longhorns are working on flipping Mater Dei teammate and fellow four-star DeAndre Carter from Auburn as he visited Texas this past weekend.
The other commitment in September came from four-star defensive end Zina Umeozulu from Allen, Texas, who continues to fill out and look the part of an elite edge rusher.
TEXAS RECRUITING: Full 2024 commitment list
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TEXAS A&M
Bookend commitments in the beginning of the month and at the end should bolster this Texas A&M recruiting class greatly as both commits – Terry Bussey and Dominick McKinley – have the chance of moving higher in the Rivals rankings as the 2024 class comes to a close in the coming months.
The Aggies kept after McKinley, from Lafayette (La.) Acadiana, and after it looked like LSU was out of it, they beat Oklahoma and others for the four-star defensive lineman.
Bussey, out of Timpson, Texas, felt like a Texas A&M lean for a long time and after the Sooners and others tried to persuade him elsewhere, the four-star prospect closed out his recruitment with a commitment to the Aggies.
TEXAS A&M RECRUITING: Full 2024 commitment list
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TEXAS TECH
Months ago, there were rumors that five-star receiver Micah Hudson was going to commit to Texas Tech but it didn’t happen over the summer. Texas got much more involved and Texas A&M, among others, made a run at the Temple (Texas) Lake Belton standout who has 33 catches for 677 yards and eight touchdowns so far this season.
Hudson’s commitment finally came on Sept. 11 and it was absolutely massive as the Red Raiders were able to close with the five-star prospect. Hudson is the second five-star commit for Texas Tech in Rivals' history dating back to 2002 with JUCO QB Robert Johnson in 2004 being the other one, not Patrick Mahomes.
TEXAS TECH RECRUITING: Full 2024 commitment list
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WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State and coach Jake Dickert have routinely done a phenomenal job of taking players who are either overlooked through the recruiting process or underranked and turning them into excellent players, having them buy into the system and then excelling on the field.
Using significant home-field advantage as well this season, the Cougars have beaten Wisconsin and Oregon State in Pullman and they’re ranked No. 13 overall this week. Recruiting also picked up in September with four commitments, more than any other team in the country except Kentucky, which had the same number.
Commitments in the past month include Northern California RB Wayshawn Parker and Southern California ATH Kamani Jackson along with three-star DB Kenny Worthy from Arizona and maybe the sleeper of this whole class, Troup, Texas, athlete Trae Davis.
WASHINGTON STATE RECRUITING: Full 2024 commitment list