West Spotlight: Five intense recruiting battles
There are a lot of recruiting battles for committed prospects in the West, but today’s focus is on the contests for the top recruits who have not pledged yet – and there are some significant ones there. Here is a look at the top five.
INTENSE RECRUITING BATTLES: East Coast | Southeast | Midwest | Mid-South
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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
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Main contenders: Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Even though the Early Signing Period is just a couple months away and Akana has nearly 50 offers, it feels like it’s still the early stages for his recruitment. But things are taking shape.
The four-star outside linebacker had an exceptional trip to Texas for its close loss to Alabama earlier this season and loved everything about Austin. So, the Longhorns definitely set the bar high and have to feel good about where they stand in his recruitment now.
But plenty more visits are coming with LSU, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and then Akana is figuring out his fifth trip, likely between Oregon and Tennessee.
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Main contenders: BYU, Michigan, Oregon and Utah
BYU, Michigan, Oregon and Utah are the finalists for the Provo (Utah) Timpview four-star offensive tackle. From there his recruitment gets a little murkier. Oregon could have the edge in his recruitment as Fano has talked highly of the Ducks and has enjoyed his time in Eugene, but BYU could also be playing an outsized factor.
His brother, Logan, already plays for the Cougars, and his four-star teammate, Siale Esera, recently committed to the hometown team. That could be weighing on Fano’s final decision as Utah and Michigan try to keep up as well.
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Main contenders: USC, Georgia, Louisville, Texas
The feeling in recent months is that USC has taken a significant lead in Robinson’s recruitment, especially after he worked out with current Trojans QB Caleb Williams and five-star USC QB commit Malachi Nelson at the Elite 11 this summer. But things got far more interesting after this past weekend when the No. 1 tight end nationally visited Georgia and loved his trip to Athens.
Texas should also be watched, especially since Robinson has grown closer to five-star QB commit Arch Manning. Louisville has also intrigued him for various reasons, but it looks like USC and Georgia have taken a significant leap in his recruitment.
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Main contenders: Arizona, Stanford
Since this summer the four-star linebacker laid out his recruitment pretty clearly with Arizona and Stanford as the frontrunners. He’s weighing the positives of each before he reaches a decision.
Su’a loves the coaching staff in Tucson, knows a ton of players on the team and has that family feel when he’s around those guys. Plus, Arizona has looked far better in year two under coach Jedd Fisch than the first season and that could be significant. But Stanford has arguably the best education in the country, Su’a would still be able to play close to home and that cannot be easily passed up. Those two programs are for sure standing out most now.
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Main contenders: Oregon, Ohio State, USC
Ohio State has the edge for the high four-star defensive end, especially after he had such a fantastic visit to Columbus for the showdown against Notre Dame earlier this season when he met LeBron James and other celebrities and athletes.
He’s also visited Oregon and the pitch from coach Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, among others, was significant. USC will get him back to some games this season, and the Trojans cannot be counted out as Uiagalelei weighs heading all the way to Columbus or staying close to home.