West Spotlight: Forecasting the recruitment of five top prospects
There are still a lot of top uncommitted, highly rated prospects in the West even as we close out the regular season. Here is the latest on the top five recruits as we head into November.
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The nation’s best receiver is not rushing a decision. So far this season, St. Brown has visited Michigan and Notre Dame, two of his favorites, and both trips went well. The environment in Ann Arbor definitely stood out and the NFL experience on Michigan’s coaching staff will be a positive factor. St. Brown’s brother, Equanimeous, plays for the Irish and that was another great experience for the five-star receiver. Visits during the season could be finished. Later on, St. Brown could visit USC, Stanford and possibly UCLA. It would be a surprise if any other schools emerge although Ohio State cannot be counted out yet, either. It could be huge that Mater Dei teammate, 2019 five-star quarterback JT Daniels, is committed to USC. It might also be big if Sam Darnold returns for next season.
Prediction: USC
The West’s top cornerback is focusing on SEC official visits but that does not mean Pac-12 schools should be counted out yet - at all. Taylor-Stuart is planning to visit Texas A&M first for the Mississippi State game in a couple weeks. He has developed a good relationship not only with the Aggies’ coaching staff but also with some A&M commits, especially four-star defensive back Leon O’Neal. That comfort could be important. The five-star cornerback is also working on a visit to Alabama. He recently said those two trips will for sure happen. There’s also a good chance Taylor-Stuart could visit LSU since he’s talked highly of the DB tradition there. As for Pac-12 teams, USC has always been believed to be a front-runner. There’s no reason to think that’s drastically changed. The five-star has also said Oregon has been recruiting him as hard as any other team. But could the Trojans be too tough to beat even though he’s getting more serious about SEC schools?
Prediction: USC
There is some mystery surrounding Williams and his recruitment. Is he a better wide receiver, a better safety or even an outside linebacker? One thing is for sure: The five-star prospect has really emerged through this offseason as one of the nation’s top players on both sides of the ball and with his physical stature and athleticism, Williams has an opportunity to be really special for many years. As for his recruitment, he’s still sticking with his top group of Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, Utah, Nebraska, UCLA, USC, Colorado, Cal and Washington State. There has been so much talk about him being really high on the Ducks but the local schools - UCLA and USC - shouldn’t be eliminated yet especially since Williams doesn’t talk too much about his thinking.
Prediction: Oregon
There seem to be two camps of thinking when it comes to Hall’s recruitment. The first is that he’s absolutely going to USC like his former Los Angeles Hawkins teammates Joseph Lewis and Greg Johnson; that he’s going to take a bunch of visits but, in the end, Hall is going to end up with the Trojans. The second line of thinking is that Hall is headed out-of-state no matter what. There continues to be a lot of uncertainties surrounding Hall’s recruitment because he hasn’t taken many trips and still has not narrowed down his list. If he stays home, USC looks like the school. If he heads elsewhere, Florida, LSU, Nebraska and Ohio State seem like the most probable destinations. Four-star Poly quarterback Matt Corral is committed to the Gators so that could be something to watch.
Prediction: Florida
Sewell is coming off an excellent official visit to Alabama and the Crimson Tide are absolutely a major contender in his recruitment. The feeling at this point is that Alabama and Oregon are the front-runners but Utah cannot be counted out, yet, especially after the four-star offensive lineman took a trip there and was impressed. The massive prospect’s father told Andrew Bone of BamaInsider.com some really positive things about the family’s visit to Tuscaloosa and there are a lot of reasons why the Crimson Tide could win out. Also, fellow Utah four-star Cameron Latu is committed to the Crimson Tide even though Utah and others are working to flip him. Sewell, who is looking to sign in December, loves Alabama and Oregon, and he’s more intrigued by Utah now. It’s too close to call but a decision could be coming soon.
Prediction: Alabama
