Which prospects impressed at the Under Armour Miami event? And where are they signing?

On Sunday morning, I made the drive to Fort Lauderdale to watch 150 of the Florida’s best college football recruits compete at the Under Armour All-America Game camp.

UA camps are among the most selective, which means more reps for the elite players, and thus more opportunity for evaluation. The Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators were popular discussion topics. So were Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Stanford.

John Dunmore was the best offensive player I saw

Out of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna, the 6’3 receiver dominated again, just as he did the previous weekend at a seven-on-seven camp. Dunmore is the best receiver I have seen so far in Florida for the 2018 class. He consistently works to get a clean release, has strong hands, and has good deep speed. He can vary tempo to lull defenders. Dunmore uses space well and can sit down in voids in a zone. Dunmore earned an invite to the Under Armour All-America Game next winter in Orlando for his performance.

Kaiir Elam was the best defender I saw

Out of the Palm Beach Benjamin School, Elam is an elite talent. He is 6’1.5, 180 pounds, and has top-notch athleticism. That sets the ceiling for a cornerback.

But it’s his floor which also is so impressive. Many times, I’ve seen recruits at these camps give less than maximum effort during the positional drills, instead saving themselves for the 1v1 portion.

Not Elam. He went max effort on every rep I observed, actively looking to make himself better. Camp coaches who played in the NFL noticed as well, and combined with an elite performance in the 1v1 period, Elam earned an invite to the All-America Game, too.

Here’s some scoop on other 2019 standouts.

Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas standout DB Jordan Battle just keeps getting better and better. The 6’2, 185-pounder came away with multiple interceptions on the day, earning an invite to the All-America Game in the process. Ohio State is in excellent position with Battle, who has a tremendous relationship with coach Larry Johnson, he said.

An intriguing thing about Battle is he has a lot of room to grow physically. I would project him to easily be over 210 pounds in college. If he can play safety at that size, he’ll be special. And even if he has to be a hybrid safety/linebacker, well, there is a lot of room for that as well with the proliferation of the spread in college football.

Tennessee defensive back commitment Te’Cory Couch also earned an invite to the prestigious all-star game. Couch is small at 5’9, 150, but he has excellent quickness and is a pest in the hip pockets of opposing receivers. Couch is still verbally committed to Tennessee, but it’s not over by a longshot for the Vols, as the Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna defensive back will be taking his visits, including one to Michigan in April.

Another short corner who had a strong day was Jaden Davis, also of nearby St. Thomas Aquinas. The 5’9 Davis has good quickness, change-of-direction ability, technique, and instincts. I spoke with Davis a week ago and get the sense that his recruitment is shaping up to be a battle between the Gators and Hurricanes. The top out-of-state schools vying for his signature appear to be Oklahoma and Ohio State.

In the era of the spread, it can be hard for teams to find traditional “Y” tight ends, but Nikolas Ognenovic fits the bill. Out of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons, the 6’6, 240-pounder looks like he has plenty of room to grow, yet has made a number of impressive catches in recent weeks. He currently holds offers from Boston College, Kentucky, Pitt, and Syracuse, but it wouldn’t surprise me if schools running traditional offenses like Michigan or Texas A&M look his way soon. Ognenovic is currently unrated, and is yet another example of why fans should not take recruiting rankings too seriously this early in a cycle.

Florida Gators offensive line commit Wardrick Wilson, of Miami Norland High School, had a better day Sunday than he did at the Nike Miami Opening event a month ago. Wilson has a good, wide build at 6’4, 310, and the area I was happy to see him improve in was his patience. Pass protection isn’t passive, but the aggression needed to do it must be controlled. Wilson did not lunge as much at this event as he has in the past. Instead, he trusted his technique and timing. Wilson is solid in his commitment to the Gators.

Florida State defensive line commit Mike Morris didn’t participate because he is still recovering from an injury. Morris badly wants to be back on the field playing, but knows that it’s important to not re-injure his labrum by coming back too early. Morris has been keeping in good shape, though, and looked a trim 6’6, 270. His frame suggests if he continues to grow, he could easily end up at defensive or even offensive tackle. Morris is getting to know the new coaching staff at Florida State better, and is also being recruited hard by Miami.

Miami commit Renato Brown had a good day during drills and competition. The Palm Beach (Fla.) Central lineman offers a ton of versatility, as he projects to be a plus player at either defensive tackle or offensive guard. While he does plan to take visits including Alabama, Florida, and Penn State; Brown is solid in his commitment to the Hurricanes. He listed Gurvan Hall and Jonathan Garvin as good friends on the current roster, and made it to a handful of games in 2017, including the Virginia Tech game.

Aquinas linebacker Jahmar Brown was another impressive prospect at the event. The former Miami Pace player is very athletic, and is also a great student. Brown has a 3.5 GPA and feels great about the SAT he took last weekend. He has been hearing a lot from Stanford, and will visit April 6. Brown hopes to visit South Carolina the last weekend in March, and also has interest in visiting Miami, Oklahoma, and Ohio State.

Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) University School safety Tyler Scott is a versatile player who could play a variety of roles in the secondary at 5’10, 180. And Stanford is on him as well.

If Scott gets the test score to go to Stanford, is it a wrap?

“Pretty much,” Scott said, smiling.

If it’s not Stanford, Florida is another serious contender. Scott describes the new Florida staff as having “more excitement.”

“Mullen was there before, and he’s trying to bring it back to where it was,” Scott said. “They do a better job of selling it than before.”

Scott also likes Louisville.

He doesn’t have a great ceiling due to his size (6’1, 280), but Miami Central guard Maurice Smith is going to make some college football team very happy. Smith plays mean, with good leverage and balance. He claims offers from Boston College and Indiana.

And let’s meet some young guns in the classes of 2020 and ‘21.

Two class of 2020 members earned invites to Under Armour’s “Future 50” event, which is strictly for underclassmen the week of the All-America Game.

The first was defensive end Samuel Anaele, of Miami Doral Academy. At 6’4 and 240, the Miami Hurricanes commit looks like he is about 25 years old, but the Nigerian native is just 17. Anaele keeps getting better and better as he plays more football.

The other invite went to Bryan Robinson, a receiver out of Palm Beach Central. Robinson is another player who physically looks like he is already in college. Florida, Georgia, Miami, Penn State, and Tennessee have offered, among others.

Miami Belen Jesuit running back Don Cheney Jr. was one of the best backs on the day. He told SB Nation that Miami was his leader, and Ohio State was the top out-of-state threat to sign him, but he’s not ready to make a commitment just yet.

Florida signed elite cornerback Chris Henderson out of Miami Columbus in the class of 2017. Now it is trying to land another member of the Henderson family: Xzavier Henderson. The younger Henderson has a very similar tall, lean build like his brother. He could eventually be 6’3, 200 and end up as a premiere safety or receiver.

Two players from the Hialeah (Fla.) Champagnat Academy impressed. Even at an overweight 350-plus pounds, 2020 guard Jovens Janvier still made good blocks. If Janvier can get his weight in check, his offer list should explode. Receiver Johnquai Lewis is probably 6’1, 170, and consistently got open against good competition. Syracuse and NC State have offered.

Majon Wright, a 2020 jumbo receiver at Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons also had a good day. Wright is the little brother of former Florida star Major Wright, but said Ohio State is his “dream school.”

2020 prospects Marcus Rosemy and Henry Gray also balled out. I profiled them last week in a rundown of elite recruits in that class for southern fans to know.

Davis is the size of a defensive end, but moves well enough to play linebacker.

ORLANDO — “Where will you be working out today?”

It’s a necessary question for Apopka (Fla.) Wekiva’s 2019 four-star recruit Rian Davis, because at 6’3 and 230 pounds, Davis looks like a defensive end. But he moves well enough to play linebacker.

“I can play both, I like both,” Davis said before the Under Armour All-America Camp tour stop in Orlando.

Davis’ most recent offer is Oregon. He doesn’t know much about the Ducks, but is interested in learning more.

On Saturday, Davis visited Miami for the first time. The Hurricanes want Davis to play linebacker.

“Miami was fun,” Davis said. “The campus was beautiful, the coaches were great, the place was full of energy.”

Miami’s message to Davis is that it wants to continue to build the relationship.

“They said they want to keep getting me here, I have a ticket to any game,” Davis said.

Davis said a number of schools are recruiting him hard, and singled out Clemson, Georgia, Texas, and Louisville.

Interestingly, he said he has not heard much from Florida and Florida State, which might be because he played his sophomore and junior years for Houston (Texas) Clear Lake, where his uncle coached. He just came back to Wekiva.

Davis wants to commit before his senior season. He is working on a top-10, to be published soon. But he gave SB Nation his three locks which will definitely make his top list.

“Texas, Alabama, and Houston.”

Davis singled out defensive coordinator Todd Orlando as having the closest relationship.

He is also close with Alabama defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, and plans to attend Alabama’s spring game.

The inclusion of Houston is an obvious nod to the local staff in place when Davis played in the city of Houston from 2016-17.

There is one school, however, which hasn’t offered who could be a game changer for Davis.

“LSU,” he said. “I’ve always just loved LSU”

We’ll see if the Gators, Seminoles, or Tigers turn up the heat on Davis. In the meantime, he is working with an elite list of offers, and showing he could be a fit at linebacker at his size in some schemes.

Let’s check in on Florida, Florida State, Miami, and others.

ORLANDO — On Sunday, Under Armour brought 175 of Florida’s best players to improve their skills and compete for a shot to play in the Under Armour All-America Game. It was a loaded event, with elite players competing against elite players. Almost all will be able to play college football.

Let’s talk about who flashed, and where they might be headed.

Texas, Alabama, and Miami are standing out to elite linebacker Rian Davis, of Apopka’s Wekiva. Davis has an interesting story, which took him to Texas during part of his high school career, and he can play multiple positions.

Offensive guard Devayie Hammond, of IMG Academy, did not participate, but showed up to support his old teammates from Lakeland. Hammond said LSU has been coming strong, and he plans to visit. He’ll also visit a bunch of other SEC schools throughout the Southeast during IMG’s bus tour, including Florida, Georgia, Clemson, etc. A former Alabama decommitment, Hammond still has a good relationship with the Tide and texts with coordinator Mike Locksley.

Other than Alabama, Florida State stands out to Hammond. Both will make his upcoming top-10 list. Hammond said he has not spoken with Florida State’s new staff and has not visited in over a year, but he wants to. His teammate, guard Dontae Lucas, talks a lot about Florida State. Hammond would like an offer from Michigan. “It’s a little cold I heard, but [my teammates] are talking about it,” Hammond said. He wants to make a decision after his senior season.

Wekiva defensive tackle Tyler Davis had a strong day with his quickness and leverage. The four-star was coming off a visit to Miami the day before.

“When one person makes a big play, all of their players and coaches are jumping around. I like the energy up there,” Davis said of Miami. Davis also got to meet new defensive line coach Jess Simpson.

“He doesn’t want to be on Twitter as much. He wants to make phone calls and be personal, see eye-to-eye, and I really like that,” Davis said. Miami is selling early playing time to Davis.

Davis said that his three locks to make his list of finalists are Ohio State, Clemson, and Miami, but he does not have any other visits planned.

Defensive end Lloyd Summerall had a strong day rushing the passer. The Auburndale Senior star has a massive wingspan at 6’5, 220. Florida State and Georgia are on top, but he says it is too early to name true leaders as he is still building relationships. As an early enrollee, Summerall plans to take one visit during the summer and save his other official visits for the fall. Summerall plans to visit Florida State for its spring game, UCLA and USC in two weeks, and also Auburn, Florida, Nebraska, and Georgia.

Summerall says his strongest relationship is with FSU defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins, who is from nearby Bartow, but he speaks to over a dozen coaches a week.

Florida State is way out in front for 6’5 receiver Maurice Goolsby, of Dunnellon. The four-star described Florida State receivers coach David Kelly as “like the father I never had, if that makes sense.”

I was impressed by Pensacola Pine-Forest defensive back Martin Emerson Jr. He is listed as a corner, but he’s 6’2 with room to fill out into an impact safety. Emerson’s top offers as of Sunday were Louisville and Mississippi State.

Four-star safety Brendan Gant is committed to Alabama, but many at the camp think he could flip to Florida State or Miami. Gant was given an invite to the Under Armour All-America Game by Deion Sanders.

Jeremiah Payton, of Neptune Beach Fletcher, is one of my favorite receivers in the state. The Miami commit isn’t the biggest at 6’1, 185, nor the fastest, but he comes down with everything. Payton is solidly committed to Miami.

A source tells me Georgia made a good impression on Lakeland four-star tight end Keon Zipperer. He visited Florida State, UGA, Clemson, and Florida this week. A key factor will be how the in-state Gators and Seminoles use TEs in their new offenses. Florida recruited Lakeland High School extremely well the last time Dan Mullen was in Gainesville.

Receiver Darrell Harding, of Orlando’s West Orange, impressed me with his route running for a 6’4, 195-pounder. West Virginia was his most recent offer, and his dad played at Cincinnati. Duke is standing out to Harding, as well as North Carolina. The tall receiver claims a 4.5 GPA and recently took the SAT. He says if Ohio State, Stanford, or Clemson come in with offers, it will be a game changer.

Defensive tackle Mario Kendricks, of Kissimmee’s Osceola, spoke about his top offers before the event. Kendricks is a penetrating interior lineman, whose game is quickness and strength, as he lacks length at 6’1, 275. Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, and Virginia are recruiting Kendricks the hardest right now. He has visits on deck to South Carolina on March 31, North Carolina in early April, and Alabama on April 20. Kendricks says an offer from Florida or Clemson would be a game changer for him, though the new Florida staff has not been in contact like the prior one was.

One of the benefits of these events is comparing notes with reporters who cover recruiting, high school coaches, etc. One interesting thing is along the defensive line.

Florida has switched to a 3-4 under new coordinator Todd Grantham. Florida State has gone back to more of a four-man front, though most teams play a four-man front against spread formations. Miami is also running its 4-3 defense under Manny Diaz.

Miami seems intent on making use of a market inefficiency of shorter linemen, like Davis, who isn’t hearing much from the Gators or Seminoles. Davis is short, but has good explosiveness. Because the Hurricanes are all about penetrating and pressure, and less about holding up blockers, they don’t seem to mind. Florida seems to be pursuing a lot of longer players up front, as well as hybrid players to play outside linebacker. FSU is somewhere in the middle.

• All three seem to believe they have a shot to sign five-star running back Trey Sanders of IMG Academy. There was chatter over whether Florida or Miami will offer his brother Umstead, a JUCO LB transfer a scholarship.
• Florida writers think there is a great chance that Calabassas (Calif.) WR Mycah Pittman, son of former Tampa Bay Bucs RB Michael Pittman, will come back East and play in the Sunshine State.

The Rebels are building a nice class, with a long way to go.

It’s April 9. And as of this writing, Ole Miss sits atop the college football recruiting rankings. Let’s ask and answer some questions about this.

How did Ole Miss get atop the recruiting rankings?

The obvious answer is timing and quantity. I find myself writing about this every year, because the same thing happens each year, while the teams change.

This early in the year, teams have wildly different numbers of commitments. Some teams have close to 20, while some have five. This greatly impacts the point totals and ratings formulas, which are not intended to rate classes so varied in number. It’s a complicating factor not present on Signing Day, when the vast majority of teams will take somewhere around 20 players.

The Ole Miss Rebels have 14 verbal commitments, the most in the country and more than double the national average. For comparison purposes, Oklahoma and Texas have four a piece.

On the whole, Ole Miss is up top in April because of quantity, not quality. 10 other schools have as many or more blue-chips committed than the Rebels, they just don’t have 11 additional three-star players. We should also note that early ratings of players are at best incomplete, and often flawed. They are dynamic and evolve as the season presses on. Some of Ole Miss’ three-star commitments could easily see their rankings rise.

But that doesn’t mean the Rebels don’t have good players.

Diwun Black, of Forest (Miss), is a 6’4, 212-pound safety who could easily be 230 pounds after a year or two in a college strength program. He can be a difference maker whether he stays at safety, or moves to linebacker.

Running back Jerrion Ealy, of Flowood (Miss.) Jackson Prep could be the best back in the nation. The 5’9, 195-pound Ealy showcases absolutely ridiculous moves, as well as toughness. He also happens to be rated the No. 3 baseball prospect in the nation, which calls into question whether he’ll ever have a carry in college football, since baseball offers guaranteed millions.

Down ballot, I am a fan of Bryce Ramsey, a center from Gulfport (Miss.) Harrison Central. Ramsey is working to re-shape his body, but I like his balance and quickness for his size. And he plays with a mean streak. Ramsey is currently rated No. 956 in the country, and I’m pretty sure there are not 1,000 or so better players than him.

What is Ole Miss’ staying power?

Unless Ole Miss drastically increases the quality of prospects in its class, it is not going to finish No. 1 come National Signing Day. Given that many programs have spring games (a frequent source of commitments) in April, the Rebels might not even finish the month at No. 1.

Hypothetically, let’s say Ole Miss continues to recruit the same caliber player to finish out its class, going from 14 commitments, to 28, which is possible because Ole Miss is expected to sign a lot of players in this cycle.

In that case, they could finish around 18th, which is where UCLA did in 2017, signing 28 players at an average-star rating of 3.4. Ole Miss ‘ current class has an average-star rating of 3.2.

But, I think the Rebels have a legitimate shot to finish better than that, because the state of Mississippi is so talented in 2019, considerably more so than normal. Already, the Magnolia State has 13 recruits rated four- or five-stars, about twice as many as it has averaged over the last decade.

Ole Miss is pitching its in-state prospects on staying home and playing together, via its “Mississippi Made” movement.

“The thought of all of us Mississippi athletes staying home in this class is going to be scary,” Stanley said, saying he has fully embraced the Rebels’ “Mississippi Made” theme for the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Remaining targets for the Rebels include five-star LB Nakobe Dean, defensive end Jaren Handy, and defensive end De’Monte Russell, among others.

The Rebels are also able to sell playing time like no other SEC West team, after signing two classes in as many years that didn’t measure up to the top half of the conference.

And it helps that they have a QB committed in Grant Tisdale, since QBs are typically good recruiters themselves.

“They’re one of those programs that they’re kind of in between from good and bad,” Tisdale said. “I wanna make them a great team, so that’s where I’m trying to work at right now.”

Of course, no games are being played right now.

If Ole Miss can manage to put together a surprising year on the field, the Rebels could have a shot at a top-10 class. And that is possible, since the Rebels have an extremely easy schedule by SEC West standards. Ole Miss draws South Carolina and Vanderbilt from the East, and it plays Texas Tech, Southern Illinois, Louisiana Monroe, and Kent State in the non-conference slate. There’s a reasonable path for Ole Miss not to be sweating out a bowl appearance on Thanksgiving weekend in the Egg Bowl (Ole Miss isn’t bowl eligible due to NCAA sanctions, I remembered after I published this). And if that happens, maybe there will be a recruiting breakthrough.

South Florida stars dominated in Los Angeles, but here are the news and notes for colleges in each power conference.

LOS ANGELES, California — Thirty-two teams gathered over the weekend for one of the most talented 7v7 tournaments in the country. South Florida Express went a perfect 10-0 and won almost all of its games in blowout fashion.

Here, I’ll present the 2019 standouts, and on Wednesday, will follow up with the underclassmen.

Express featured two of the nation’s truly elite receivers in Miami (Florida) South Dade’s Frank Ladson, and Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna’s John Dunmore. At 6’5 and 6’3, respectively, with the level of athleticism you’d expect, they presented a huge problem for defenses, especially when considering all of the shorter, lightning-quick slot receivers Express has. Someone was going to be wide open on almost every play, even against elite competition.

Ladson is just scratching the surface of his potential. The basketball player has blazing deep speed, and will flash the ability to play the finer points of the position. You can see the potential to be an absolute superstar. Once he fills out and gets more reps, he’s going to be a problem. He also claims a 3.7 GPA.

Ladson identified three coaches with whom he’s tightest: Clemson’s Jeff Scott, Miami’s Ron Dugans, and Florida State’s Telly Lockette. He is also talking to Alabama’s Joe Pannunzio. With a busy track and spring football schedule, Ladson doesn’t have many visits locked in, but does plan to get back to Clemson for its spring game. At this point, I’d say Clemson is the favorite, though he wouldn’t say it.

For Dunmore, nothing has changed since we spoke in March. He’s still calling Florida State his “dream school,” still has great relationships with FSU WR coach David Kelly and Penn State WR coach Ja’Juan Seider, is still taking his official visit to Michigan this coming weekend, and doesn’t want to commit any time soon. Dunmore has some of the best hands in the country.

Kenny McIntosh, the little brother of Miami defensive tackle R.J. McIntosh, is listed as a running back, but he showed off some incredible catches. The Ft. Lauderdale University School standout is expected to go to Miami.

Another name to watch was Jaylin Young, who has an interesting background and has been lightly recruited. He didn’t play his sophomore year at Hallandale (Fla.) due to academics, but is up to a 2.7 and has transferred to Miami Central. Young somehow didn’t get tired during the 10-hour tournament, still blowing by defenders. I am expecting his recruitment to take off.

QB Nick Scalzo, of Ft. Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons also had a strong tournament. He was better at knowing where to go with the football, and getting it there quickly, than I had seen in previous tournaments. Kentucky is a top contender.

Every starter on the Express defense has major college offers, except for one. I’ve been a big fan of Jarvis Brownlee Jr. since Express’ tryouts in January.

And he has continued to impress. Brownlee has a great temperament for a defensive back, he’s athletic, and he’s super competitive. He’s just made play after play, and his high school film is good, too. The Opa Locka (Fla.) Carol City star recently picked up Syracuse, and he told me he thinks an offer from NC State could be on its way. The Wolfpack would be smart to do that soon.

Tyrique Stevenson, Jaden Davis, and Te’Cory Couch were their normal excellent defensive back selfs. I wrote about the trio here recently. I like Miami for Stevenson, Florida for Davis (though I am less sure of that now), and think we’ll learn more about Couch after his trip to Michigan next week.

Jordan Battle continues to be great, and I wrote about him here two weeks ago. Battle is visiting Ohio State this weekend and Oklahoma the next. I expect him to be a Buckeye, though his dad was wearing a Miami T-shirt on Sunday.

Ft. Lauderdale University School safety Josh Sanguinetti continues to be a player to watch. He is super athletic and had two interceptions in the championship round. Miami seems to be the team to beat, but watch out for Stanford.

Other players from Florida

Auburndale defensive end Lloyd Summerall said Georgia and Florida State are still his best relationships, and he’ll be back at FSU for his spring game.

Lakeland Kathleen’s Brendan Gant was impressive. Gant is a big safety. He could grow into a linebacker in some systems. But he played cornerback out of necessity for his team and showed good change of direction.

Players from California

Braedin Huffman-Dixon, a top receiver out of Santa Ana Mater Dei is high on Colorado, along with schools like Arizona State and Oregon. He has good upside and room to fill out.

Everyone I asked is convinced that Bellflower St. John Bosco five-star cornerback Chris Steele is heading to USC, despite rumors to the contrary. “Watch, he’s someone who cares about the name,” a source said.

Orange Lutheran WR Kyle Ford hasn’t been able to take many trips this spring, due to his baseball schedule. He wants to get to Colorado again and plans to attend Oregon’s spring game. Ford also wants to take a trip to see Michigan. Ford said those three, USC, and UCLA are standing out. His tightest relationship is with Colorado coach Darrin Chiaverini. The two remaining offers Ford wants are Ohio State and Clemson. He is not planning to enroll early. Ford is a really built receiver with excellent body control.

Gardena Junipero Serra cornerback Max Williams had an excellent tournament. He missed Day 1 for a trip to Stanford, and was super excited about the Cardinal. Williams said Stanford told him he has an excellent chance to start as a freshman, and he has a strong bond with defensive backs coach Duane Akina. He plans to return for an official. Other official visits include Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC, and Oregon. Williams is on the smaller side at a generous 5’9, 170 listing, but he makes play after play.

San Bernadino Cajon receiver Darren Jones and QB Jayden Daniels were impressive. The hookup they show on Friday nights remained consistent as Daniels looked for Jones when there was trouble. Jones is intriguing at close to 6’8 and, at least for his size, pretty athletic. I’d like to see him in some drills to see his agility. Oregon is a strong contender.

Daniels was coming off a trip to see the Gators and Seminoles.

“Going to Florida, I’m going to remember the weather. Humid. They took us by the swamp. We saw some Gators,” he said. I thought Daniels meant Florida’s stadium, known as the Swamp, to see some former Gators legends and statues. But he clarified that he was shown actual alligators, and he liked it.

I don’t get the impression Florida was recruiting Daniels as seriously as Florida State, based on his answers about other schools.

“They treat us like our family when we got there,” Daniels said of FSU. “They took us around to see different areas of Tallahassee and campus. We saw FAMU.”

Daniels cited the signing of a former 7v7 teammate, five-star safety Jaiden Woodbey, with the Seminoles as a factor.

“I see why he decided to go out there,” He said. “The energy, the vibe that Coach Taggart is bringing. It’s just a different energy and vibe.”

But distance will matter.

“It’s going to play a factor. But anywhere you go, you could be homesick. The big thing is, can I see myself living there?”

Daniels identified four coaches with whom he has the best relationship.

“Coach [Troy] Taylor from Utah, [Marques] Tuiasosopo from Cal, and I’m starting to build one with Coach [Walt] Bell and [Willie] Taggart at Florida State.”

Daniels wants to narrow it down before the season, take his trips, and make a decision.

“I care about the relationship, the fit, and seeing if I could live there.”

His idol is the “cool, calm, collected” Deshaun Watson.

Santa Ana Mater Dei cornerback Jeremiah Criddell was also on the trip to Florida with Daniels. Criddell seems more open to coming east.

“It was really big time. We see a lot of guys from Cali are starting to make that move,” he said.

“UF was different. It was like the swamp life. A lot of Gators, a lot of snakes, stuff like that, it was really humid.” he said. “But player-wise, they just have a different grind. The incoming freshmen are gonna take somebody’s spot and play right away.”

Criddell had never seen a gator in person before, and he liked it.

He was already familiar with Florida State.

“My brother Jaiden Woodbey is up there. He’s like a big brother to me. We talk a lot,” Criddell said. “Seeing him from Cali — I lived next to him — seeing him make that transition and see how that’s happening for him there and how he’s just balling there, you can’t get anything better than that.

“Most people were looking at Woodbey as an SC product, thinking he’d stay home. The farthest people go sometimes is like [the Arizona schools], but going all the way out there, it sets no boundaries. We can do anything.”

“Coach Taggart at Oregon was my second offer, and he knows my mom. That relationship is still really tight. When we were in his office, it was like he never left. I met the DC and all the coaches, and it’s a big family.”

Criddell wants to commit before the season starts. He expects Washington, Oregon, and Florida State to be on his list, and maybe USC. He’d like to hear from LSU.

Moreno Valley Ranch Verde safety Jaxen Turner had a strong tournament. UCLA could be a school to watch.

Players from Georgia

UGA receiver commitment Jadon Haselwood was perhaps the best player I saw in the tournament. He is officially visiting Oklahoma on April 13, but I believe from chatting with him that he is locked in with the Bulldogs.

Marietta receiver Ramel Keyton, who stands 6’3, looked good throughout the weekend. Keyton was at Auburn last week and said that he enjoyed seeing the Tigers’ coaches in action. Keyton’s mother made a trip up to check out Tennessee over the weekend. Keyton’s working top six is Ohio State, Auburn, Miami, Penn State, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. He said his tightest relationships are with Tennessee and Auburn. He wants to enroll early.

I was impressed with the play of Jalyn Phillips, a safety from Lawrenceville Archer, who played a lot of corner over the weekend. Phillips has an official visit on April 13 to Oklahoma, and has visited Tennessee (twice), Auburn, Clemson, and Georgia in March. Phillips said Oklahoma and Alabama are “locks” to make his final list. Phillips has a great relationship with DB coach Kerry Cooks at Oklahoma.

Jaylen McCollough, a four-star safety out of Powder Springs Hillgrove, had a strong tournament with multiple interceptions. McCollough is a muscled safety, so I wanted to see how he would do in a non-contact setting, and I came away impressed.

McCollough was excited to get to Alabama’s spring game on April 21 and is figuring out which visits to take. As an early enrollee, McCollough plans to take a few officials in the spring. He has visited Tennessee and South Carolina. Tennessee DB coach Charles Kelly recruited and coached his dad in college.

Also playing corner was safety Kenyatta Watson, and doing a good job of it. The Loganville Grayson product looked the best I’ve seen of him. Texas may hold a slight edge over Notre Dame, and he is likely to make a decision before his senior year. Return visits to both schools will go a long way.

Players from Texas

Garrett Wilson was arguably the best receiver. The Austin Lake Travis product is so smooth in and out of his routes and skies to get the football, despite not being all that tall. Ohio State and Texas are locked in a battle, and you can expect the decision soon. If Texas’ offense can improve this year, look for the Longhorns.

I’m not sure anyone made more one-handed catches than Austin Bowie receiver Elijah Higgins. The 6’3 Higgins would seem like a lock to Texas, but since January, he’s maintained Stanford is a threat.

Houston St. Pius X receiver Jalen “Boobie” Curry has seen his ranking fall as other prospects matured, but he is still a priority target. He’ll visit Ohio State April 13 and Tennessee on April 20. Curry said Ole Miss, Tennessee, Ohio State, and TCU are recruiting him hard. I’m interested in seeing how top-10 programs handle his recruitment and how long he’ll wait on them.

QB Grant Gunnell, of Houston St. Pius X was one of the best QBs. The 6’6 prospect is considering a number of schools, with a visit to Cal on deck for this weekend, an official to Arizona, and likely return trips to Oklahoma State and Oregon. Gunnell is high on Ohio State and Penn State. If LSU gets its act together on offense, the Tigers could become a factor.

Alvin CB Marques Caldwell had a few nice interceptions for the Fast Houston squad.

I liked North Richland Hills WR Rashee Rice quite a bit. Rice is rated the No. 107 receiver in the nation, and I expect he’ll end up in the top 75 if the 6’2 wideout keeps it up.

Standouts from other states

Sam Howell, of Monroe (North Carolina) Sun Valley was perhaps the best QB. He committed to Florida State on Monday, and I gave the rundown to our Florida State blog, Tomahawk Nation.

David Bell, an elite receiver from Indianapolis Warren Central, could be a nice addition to Ohio State, if the Buckeyes push for him.

Sheridan Jones, an elite corner from Norfolk (Virginia) Maury, tells me he is focused on Ohio State, Clemson, and Alabama. Jones was lockdown all weekend, and has legitimate length at 6’.

Vancouver (Washington) Union athlete Lincoln Victor was a difficult cover. I didn’t get to speak with him, and his 247 profile does not list any offers, but some could be coming.

Plus, the class of 2020 offers a return of elite QBs.

Tuesday, I offered up the best 2019 recruits at the Adidas 7v7 National Championship, as well as thoughts on where they might sign. Wednesday, it’s time for the younger players to take their turn.

The QB talent returns in 2020

There is a lot of justified chatter about the lack of quarterback talent in the 2019 class nationally. But those worried about a trend should rest easy, because the 2020 class is back up to normal standards, at least based on what I have seen so far.

I wrote about DJ Uiagalelei a month ago, so I won’t say the same thing again. He was again promising.

The top 2020 QB DJ Uiagalelei has everything going for him. The Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco prospect is huge at 6’5 and 240 pounds. He has a cannon for an arm. He has a very high IQ, both on field (countless relatives are coaches) and off (he says he has the grades to play for Stanford or Cal). He is also an excellent baseball player who will likely get drafted, though he expects to play football. Basically every major program in the nation has offered.

Intel: Everyone, and I mean everyone, I spoke with expects him to go to USC.

The next are T.J. Finley and Aaron McGlaughlin (2021), whom I also wrote about a month ago. Both continued to look good in this tournament against older competition.

The first is 2020’s T.J. Finley. From Ponchatoula, Louisiana (northeast of New Orleans, where I-55 meets I-12). Finley is 6’6, 230 pounds, and doesn’t turn 16 until March 25. Physically, Finley stands out. He is a giant, and has a young body. His dad joked with me that they had to carry his birth certificate around when he was a kid.

Finley has a big arm, which you’d expect from a kid of his size, but he impressed me with his combination of zip and touch. That’s not something you always see. And he had a good idea of where to go with the football.

Another young QB who really impressed Sunday was Aaron McGlaughlin, of Buford (Georgia). He is actually seven months older than Finley, but is in the 2021 class. McGlaughlin is 6’4, 205 and, like Finley, throws the ball with plenty of RPMs and touch. He seems to know where to go with the ball. He was one of the best QBs at the event. Plus, he simply looks like every Georgia QB ever. Offers include Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, USC, and Texas A&M.

But three more 2020s impressed me this weekend: Bryce Young, of Santa Ana (Calif) Mater Dei; Harrison Bailey, of Marietta (Ga.); and Jack Miller, of Scottsdale (Ariz) Chapparal.

Young impressed me with his throwing of the football. He’s a talented scrambler as well, but in this format, athleticism doesn’t factor in, but he still carved defenses up with his arm. Harrison Bailey also impressed throwing the football, generally knowing where to go with it. And this was the first time I had seen Jack Miller in person. He has a good build at 6’4, 210, and he spun it well.

The early feel is that Ohio State looks good for Jack Miller. USC is the default pick for Young, though he likes the Arizona schools, Washington, etc. Michigan has made a strong connection with Harrison Bailey.

2019 might be the worst year of QBs I have ever scouted, but a bounce back is due in 2020.

14 future stars at pass catcher and those who cover them

(7v7, or “passing skeleton” as it is sometimes known, is football without linemen, thus there aren’t any discussed here)

New Caney cornerback Dwight McGlothern is drawing a ton of interest from elite schools. The 6’2 McGlothern will visit Texas A&M April 14th, and then either the LSU or Texas Spring Game on the 20th. He has briefly visited Austin, but wants to get back to see more of the Longhorns. McGlothern is not an early enrollee, and is taking his time with the process. He said that he is not ready to make a top list yet, but will be “Once USC, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State and USC offer me.” McGlothern is quite the character, but he really is a good player with great length for the corner position.

Logan Loya, about whom I wrote in February, again balled out.

Logan Loya, 2020 WR, Orange (Calif.) Lutheran: Whoa. Logan Loya is really nice. An underclassman, the 6’0, 170-pounder was quite simply the best receiver at the event all day. He was able to vary his tempo, gets in and out of his breaks without having to gear down, and catches everything. I was shocked that Loya only has one offer (San Jose State). That should change soon. Loya is currently unrated by all of the major sites.

Joshua Downs, a receiver out of Suwannee (Ga.) North Gwinnett was excellent as well. Downs consistently got open underneath. He has some Power 5 offers including Boston College and Kentucky.

Arik Gilbert, a tight end/linebacker out of Marietta (Ga.) is one of the best underclassmen tight ends I’ve ever seen. He is 6’4, 230, and looks like he’s 25. But his birthdate says he recently turned 16, which is pretty scary. Georgia has offered.

Elias Ricks might have been the best corner at the event, regardless of year. The Mater Dei star is lsted as a safety at many sites because he has the frame to add 30+ pounds and be 6’2, 210ish, but he looked great. Ricks likes USC, and like several of his Ground 0 7v7 squad teammates, also likes Florida State, since Groud 0 alumni five-star DB Jaiden Woodbey signed with the Seminoles in 2018. Ricks is a no-doubt five-star in my book.

Ricks high school teammate, corner Darion Green-Warren, also had a great tournament. DGW is shorter than Ricks, and I didn’t get a chance to speak with him, but he holds an Oklahoma offer and is one to watch.

J.T. Tuimoloau, a tight end out of Sammamish (Wa.) Eastside Catholic is an absolute freak and I have no doubt he’ll be one of the best recruits out West in the class of 2021. USC and Washington have already offered. His teammate, Gee Scott Jr., is going to end up as one of the best receivers in the class of 2020. He has good height at 6’3 and plus ball skills.

I again liked what I saw from La Habra (Calif.) cornerback Clark Phillips III. The 5’10, 180-pound 2020 CB is very physical, and plays with great focus. He tries to make the most of every rep and had a good day in coverage.

Linebacker Tyler Berrong of Port Orange (Fla.) Atantic has really been showing out over the last month, and his elite play continued over the weekend. He’s a legit 6’2, 210, and can really cover. Florida and North Carolina have offered.

Kahlil Brantley, of Miami (Fla.) Doral Academy had a very strong tournament. The 6’1 receiver made strong catch after strong catch, including this one.

Just as they did in the East Regional Championship, Marcus Fleming, Henry Gray, and Ja’Corey Brooks balled out in the National Tournament.

Another star receiver to watch out for is Marcus Fleming of Miami Northwestern. Fleming is 5’11, 170, and is just always getting open. He has good top-end speed, but it is his quickness and change of direction that put distance between him and other defenders. Fleming reliably catches the ball with his hands and shows a good feel for finding space and sitting down in it. I have seen him three times so far in 2018 and am sold. He can play slot in the upper half of the Power 5. So far, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville, and NC State have offered.

Ja’Corey Brooks, Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington: Brooks is the only freshman on this list, but he’s actually been known in recruiting circles since the eighth grade, when Tennessee offered him. Eyeballing, I’d say he is 6’3, 190, and uses his big body to shield defenders. He is adept at going up and getting the football, and for his size and age, he is not slow. Florida, Georgia, and Miami have already offered.

Henry Gray, Miami (Fla.) Central: 6’1, 175, good speed, good body control, good instincts, and a great mentality for the position? Sign me up. Gray just picked up a Miami offer, so expect his recruitment to take off.

Fleming must have caught 40 balls in a two-day span. He is so advanced for his age.

One name to add to the list is Malik Rutherford, a 2021 speedster out of Hialeah (Fla.) Champagnat Academy. Rutheford was playing on South Florida Express’ youth team, but showed that his speed translates against older players.

The quarterback recruit crop for 2019 is lacking in elite talent. That’s tough if your school needs to land one.

Quarterback is the most important position in football. Most college programs want to carry four on scholarship, which means most schools will sign a QB every year.

Typically, only about 20 are rated four- or five-stars, so demand for elite QBs far outpaces supply. And teams usually do not move on from their No. 1 targets to accept a commitment from another until it is clear they are out of the running for their first choice. Lesser-rated recruits know this.

Given that teams rarely rotate quarterbacks, a top QB will often want to reserve his spot with the school of his choice. QB is also the noted position of leadership, so a committed QB often become a class’ lead recruiter.

Every year, we track the dominoes as they fall. QB1 picks school A, so School B moves on to QB2 as School C moves on to QB3. But then QB1 decommits from School A, and the cycle is thrown into chaos.

2019, though, seems a little different. The 2018 class was loaded with elite quarterbacks. Comparatively, the 2019 class looked a little light. And that was beforeJT Daniels, the No. 1 overall 2019 player, decided to skip his senior season and enroll at USC a year early. Now, the 2019 QB class is really lacking elites.

And that means teams who really need QBs are scrambling, while those who might not have such a need are considering waiting for 2020.

Summer ‘17: Big 12 powers land standout dual-threats

• Oklahoma adds Spencer Rattler(18 blue-chip QBs are left) of Phoenix, who commits over offers from Miami, Alabama, the Arizona schools, Texas A&M, Texas, and Notre Dame.
• Texas has added Roschon Johnson (17) of Port Neches (Texas). Johnson has offers from Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma, and Florida.
• Washington adds Dylan Morris (16) of Graham (Washington), and Wake Forest adds Brendon Clark of Midlothian (Virginia)

With Daniels off to USC a year early, and Rattler and Johnson off the board, talent West of the Mississippi is drying up quickly.

2017 football season: Little movement

• Michigan State adds Dwan Mathis (15) of Belleville (Michigan), while Rutgers picks up Zamar Wise of Newark (New Jersey).
• Wisconsin grabs Graham Mertz (14) of Mission (Kansas). A number of major programs like him, but want to see throw in person. Expect the Badgers to have a battle on their hands.
• Penn State adds Ta’Quan Roberson, of Wayne (NJ), who chooses the Nittany Lions over Virginia Tech and North Carolina.
• Louisville has picked up Jaden Johnson (13) of Memphis.

At this point, the vast majority of SEC and ACC schools are without 2019 quarterbacks.

Winter ‘17-18: New coaches bring new quarterbacks

After coaching change season and the Early Signing Period, a number of new QB commitments are expected, since they often visit for junior days in December, January, and February.

• Cale Millen of Snoqualmie (Wash.) kicks things off by committing to Northwestern, while Cole Kramer of Eden Prairie (Minnesota) pledges to Minnesota. Ty Evans of Monument (Colorado) stays in-state and verbals to Colorado. None had many major offers, so this doesn’t look to shake up the QB recruiting scene much.
• In a move that everyone saw coming, Bo Nix (12) of Pinson (Alabama) commits to Auburn. Nix is the son of Patrick Nix, who played for Auburn from 1992-95. He is one of the better QBs in the class.
• At the end of February, Iowa State picks up Easton Dean of Altamonte (Kan.), and Lance LeGendre of New Orleans pledges to Kansas. Legendre is one to watch, as major programs are intrigued by his film.

Only 15 of the 65 Power 5 programs have verbal commitments from quarterbacks at this point. This is a lot fewer than the 27 committed at the end of February in 2017.

Spring 2018: the dominoes fall

• Spring starts with a bang, as Michigan flips Reno (Nevada) QB Cade McNamra (11) from Notre Dame. He also claims offers from Georgia, Alabama, and USC. Those schools are still without QBs, though it’s not clear all will take one.
• Florida takes a commitment from Jalon Jones of Baltimore, a 6’4 athlete who posted a Nike Rating of 104, which is elite for any position, much less a QB. Dan Mullen recruited him heavily while at Mississippi State.
• Florida State takes Sam Howell (10)of Monroe (North Carolina) over Taisun Phommachanh (10) of Bridgeport (Connecticut). Both were high on FSU’s board, and the Seminoles would have liked to sign the duo, but weren’t going to take Phommachanh before Howell made his decision. Phommachanh commits to Clemson the next week. Howell was a major target for Tennessee and North Carolina, who are still searching.
• Alabama lands Paul Tyson (8) of Trussville (Ala.), the great grandson of legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant. He is considered a major prospect, but doesn’t set off any dominoes, because nobody expected him to go anywhere else.
• The Mississippi schools get into the action as Garrett Shrader of Charlotte commits to Mississippi State, and Grant Tisdale (7) of Allen (Texas) commits to Ole Miss. Shrader is an intriguing target whom schools want to see throw over the summer, as the competition in his high school games is suspect.
• Ryan Hilinski (5) of Orange (California) commits to South Carolina. Hilinski was a target of Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M to varying levels.
• Max Duggan (5), of Council Bluffs (Iowa) has committed to TCU. Steve Lubischer, of Red Bank (N.J.) has committed to Boston College.

What’s next?

There are more programs in need of quarterbacks than there are good quarterbacks. While more will emerge over the summer and in the fall, here are some of the top QBs left, and where they might be going.

• Houston QB Grant Gunnell is high on Ohio State, Oregon, Oklahoma State, and Cal. Oregon really intrigues Gunnell, as it shifts to a slightly more “pro-style” offense.
• Jayden Daniels of San Bernadino (Calif.) is high on Utah, Oregon, Cal, Florida State, and USC. Will he consider FSU as a second QB, or will he stick out West? Daniels told me in April that distance would be a factor.
• If Michael Johnson Jr. of Eugene (Oregon) was going to go to Oregon, where his dad coaches, I’d think it would already be done, so he could start recruiting publicly for the Ducks. My hunch is that he ends up with Mark Richt’s Hurricanes.
• Murrieta (Calif.)’s Hank Bachmeier is rated as the No. 8 QB in the nation, but the schools he is most often linked to, like Cal, Boise State, and Oregon State, aren’t the types which typically sign top-10 QBs. We’ll see if the bigger schools come calling, and how long Bachmeier wants to wait. Sometimes, a QB has to work out at a summer camp before a school will pull the trigger on an offer.
• Will Taulia Tagovailoa of Alabaster (Ala.) (formerly Hawaii) sign with the Crimson Tide and play with his brother? Tagovailoa is not seen as the same level of prospect as Tua was, but with his level of competitiveness, I’d still bet on him competing for the Tide job.
• Then there’s David Baldwin, the QB at IMG Academy in Bradenton (Florida), by way of California. A key factor will be whether he wants to be the only QB in a class. And will he want to head back west for college?
• I’m also watching the flips. Wisconsin’s Mertz, Kansas’ LeGendre, and South Carolina’s Hilinski are all prospects I’ll be keeping an eye on.

I’ll update this weekly.

As of yet, there aren’t that many dominoes which have impacted other schools, but that could certainly change. Other QBs will also likely see their ratings rise during the summer camp season.

And there are some programs, like Georgia, who might elect to sit out the 2019 QB recruiting cycle and instead pursue elect for a preferred walk-on.

The ability to “play up” is often the hallmark of an elite prospect.

“Playing up.”

It’s the ability for a bigger player to play a position commonly manned by a smaller player. It’s being faster than one’s size normally can be.

A 6’7 point guard changes how a team defends. A huge shortstop allows a team to sneak another big bat into a lineup. Or a defensive-end sized linebacker, which can really change how a defense plays.

In an era when offenses routinely use the whole field, linebackers have become smaller and smaller, as a reaction to the need to be able to play in space. For the most part, 240-pound linebackers are gone.

But Brandon Smith, of Richmond (Virginia) has a chance to truly be different. Because Smith is 6’4, 223 pounds in the spring of his junior season, but he moves and tests like a linebacker.

Smith recently posted a 4.59-second 40, 35” vertical, and a 4.38 agility shuttle. Those are in the 98th, 97th, and 90th percentile.

Those are linebacker numbers from a kid built like a defensive end.

Brandon Smith

But it’s not just Smith’s testing numbers. He also shows the instincts to play linebacker.

Smith is a natural hitter with great power, and an awesome blitzer.

He can shed blocks and chase down plays with more range than players his size usually possess.

It’s possible that Smith blows up, puts on 40 pounds and shifts to defensive end or a JACK backer. But if he only adds 15-20, he could really make an impact at as a traditional linebacker. A team signing Smith can play nickel and consistently stop the run because he is going to beat blockers and make impact run stops.

I spoke with Smith recently about his recruitment. He said that all schools are looking at him as a linebacker.

“Strictly linebacker, nobody is saying defensive line,” Smith said.

Smith wants to decide in September or October, and plans to be an early enrollee.

Where he’ll enroll, though, is not as clear.

Smith is taking an official visit to Texas A&M this weekend, where he is close with Bradley Dale Peveto, the linebackers coach.

“I talk to him on the regular,” Smith said.

That leaves four official visits. This spring, Smith visited Virginia, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State. It’s a safe bet that a few of those schools will get visits, but none are locked in.

“We know how Ohio State does their thing,” Smith said. “Penn State has strong linebackers; Notre Dame, they’re an all-around school; and Michigan has good linebackers as well.”

Smith is a strong student, and wants to study criminology, with a focus on forensics.

He said that he does not watch Forensic Files, but does watch NCIS.

One school mentioned by Smith when he spoke with SB Nation back February at the Under Armour Future 50 event was Florida State. He did not visit FSU this spring, but said he still speaks with coach Odell Haggins.

Smith stressed that all of his future visit plans are still up in the air.

Webb tells SB Nation what his relationship is like with the offensive line coaches for the Tide and the Bulldogs.

ATLANTA, Ga. — It was rainy at the Georgia tour stop for the Under Armour All-America Game camp series. But that didn’t stop Oxford (Ala.) offensive lineman Clay Webb from dominating, just as he’s done in every setting for the past several years.

Webb is a trim 6’3, 290, with great bend. Rarely are centers rated five-stars, but his ability to snap, move, and anchor makes him deserving of his lofty ranking. If he lost a rep on Sunday, I didn’t see it.

Before the camp started, Webb discussed his recruiting.

“I still plan to commit and sign on the same day in December,” Webb said. “I don’t want to commit to one school and then find out that I like another school better. I don’t want to go back on my word.”

However, some schools are standing out to Webb.

I asked Webb if he had to make a Top-5 today, which he does not plan to do, are there any schools he knows would be locks to make the list.

“Alabama and Georgia,” he answered without hesitation.

Webb is coming off a visit to Georgia for G-Day (Georgia’s spring game), where he was able to bond with UGA offensive line coach Sam Pittman.

Webb spoke about seeing the game through Pittman’s eyes, and it’s clear the Georgia coach made an impression.

“He’s just different than any other coach,” Webb said of Pittman.

Then there’s the school everyone expects Webb to pick: Alabama.

“It’s their professionalism,” Webb said as he spoke about how the Tide are run like a pro program. “It’s real strict, military like, and I like that.”

Webb recently visited the Tide as well.

“I got to talk to coach [Brent] Key a lot, see how he handles his athletes and watch their scrimmage.”

Asked to compare Key to Pittman, Webb said that Key is a “young, new kind of coach, a hoorah guy. Coach Pittman is more laid back, older, he says what he means.”

A third school is trying to join that group: the Auburn Tigers.

“I love Auburn, too,” Webb said of Auburn. He has reconnected with coach J.B Grimes, who initially recruited Webb when the center was in the 8th grade, but left Aubur after. Now back, Webb and Grimes are reconnecting.

“It’s the family,” Webb said of what makes Auburn stand out. It feels like I’m walking back into my own house.

Webb thinks he’ll take his official visits to schools outside the Southeast, since the local schools are all within driving distance and he’s seen them multiple times. It’s something some prospects elect to do, putting the cost of the cross-country visits on the tab of the schools recruiting him.

Can the Volunteers land the tall Georgia receiver recruit?

ATLANTA, Ga. — One of the Southeast’s best receivers has seen all he needs to see. Marietta (Ga.)’s Ramel Keyton says he has narrowed his list down to two schools, and will decide soon.

The schools? Auburn and Tennessee. Keyton has seen both recently, and both schools are pitching the need for receivers, and the ability to play early.

“They’re recruiting me the hardest, and they’re close with my family,” Keyton said. He has not told the school about his decision yet. His mom wants him to commit on TV.

“The vibe with the new coaching staff. It’s different than it used to be,” Keyton said of what he likes about Tennessee. His mom actually went and visited the staff without him a few weeks back.

Keyton now has a decision to make.

“I’ve seen all I need to see, it’s just sitting down and making the decision.”

But even after a commitment, his recruitment might not be over. Keyton still plans to take officials even after he commits, to schools outside the region like Ohio State and Penn State.

Keyton’s game, and a prediction

There’s a lot to like about Keyton as a player. He is a legit 6’3, with the frame to play at over 200 pounds in college. Keyton is not a burner, but isn’t slow, and has a knack for coming down with the football thanks to a combination of good hands and body control. He is ranked the No. 168 player in the nation on the 247Sports Composite rankings.

For his performance at the Under Armour All-America amp in Atlanta, Keyton earned an invite to the Under Armour All-America Game, which takes place in Orlando in February.

I think Tennessee is a good bet to land Keyton, thanks to the lure of early playing time.

Saban’s latest moves don’t suggest the coach is planning to walk away soon.

ATLANTA, Ga. — Despite claims by rival recruiters, recruits don’t think Nick Saban is retiring any time soon. That was the message Sunday from top prospects at the Georgia tour stop for the Under Armour All-America Game camp series.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off a national title and return a loaded team, but Saban will turn 67 this fall. I spoke with prospects about how teams try to recruit against the Tide by using Saban’s age, and how Alabama tries to combat it. Some of the prospects include uncommitted recruits like five-star center Clay Webb and four-star defensive end Justin Eboigbe, as well as Alabama commits like four-star linebacker King Mwikuta and four-star corner Christian Williams.

None wanted to name schools on the record, but multiple said the two schools most frequently making the claims are coached by former Saban assistants in the SEC. Interestingly, in-state rival Auburn was not mentioned as trying to use Saban’s age against him.

How effective is the tactic? It depends on who you ask.

The prospects didn’t acknowledge being phased by it.

“I’ve heard that from other coaches,” Webb, who is strongly considering Alabama and Georgia, said. “And some people at my school say, ‘Why are you going to Alabama when Saban’s about to leave?’

“I mean, if he did leave, I’m sure someone could follow in his footsteps. But as long as he wants to be there, I think he’ll be there.”

Mwikuta isn’t buying the notion of Saban retiring.

“I hear about it all the time,” Mwikuta said. “I just laugh at it. It’s BS. You don’t do that to another coach. I take offense to it. That’s going to be my head coach.”

But Mwikuta has made his own evaluation of Saban.

“Coach Saban wakes up at 5 o’clock. He’s the first person in there every day. He outworks everybody,” Mwikuta said. “He is still running around, playing basketball, out there running and doing drills with the DBs. Sum that up, and you tell me how long he’s going to be there.”

Eboigbe said that he hasn’t heard the negative recruiting about Saban’s age “at all.”

Alabama, though, does seem to be taking steps to combat the image

Alabama’s 2017 recruiting class might have been the best in history. Six true freshmen played a prominent role in the title game win over Georgia.

The Tide also lost more than half of their assistant coaches off that team. If Saban wanted to retire in a year or two, considering the talent level on the roster, it would have been easy for him to replace the five departed coaches with elite developers and eschew coaches with elite recruiting ability. Come 2021 or 2022, the talent level would have dropped, but if the goal was to coach just another year or two and maximize the current talent on the roster with another title or two, it would have made sense.

Instead, after finishing sixth to Georgia’s first in the 2018 recruiting cycle, Saban focused on hiring strong recruiters. Promotions like Tosh Lupoi to defensive coordinator and Mike Locksley to offensive coordinator are evidence of that, as are hires like Jeff Banks, Pete Golding, and Josh Gattis. That’s not to say they can’t coach and develop, but these are hires prospects immediately connect with.

“It was very clear that they went younger and went outside the box a little bit,” John Garcia Jr., who has covered Alabama and Southeast recruiting for Scout and now 247Sports, said. “They got guys with ties to the Southeast, but also ties to the Northeast, the West, Texas.”

Alabama’s coaches are also using social media en masse for the first time. Insiders think this is a reaction to Georgia’s social media presence.

Coach Kirby Smart has copied the Saban blueprint almost step-for-step, with the exception of social media. Georgia coaches routinely post videos of themselves cutting up, having fun, etc. Alabama isn’t looking to cede its image as the program most resembling the NFL, but it’s now trying to pitch itself as able to have fun as well.

“I think he’s pissed about the perception and narrative that he’s slowing down,” Garcia said. “And I think he’s pissed about finishing No. 6 in the rankings. He won’t say it that way, but every time someone says he can’t do something, there’s a renewed energy.”

Kids are taking notice of the new approach.

“With the social media angle, we’ve never seen that. We’re seeing tweets, graphics, videos,” Garcia said. “The whole ‘Bama Cuts’ thing, you have Julio talking about the Alabama standard. It’s all about recruiting. They’ve always been ahead of the game in every element, except for social media recruiting. And now they’ve jumped up towards the top.”

(Episode 3 of Bama Cuts is dedicated to how Alabama players actually have fun, how freshmen actually do get on the field, and how Saban’s age does not matter.)

“To think they’ll be lower than No. 1 or 2 in the final rankings is probably shortsighted,” Garcia said.

“They just won a national championship and are still grinding for the next one this year,” Eboigbe said.

Tennessee has playing time to sell and an aggressive staff.

ATLANTA — A staff of aggressive recruiters combined with the hype of a coaching change, plus the promise of early playing time can be a great recipe on the recruiting trail. It looks like that is what is happening at Tennessee. I chatted with several prospects and other recruiting analysts this weekend at the Under Armour Atlanta camp, and that was the common refrain.

Tennessee just went 0-8 in the SEC for the first time ever. It can tell recruits that the players on its roster can’t play, and be believable. And while Tennessee has signed a number of talented prospects in recent years, it’s pretty easy to sell the idea that they haven’t been developed, and can easily be beaten out for playing time.

One prospect I expect to pick Tennessee is four-star Marietta (Georgia) receiver Ramel Keyton, who I interviewed before the event. Tennessee is also making moves with Madison (Alabama) Bob Jones cornerback Jaydon Hill.

Below, you’ll find recruiting notes with some of the nation’s top prospects, gathered from speaking with them, coaches, and industry insiders.

Lagranga (Ga.) four-star linebacker King Mwikuta says he is “1,000 percent” committed to the Tide, but still takes calls from coaches who recruited him before joining Alabama’s class “out of respect for them.” Mwikuta wants to be a radiologist. He is intent on getting Alabama’s class back to the top.

“I’m trying to get as many stars as I can,” Mwikuta said. “Georgia has the No. 1 class last year, and I want that this year at Alabama again. My top 3 targets are Trikweze Bridges, Nolan Smith, and Treyvon Walker.”

Of the three, Bridges seems like the most likely to join Alabama’s class, since Smith is committed to and recruits hard for Georgia, and Walker is expected to pick Georgia.

Daphne (Ala.) four-star cornerback Christian Williams is feeling more love from Alabama since he committed to the Tide.

“It feel like more support, I’m meeting more players and commits,” Williams said.

But he still plans to fully play out the recruiting process and take all his visits.

“I want to take all five of my official visits,” Williams said, adding that he has not told Alabama of his plans.

LSU and Auburn are candidates to be visited in the fall.

“I think I’m going to go back and visit LSU, because when I visited, my parents didn’t go with me.”

Forest Park (Ga.) four-star defensive end Justin Eboigbe is hearing from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and Tennessee.

“I want to get down to Florida and spend time with coach [Dan] Mullen and coach [John] Hevesy, who recruited me at Mississippi State,” Eboigbe said.

He has a good relationship with Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner.

“He has coached guys who have played on the highest level, and he can develop you,” Eboigbe said of Garner. “He plays attention to every guy, no matter if it’s a scholarship (player) or a walk-on.”

Eboigbe also has an existing relationship with Alabama coach Craig Kuligowski, from Kuligowski’s time at Miami.

He is also impressed with Tray Scott, the defensive line coach at Georgia.

“Coach Scott is a good young guy who had success last year and will in the future.”

Eboigbe plans to make his decision after his senior season.

Five schools are standing out to Twin City (Ga.) Emmanuel County Institute defensive lineman Curtis Fann: Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, and South Carolina.

South Carolina (where this author believes Fann will sign) impressed him on his visit two weeks ago, and he was wearing a Gamecocks chain during the event.

“I have a great relationship with Coach Muschamp, Coach Thompson, Coach T-Rob,” Fann said. “They want me to play outside on first and second down, and move inside on third down.”

Fann is also interested in Florida State, and will visit the Seminoles on April 28. Fann says that Florida State likes him as a jumbo defensive end.

“I have a good relationship with Coach Snyder and Coach Odell,” Fann said.

According to Fann, Georgia has picked up their recruitment of him. He says they want him as an outside linebacker, which is surprising because Fann looks like a cross between a defensive end and tackle.

“They’ve stepped it up,” Fann said. “My relationship with Coach Lanning is just building because he just got there.”

Fann also praised his relationship with Auburn’s Kevin Steele.

“He wants me to come in and be an All-American.”

Fann isn’t sure when he’ll make a decision, or if he’ll enroll early.

Quickly

• I expect Loganville (Ga.) Grayson defensive back Kenyatta Watson II to pick Texas. He’s showing improved press coverage technique this year.
• Look out for Florida State in the recruitment of Savannah (Ga.) Islands linebacker Kalen Deloach. Linebacker is one of the few positions in Tallahassee where early playing time is almost a certainty. He is very athletic.
• Keep an eye on offensive tackle Brevyn Jones, of Birmingham (Ala.) Huffman. Jones’ top offer right now is Tulane, but he’ll be camping at LSU and Vanderbilt. He has family in Louisiana and would like to get back.
• Roswell (Ga.) linebacker Tyron Hopper moved well at the event. I expect him to pick Florida over South Carolina next month.
• Expect Lagrange (Ga.) Troup County 2020 receiver Kobe Hudson to pick Auburn on Friday when he commits. That should have Auburn fans excited, as Hudson is one of the better athletes in his class.
• 2020 offensive linemen Broderick Jones, of Lihtonia (Ga.) and Paul Tchio, of Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton were both impressive at the event. Jones is an a freaky athlete who, if he continues to develop, could be a No. 1 pick. He’s that impressive combination of size (6’6, 280), length, and athleticism. Alabama and Georgia are teams to watch for both.
• I’ve mentioned Suwanne (Ga.) North Gwinnett’s Josh Downs in previous editions of the Crootletter, but he just shows out at every event. Because he isn’t huge or freakishly athletic, Downs might not get the recruiting love he deserves until later in the 2020 cycle, but I am confident he’s going to be a good college player.

Looking back at their high school recruitment, it’s interesting to see what’s changed and what hasn’t.

With the NFL draft approaching, I’m sharing what I remember about the quarterbacks in the draft as recruits. It’s helpful to track their careers to see who has improved, along with what about their games did and didn’t translate as they progressed.

Josh Rosen, Belleflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco

Student Sports

Rosen was the No. 1 pro-style QB in the 2015 recruiting class. He picked UCLA over 40-plus offers. There was some thought that he might go to Stanford, but Stanford signed Keller Chryst in 2014 and had eyes on K.J. Costello for the 2016 class, so it didn’t take one in 2015.

“A rich-kid youth tennis prodigy who has to learn that you can’t succeed in a team sport acting like you’re still playing an individual sport,” was the word I got on Rosen’s attitude, talking to people around his recruitment. Rosen definitely put off some people. But I enjoyed chatting with him. I could tell he was really sharp, and he wasn’t a jerk to me.

Talent-wise, both physically and mentally, Rosen was off the charts. He knew where to go with the ball better than anyone else. He was so advanced that he clashed with some coaches at the Elite 11 event, challenging the coach and wanting to do things how he’d already been taught. (This might sound familiar.) He had a huge arm, good mechanics, and a lot of confidence, almost too much at times. He didn’t win the Elite 11 competition, but he was the best QB on the field that recruiting analysts saw at the event (the media doesn’t get to see every factor that goes into Elite 11 scoring).

He also still has a chip on his shoulder about being ranked behind a couple other QBs at one ratings service or another, even though the industry consensus still had him tops:

One thing I didn’t see coming was Rosen’s toughness. He got beat to hell at UCLA and played through a lot of injuries.

Lamar Jackson, Boynton Beach (Fla.)

Bud Elliott, SB Nation

Jackson signed with Louisville over the Gators, who pursued him hard late in the process and might have signed him had Will Muschamp not been fired. Bobby Petrino saw Jackson as a chance to finally coach Michael Vick, something that didn’t happen when Petrino coached the Falcons.

Jackson had a huge arm. He had a quick release. He had a long, wiry build. And he was an absolute freak of an athlete.

Some quarterbacks are athletic, and some are athletic enough to play other positions at a high level. Jackson was the latter. But unlike some great athletes at the QB position, he didn’t immediately look to take off and run. He would move around the pocket to try to get the ball to a receiver.

If Jackson had been an accurate passer in high school, he could have been ranked as the No. 1 QB recruit in the nation.

But he wasn’t. In two years on varsity, Jackson was a 47 percent passer (123 for 261). In games, and even in camps at which there was no pass rush or defenders, Jackson failed to accurately throw on a consistent basis. There were real questions about whether he could throw well enough. To do so, he would have to improve his accuracy a ton. And leaps like that are rare, even if mechanics improve.

In addition, Jackson wasn’t eligible to play his 2012 sophomore season due to grades. Schools deal with prospects having grade problems all the time, but it’s pretty rare for a QB to have academic concerns.

“Look, get your grades right,” Swain told Jackson. “We’ll take a look at you in the spring. But unless you get your grades right, there’s no need for us to be talking.”

I thought Jackson could play QB in college in the right offense, but I never thought he could improve his accuracy to the extent needed to win the Heisman and be a top pick as a QB. He proved me wrong.

Sam Darnold, San Clemente (Calif.)

Student Sports

I remember Darnold being a late bloomer. He missed his junior season in 2013 due to a fractured foot. USC initially recruited him as a linebacker (he also played WR in high school) and offered as a QB in June of 2014. He committed a month later after an impressive camp performance.

Darnold had a good, but not great, arm. I remember thinking it didn’t quite match up with his size (6’3, 200).

He was, however, very accurate. Some coaches at the Elite 11 praised his ability to deliver the ball accurately even when his footwork looked to be a mess or when he should have been off balance.

Baker Mayfield, Allen (Texas) Lake Travis

Wescott Eberts, SB Nation

Mayfield walked on to Texas Tech, started for a time, then transferred to Oklahoma, where he again walked on and won the starting job. He did have scholarship offers out of high school, to Washington State and FAU.

In high school, Mayfield was the No. 42 pro-style QB and a three-star in the class of 2013. I did not see Mayfield in person when he was a recruit, but his family resented his Elite 11 experience, feeling he performed just as well as higher-rated QBs who received more praise and attention.

A few years ago, I profiled how some underrated recruits still become draft picks.

-had very limited film due to injury or focus on another sport,

-is a punter or kicker,

-gained a ridiculous amount of muscle in college, while retaining athleticism,

-is from another country, or

-was expected to head to junior college because of academics but somehow qualified for a four-year school.

And Mayfield fits one of these to a T: the late growth spurt. He was just 5’2 as a freshman in high school and grew to 5’10 (he’s now listed at 6’1).

I wonder if playing for powerhouse school Lake Travis, which won five consecutive titles, hurt Mayfield a bit. Sure, being on a winning team provided exposure, but there’s a temptation to assume that perhaps the system or some of the other players around the tiny QB were responsible for the wins. And that’s especially true when the prior two QBs to come out of Lake Travis (Garrett Gilbert in ‘09 and Michael Brewer in ‘11) were considered more talented prospects, but busts in college. If Gilbert and Brewer couldn’t get it done coming from the Lake Travis system, why could Mayfield?

Josh Allen, Reedley (Calif.) Firebaugh HS and Reedley JC

I did not see Josh Allen as a high schooler. It seems nobody else did, either.

He played at Reedley (Calif.) Firebaugh High School, which, according to a Rivals.com search, has never produced a straight-to-FBS player. If he went to any camps, I can’t find them.

Allen posted unimpressive numbers as a high school junior (51 percent completion and a 26/10 TD/INT ratio). He had a much better senior year, (57 percent and 33/5), but most schools fill their QB positions earlier than that.

This ESPN article suggests nearby Fresno State should have taken a closer look, and I agree, but if a prospect doesn’t have eye-popping highlights or outrageous stats, he had better do more off the field to get himself noticed. If Allen had, given his physical tools, he would have absolutely been noticed.

Allen didn’t and had to go to a nearby junior college, where he began writing letters to hundreds of college coaches and got spotted by Wyoming, Eastern Michigan, and Indiana.

Some other big names

• Mason Rudolph, of Rock Hill (SC) Northwestern was highly rated as a four-star and the No. 16 QB prospect, but he was not as highly recruited before signing with Oklahoma State. This article explains Rudolph didn’t grow up playing QB and did not go to camps or combines.
• Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta of Exton (Pa.) Downington East suffered a knee injury during his senior lacrosse season, which prevented him from participating in camps. He also apparently had questionable arm strength.
• Mike White of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) University School had offers from Mississippi State and signed with USF before transferring to Western Kentucky. I don’t remember White having the kind of arm strength in high school that he showed in college.
• J.T. Barrett of Wichita Falls (TX) Rider was a lifelong Longhorns fan who supposedly would’ve been willing to be the second QB in UT’s class, but signed with Ohio State.

Student Sports

• Riley Ferguson of Matthews (NC) Butler was a highly rated QB who signed with Tennessee, transferred to a junior college, and excelled at Memphis.
• Quinton Flowers of Miami Jackson had offers to play just about anywhere as a DB, but chose to play QB for USF.
• Kurt Benkert of Cape Coral (Fla.) played for two different high schools as a junior and a senior. He always had a big arm and played with a chip on his shoulder, but did seem to throw some bad interceptions in 7v7 competition. He was also a good punter in high school. Benkert signed with East Carolina and finished at Virginia.

Even if recent history isn’t a coach’s fault, recruits still want to see a track record.

On Sunday night, Garrett Wilson committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes over the Texas Longhorns. Wilson is undoubtedly one of the best receiver recruits in the nation. He makes ridiculous catches with ease.

This stings for the Longhorns on many levels. For one, though Wilson is originally from Columbus (Ohio), he plays for Austin (Texas) Lake Travis, and so this is a case of the Buckeyes plucking a star from the Longhorns’ backyard.

It’s not entirely surprising, considering Wilson’s former teammate and QB at Lake Travis High, Matthew Baldwin, signed with the Buckeyes in the 2018 class. Having a friend give an honest testimonial on how great a place is can sway a prospect.

But this quote Wilson gave to Rivals about making a business decision caught my eye.

“They were close,” Wilson said of Texas. “I’m not going to lie, the official visit made me think about them a little more. In the end, I’ve watched a lot of people go to Texas with a ton of ability and maybe not achieve what I thought they could. I didn’t want to be one of those guys.”

If Wilson is talking about sending guys to the league at the receiver position, he’s right.

In the last 10 drafts, Texas has had just two receivers drafted, and none in the last five drafts.

Ohio State equaled Texas’ receiver draft output of the past decade in 2015 alone, in which it had two receivers picked. And in 2016. And in 2017. The Buckeyes have had nine receivers picked in the last decade.

While it’s not the only factor, it was a factor. And that has to sting for Tom Herman and his staff, considering they basically had nothing to do with those failures, since they’ve only coached one season in Austin. And it has to be especially so, considering Herman was Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator in Meyer’s only championship season in Columbus, and the Buckeyes and Longhorns still run a very similar offense.

Texas signed three four-star receiver prospects in its most recent class. If two of the three can make an impact, especially an early impact, it could go a long way towards making sure other receivers don’t see Texas as Wilson apparently did.

Florida State’s staff recently learned this lesson, too.

Two weeks ago, Miami (Fla.) South Dade receiver Frank Ladson, considered one of the top receivers in the nation, committed to Clemson over Miami, Florida State, and others. Ladson was the No. 1 receiver on FSU’s board, according to my sources.

But FSU knew it had an uphill battle to fight on several fronts. First, Willie Taggart and his new staff have only been in Tallahassee for four months and had to compete against other schools who had recruited Ladson for two years.

While FSU did establish a good relationship thanks to assistants Telly Lockette and David Kelly, it couldn’t overcome the failure of Jimbo Fisher’s staff to get receivers drafted. In the last 11 drafts, spanning the entire time Fisher was running the offense (2007-17) and Lawrence Dawsey was coaching the receivers, FSU sent just three receivers to the draft. It’s a remarkable lack of talent development at a specific position by a staff that won a national championship, recruited at an elite level, and ran a “pro-style” system.

Clemson, on the other hand, has produced eight picks in that span. The Tigers have as many first-round receivers picked since Frank Ladson has been in middle school as the Seminoles have total receivers picked since he started elementary school.

Fans and coaches hate it, but players don’t always separate the failures (or successes) of a previous staff when considering a new one. Ladson was known to have looked at what schools produce at a position, and recent draft success helped Clemson.

This isn’t limited to receivers.

There are new staffs taking over at programs all over the country who will inherit positions at which players have not been frequently drafted under prior coaching staffs. I’ll cover that in an upcoming edition of the Crootletter.

In a year lacking in good QB recruits, Calzada has a chance to shoot up the rankings.

So far, the 2019 class of QB recruits seems to be lacking compared to prior years, and especially when compared to the special crop that just graduated in the class of 2018.

The words “so far” are key, because prospects emerge at different times each cycle, for a variety of different reasons.

Take Baker Mayfield, for instance. The No. 1 overall pick was 5’2 as a freshman and only 5’10 as a varsity QB. He kept growing in college and is now listed at 6’1.

Sunday at the Under Armour All-America Game camp in Charlotte, I saw a QB with no star rating throw the heck out of the ball. Winds gusted north of 20MPH, and Zach Calzada, of Sugar Hill (Ga.) Lanier had no problem driving the football, as the throws of other QBs fluttered.

Why does Calzada have zero recruiting stars?

“I was 5’10” a little over a year ago, the 6’2.5, 195-pound Calzada said. His dad confirmed, he’s had a huge growth spurt.

And suddenly it made sense. Compared to most top QB prospects, he became good relatively recently.

Quarterbacks no longer have to be 6’5, but 5’10 is short. It makes sense that many haven’t heard of Calzada. With his late growth spurt came arm strength, and Calzada rips the ball. He can also grip it with 10-inch hands.

Schools have very recently started to take notice.

In the last week, Calzada has picked up offers from N.C. State and Northwestern.

“(Offensive coordinator) Eliah Drinkwitz saw me throw and offered,” Calzada said. “I have a good relationship with him. N.C. State was a game changer, they were my first Power 5 offer.”

Calzada said that he likes the way he could fit into the Pack’s offense, and is impressed that NC State has a lot of QBs in the NFL. He visited Saturday and liked the vibe.

This coming week will be big for his recruitment, as Pitt, Northwestern, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Georgia will be swinging by his practice to see him throw. It’s a good bet that he’ll come away with more offers.

Visits are on hold until after spring, and Calzada wants to make sure he is making the right decision. But he is also cognizant that schools want to get their QBs committed early.

“As soon as I find a place I love, I’ll take it,” he said. “QB spots go quickly.”

Casinos have playoff odds out for seven college football teams.

Spring football is just ending, but already there are odds from the online sports books on which teams will make the College Football Playoff.

Tuesday, BetOnline.com released make/miss playoff odds for seven teams. And to the surprise of no one, Alabama is the only team more likely to make then miss.

Alabama’s “make” side is at -220 odds, meaning a bettor would need to lay $220 to net $100. The “miss” side is +175, meaning a $100 bet would net $175. Alabama won the championship in 2017 with true freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa coming off the bench, and returns a ton of production. Alabama is the most talented team in the nation, and is tied for No. 1 in Bill Connelly’s early S&P+ ratings.

Clemson is close at -105/-125. The Tigers managed to keep all four members of the best defensive line in the nation from turning pro and will be big favorites in all 12 games.

Ohio State is next at +150/-180. The Buckeyes dodge Wisconsin from the West Division, and Michigan must come to Columbus. A trip to Happy Valley could be tough, but this is a manageable schedule.

Georgia, likely due to an incredibly weak SEC East division, comes in at +175/-220. Georgia lost a lot of its special 2017 squad, and could be just a year away from a special run in 2019. Can Georgia get back a year ahead of schedule?

Somewhat surprisingly, Michigan is next at +220/-280. But the Wolverines recently had Ole Miss QB transfer Shea Patterson’s eligibility for this season approved, and before the 2017 season, many pointed to 2018 as the year of Michigan.

Penn State checked in at +300/-400. The oddsmakers must feel very confident in a Big Ten East team making the playoff.

And Oklahoma brings up the rear at +350/-500. I guess losing Baker Mayfield is worth a lot.

No Pac-12 teams were listed.

Which odds do you like? What teams do you think should be added?

If this wasn’t an innocent mistake by Oregon State, it was really stupid.

Recruiting battles are common in college football.

What’s not common, however, is recruiting players already on a college roster.

But that’s exactly what Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich claims Oregon State is doing. On Friday morning, he tweeted out four photos showing Oregon State sent mail to current Hawaii football players. The mailings are addressed to players at a University of Hawaii building.

This, of course, isn’t allowed. It’s almost certainly tampering under NCAA bylaws.

NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.3 precludes athletics staff members of member institutions from contacting student-athletes at other four-year institutions without first obtaining written permission from the director of athletics at the institution where the student-athlete is enrolled. Without that permission, institutional staff members are not allowed to encourage the student-athlete to transfer. During the time period that the violations occurred, NCAA Bylaw 13.4.1.2 prohibited institutional staff members from sending text messages to prospective student-athletes.

In his tweet, Rolovich tagged the NCAA, Oregon State compliance, Pac-12 compliance, a few media outlets, and, for some reason, Lavar Ball.

But I do wonder about Oregon State’s intent. There’s a chance this was caused by a miscommunication. Perhaps there is someone new handling mailers, and confusing lists?

In a statement from the school, an OSU spokesperson said:

“Oregon State Athletics and head coach Jonathan Smith became aware of unintentional mailings directed at a University of Hawai’i student-athlete this morning. We are committed to following NCAA rules and are looking into this matter fully.”

It’s all so dumb it almost has to be a mistake. There’s no way Oregon State would intentionally and brazenly send large envelopes with the Beavers logo on it to the University of Hawaii, as opposed to, say, a relative’s house of an off-campus apartment. Right?

SB Nation reached out to Hawaii for comment as well.

The Under Armour All-America Camp tour rolled into the Windy City on Sunday, and many of the Midwest’s best players showed up and showed out.

Heard: Wisconsin is putting together a special class.

Most of the value of going to camps and combines is the ability to see players compete against other elite players. But there’s also value in talking with regional scouts and analysts. And several people with whom I spoke were very high on Wisconsin’s class.

QB Graham Mertz has a case as the No. 1 QB in the nation, and the Badgers have other elite players in the class as well, with the chance to add more.

Those thinking Scott Frost is going to come in and dominate the Big Ten West by Year 2 might want to think again. There’s certainly buzz around Nebraska, but Wisconsin seems to be finally taking advantage of their success on the field by cashing in on some higher-rated recruits.

Four players earned invites to the Under Armour All-America Game, to be played in January in Orlando.

St. Louis (Mo.) Cardinal Ritter receiver Jameson Williams had as number of big plays. Williams has elite foot speed and quickness, to go along with decent height. His technique in getting off the press could use some work, but when he was on, all opponents could do is hold. Williams likes a lot of schools, including UCLA, where he visited on March 10. He said Ohio State is the only school guaranteed to make his final list.

“They shoot out the roof with their recruitment,” Williams said. “Their entire staff talks to me.”

Williams loves the Buckeyes’ offense and coaching staff, and it’s close enough to home so his family can see him play.

St. Louis Trinity Catholic receiver Marcus Washington is special. Washington was physically too much for many defensive backs. On May 13, Washington will release his top list. But he felt comfortable saying two schools will make the cut.

“Ohio State and Florida State,” Washington said. He plans to visit Florida State this summer. He’ll take some official visits in the summer and some in the fall.

WR Julian Barnett of Belleville (Mich) is committed to Michigan State and is one of the best players I’ve seen this year. He played outside and over the slot with ease, using his speed, length, and physicality.

Linebacker Shammond Cooper of St. Louis Trinity Catholic sat out with an injured groin, but showed enough on film to earn the invite. I spoke with Cooper during the event, and he is legitimately considering Illinois, along with Oklahoma.

Five more standouts

1. Receiver C.J. Boone, of St. Louis Parkway might have been the best receiver. The 6’3 Boone brought it every rep. He snatched tough throws with his hands and showed off good wheels and change of direction. Boone’s top offers are Kentucky, Missouri, and Purdue. He thinks Nebraska, Illinios, and Michigan could be next, and says Michigan would be a “game changer.” Boone said he plans to take an unofficial to UCLA in June and really wants a UCLA offer. A visit to Missouri is also in the works.

2. OT Joe Tippmann, a Wisconsin commitment from Ft. Wayne (IN) Bishop Dwenger, looked good mirroring speed rushers and using his length. He says he is recruiting for the Badgers.

3. George Karlaftis, a Purdue defensive end commitment from West Lafayette (IN), is a really intriguing player. Karlaftis has all sorts of family ties to Purdue, but he’s received major interest of late from USC, Florida, and Clemson.

“It’s a pretty good deal for me,” Karlaftis said, noting he is especially close with head coach Jeff Brohm.

Purdue is pitching playing time and the chance to make his own mark.

“Other schools are telling me Purdue is not that good or whatever, but I came to the realization that you get out of it what you put in. There’s guys in the draft from D2 schools.”

He plans to take his visits.

“I’m honest with Purdue. I need a backup plan. I tell them my dad died when I was 13, suddenly, and nobody expected that, so I’m going to make sure I see everything. And Purdue says alright, just don’t decommit from us. We want you and we’ll bend over backwards for you.”

Karlaftis identified Michigan, USC, Clemson, and Florida as other schools with whom he’s close. He’s already seen Michigan, and will see Florida on June 8 and USC is on June 22.

4. Marcus Hicks, of Wichita (KS) Northwest profiles as a jumbo defensive end, as he is already 6’5 and 240 pounds.

“It’s the family environment, the players are cool, and the coaches are people you can talk to and not just yell at you,” Hicks said of both Michigan and Oklahoma, who will definitely make his top 5. Oklahoma State is close as well.

Hicks will take an official visit to Washington June 21st and to Notre Dame for the Michigan game (September 1). He identified Oklahoma coaches Lincoln Riley and Calvin Thibodeaux, as well as Michigan coach Greg Mattison as the coaches with whom he has the best relationship.

5. Bolingbrook (Ill.) junior Anthony Williams Jr. looked really good. Williams is a 6’, 190-pound back who moved extremely well in both drills and one-on-ones. Boston College and Cincinnati have offered.

Four players who looked better than their rankings/offers

1. Boone. Boone is rated the No. 87 receiver, and there is no way that is an accurate reflection.
2. Anthony Williams Jr. There aren’t 65 running backs better than him.
3. Romel Goston, of Chicago Al Raby isn’t even ranked nationally and is committed to Northern Illinois. If the 6’1 DB plays his senior season like he played Sunday, the Huskies will have to fight to keep him.
4. Jacardia Wright, of Decatur (Il.) St. Teresa is a workhorse back without a star rating. Iowa and Michigan State have offered in the last month, and he likes the Hawkeyes’ offense. Wright also plays safety, but he moved well Sunday at a solid 6’, 200.

Three underclassmen earned invites to the Future 50, Under Armour’s underclassman event in Orlando.

Belleville (Mich.) sophomore cornerback Andre Seldon looked sharp all day. Seldon isn’t big, but he sticks to receivers consistently.

East St. Louis (Ill.) sophomore defensive back Antonio Johnson is an impressive safety with a promising 6’2 frame. Virginia Tech has offered Johnson.

And St. Louis Trinity Catholic athlete Mookie Cooper is an absolute blur. He is short, but still has time to grow, and defenders have a hard time sticking with him.

These other underclassmen caught my eye.

Dominic Bass of the Chicago Phillips Academy is a 2021 defensive tackle to know. Bass is 6’4, 250 and looks like he is 25 years old. Michigan is one of many early offers.

2020 DT Denver Warren of Aurora (Il) West had a good showing. He’s stout and tough to move, but showed some movement skills of his own.

2020 athlete Marques Buford, formerly of Illinois and now living in Dallas (Trinity Christian), was impressive as a receiver.

Illinois has the attention of the best recruits in St. Louis thanks to a savvy coaching hire.

“The Movement!”

“Mooooooovemennnnnt!”

The cheers rang out Sunday in Chicago as elite local players were given invites to Under Armour’s All-America Game. “The Movement” referred to the Illini’s efforts to get top products from Chicago and St. Louis to stay home and play for the Illini.

It’s a bold endeavor. Illinois is a bad program. Since 1995, it has finished with a winning record just five times. None of those seasons came since current recruits entered middle school. The Illini were 3-9 in 2016, the first under coach Lovie Smith, and 2-10 in his sophomore campaign.

And yet, the Movement is real.

It’s real according to regional scouts and local recruiting reporters, whom I chatted with Sunday morning at the Under Armour camp before I had a chance to speak with the recruits. This is a skeptical bunch, who would be quick to call BS and tell me that kids are just saying nice things during talking season and then signing elsewhere. But they believe.

And even more importantly, the recruits believe. Elite players.

They believe in Cory Patterson

Who?

Illinois tight ends coach Cory Patterson.

Previously seen leading St. Louis (MO) Trinity Catholic’s rebuilding project, culminating in an offense that averaged 55 points/game in 2017.

Previously seen in a shirt and tie, as an accountant for A.G. Edwards and Bank of America.

And always seen coaching youth football in some of St. Louis’ toughest areas.

For years, it was common to see high school coaches be hired on to a support staff position at a college , especially when said HS coach was associated with an elite recruit or program. But in 2017, the NCAA changed the rule, making it so that a college could not have recruited a high school for two years before or after hiring one of its coaches hiring a high school coach, unless the college is willing to hire the high school coach into one of its 10 on-field assistant coaching positions.

Those spots are precious, and so far, teams have been extremely reluctant to do it. It was far easier to create a support staff position and have the high school coach work there.

But Illinois is desperate. It doesn’t have the talent to compete in the Big Ten. If it doesn’t get an infusion of talent, Smith and his staff won’t be around. And so it took a calculated risk and hired Patterson directly onto its coaching staff, ensuring it would still be allowed to recruit Trinity Catholic. Illinois fans were calling for the move.

“I got a chance to see him mentor, teach, on and off the football field,” Smith said. “I knew then that if someday we did have an opportunity to add him to our staff, I was going to do everything possible to make sure that happened.”

Smith knew what he was doing. Illinois had already offered 10 players on the Trinity team alone.

He also knew what I learned Sunday: Patterson has deep, long-held bonds with prep stars in St. Louis.

Almost immediately, the move paid off in a commitment from athlete Isaiah Williams, a 5’10 five-star recruit whom seemingly every school wants as an elite a slot receiver, but to whom Illinois is promising a shot to continue playing QB, just as he did for Patterson at Trinity.

A month later, Trinity three-star slot receiver Bryce Childress joined on.

“Coach Patterson has been like a father figure for me since I was 6,” Williams told Illini Inquirer.“I stayed with him from time to time. He got me into schools.”

Many players echoed those sentiments. There’s a trust in Patterson, sometimes formed over a decade or more, that just doesn’t exist between the players and other recruiters.

“They jump out at you. They have that strong bond, they make you feel comfortable,” four-star linebacker Shammond Cooper, who has Oklahoma and Illinois standing out, said. “They’re appealing to the top guys to change the program around. Do something different. Be someone people will remember for a while.

“When [Illinois hired him], I didn’t want to see him go, but then I was happy for him. He did a lot for us, and he’ll make in two years what he’d make in 10 years at our school.”

“It’s been crazy. That #IllGang19 stuff started, and all these top guys put it out, and it’s like whoa, they got something going,” Cooper said.

Patterson also has a great connection with prospects outside of Trinity Catholic.

“Illinois is like family to me,” said 2020 Trinity running back Mookie Cooper (no relation to Shammond), whom Patterson coached in youth football. “It’s making a lot of us lean towards going there. I don’t know about all of us going to Illinois, but most definitely most of us, it could happen. It’s like a family bond now.”

“It has a great impact on my recruiting,” four-star Chicago tight end Jahleel Billingsley, who showed up to the camp in an Illini track suit, said. “Before Coach Patterson got to Trinity, they weren’t winning. If he can turn Trinity around, why not Illinois? He wants me to come in and be a game-changer immediately.”

Billingsley also credited Illinois running back coach Thad Ward, the creator of the “#littyvILLe” and “#IllGang19” hashtags. #littyvILLe t-shirts can be seen around Chicago (I saw several at a Chick-Fil-A located 100 miles North of Champaign).

“[Patterson] is a good guy,” said rising receiver C.J. Boone of St. Louis Parkway HS, who never played for Patterson. “He’d pop up around workouts before he got hired at Illinois. You just see him around the community. He’s someone we trust, even for kids that didn’t go to Trinity.”

“Coach Patterson and I go way back. That’s like my cousin,” said defensive end Arvell Ferguson, of St. Louis Kirkwood HS. “He was my JFL (Junior Football League) coach, and we have been talking a lot.”

“I think it’s going to change a lot,” Ferguson said of the Patterson hire. “He’s done it before in high schools, and his knowledge will change a lot for Illinois.”

Will it work? Not if Illinois doesn’t improve on the field.

Big Ten fans can be excused for rolling their eyes at “The Movement.”

In 2015, Maryland had a bunch of elite recruits in the Metro-DC area convinced to stay home, including QB Dwayne Haskins. They called it “The Movement.” Maryland was selling branding, early playing time, and the ability to make a hometown legacy. The Terps were on pace to sign their best class ever. Sound familiar?

The Terrapins were coming off back-to-back winning seasons following a 2-10 and 4-8 campaign, and seemed poised to take the next step. But Maryland insiders knew just making a bowl in 2015 would be a big accomplishment.

The Terps, suffering through some injuries, went 3-9, losing games by 21, 39, 28, 21, and 16 points before Halloween. Haskins and the other good players bolted, and coach Randy Edsall was fired. Movement halted. Maryland is still digging out of the talent deficit.

If Illinois has another bad season, all of this could fall apart. Early Las Vegas odds have Illinois’ projected win total at just 3.5 regular-season victories. Overachievement will be necessary.

“We need to take another step on the football field,” Ward said. “This year. It’s imperative. We understand the urgency.”

Recruits are saying the same thing.

Not every elite prospect, even from Trinity, is buying in. Chief amongst that group is is star receiver Marcus Washington. Nobody I spoke with thinks Washington going to Illinois.

“They have to show something,” Washington, who plans to have Ohio State and Florida State on his final list, said of Illinois. “They have to win some games and send some people to the league. The NFL is everything. It’s my goal. I have to go to a school that’s going to get me there.” Washington said Sunday that Ohio State and Florida State are the two schools he knows will be on his final list.

“They gotta be somewhat decent, where we can go somewhere and change things around. I don’t want to go to a program that’s dead, can’t get out the water. I have to see improvement, but I see potential,” Shammond Cooper said. “They have to have a decent season, win like five games, show some potential against the big teams like Ohio State. I don’t want to see them getting 60-balled. I’d give it a 50-50 chance that Illinois sweeps all of us.”

Which early wager options are enticing? Which aren’t?

SB Nation’s Bud Elliott and Bill Connelly had a long, informal chat in our internal messaging app. We figured our readers might like it.

Bud: Bill, Bill, CFB odds are out!

Washington is 25/1 for the national championship. Not that I am fully convinced the Huskies can beat two more talented teams if they make it, but this has to be a hedge opportunity, right?

Bill: Yeah, just generally speaking, “drastically experienced Chris Petersen team” is going to be a pretty great candidate to overachieve its odds under any circumstances. My numbers love them, and while I’m not going to go out and make them my title favorite or anything — Bama, Clemson, and Ohio State do still exist, after all — I’d easily put them somewhere between fourth and sixth and not even with Miami.

Bud: Also, Washington’s over/under regular season win total is 8.5 The juice to the over is heavy at -200, but still, when 9-3 wins that wager, I think I’m laying that. Do you think there’s a 70 percent chance the Huskies go 9-3 or better?

Bill: Pardon me while I hop into a spreadsheet…

Per S&P+, Washington’s odds of finishing with a given number of wins:

4: 0.0%
5: 0.1%
6: 0.3%
7: 1.5%
8: 6.9%
9: 18.8%
10: 32.3%
11: 29.2%
12: 11.0%

So a 91 percent chance of going at least 9-3.

Bud: 91 percent chance of an over at -200 odds is a huge steal.

Bill: Yeah, I’m currently arguing on Twitter with people who are still referencing the Bama loss from two years ago as a reason why we shouldn’t take UW seriously. But we’re talking odds here, and UW seems like a great value there.

Bud: UW’s recruiting has improved a ton. I’d be concerned if this wager required UW to beat Alabama, but since we’re talking hedging a future, it doesn’t.

Sparty up

Bud: I also like Michigan State over 7.5 at -155. The Spartans get Ohio State and Michigan in East Lansing, don’t have a non-conference heavy, and dodge Wisconsin from the West division.

Bill: Yeah, I’m not even slightly thinking about Sparty from a national title perspective, but that’s a good number, specially with a trip to Arizona State as the toughest non-con.

Chopping down trees

Bud: Am I a dummy for taking Stanford under 9.5? At first blush, the Cardinal could be favored in 10 games (at Notre Dame and at Washington being exceptions), but they won’t be massive favorites against USC, at Oregon, Utah, or at Cal. 9-3 cashes an under bet on Stanford ...

Bill: Honestly, there aren’t a ton of teams I would consider an over on at 9.5, and Stanford isn’t one of them. They could be awesome, but that’s a high bar. S&P+ says Stanford’s mean win probability is about 7.3. That’s … uh … pretty far from 9.5.

Betting on Buckeye consistency

Bill: I think Ohio State at 9.5 feels strange simply from the perspective of “they’ve been under 10 wins once since 2004,” and Oklahoma at 10.5 seems shaky even for someone who doesn’t think of the odds of a huge drop-off are very high. But when it comes to getting people betting, these are reasonably sensible.

It’s funny, by the way, how a lot of the most interesting odds here involve the Pac-12 (Washington low, Stanford high, Herbert low) … and yet … USC’s o/u (7.5) feels somehow sensible. USC’s generally regarded as the biggest source of nonsense lines.

Volunteer as a tribute

Bud: Tennessee under 6.5, though I have to lay -165, is also worth a look. Let’s assume the Volunteers don’t win road games at Alabama, Auburn, or Georgia. To get to seven wins, Tennessee would need to go 4-2 or better against West Virginia (Atlanta), Florida, at South Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, and at Vanderbilt. I think under 6.5 should be more like -225 odds.

Bill: I don’t think I would touch Tennessee at any number this year. Hard schedule and nothing but unknowns as far as the eye can see.

Bowling Baylor?

Bud: Bill, if you think Baylor is more likely than not to make a bowl, there is over 5.5 at -125 sitting out there...

Bill: I fully trust Matt Rhule, and they were absurdly young last year, but I’m feeling a lot more comfortable at 4-8 or 5-7 than 6-6 or whatever.

Be ready when these odds debut

Bud: One team not yet on the board is UCLA. But I want to be on record as saying I don’t think the Bruins make a bowl, and will want to wager to reflect that.

Bill: Man, I’m way higher on UCLA than both you AND Bruce Feldman. That probably means I’m wrong. But I think Chip’s gonna have a pretty good QB (whoever it ends up being), and while I’m spooked by how … uncreative his NFL offenses became, I’m assuming he still knows some things. But UCLA is really impossible to predict — they’re thin in certain spots (which might or might not matter since we don’t know where the injury bug will bite), and S&P+ says they’ve got like NINE relative tossups. I’m still feeling something like 6-6 or 7-5 is the most likely scenario, though.

Bud: The thing that scares me about the QB situation there is that the player who best fits the style of offense Chip ran in college is true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who started just one season of high school because he was backing up Ohio State’s Tate Martell for the prior years of his high school career. That’s extreme inexperience. Though, I guess Wilton Speight could be the starter.

Bill: They have a QB in every shape, size, and experience level, which is entertaining if nothing else. And the simple fact that Kelly tookSpeight tells me he might not really know what he wants his offense to be anymore. But 6-6 isn’t a high bar either.

Bud: Another team I’ll be looking to play over when the odds come out is Arkansas, assuming the number starts with a 5. Arkansas has some significant turnover of roster and scheme to overcome. But the schedule is easy as could be for an SEC West doormat.

Bill: One thing about Arkansas that I like: maybe the most proven part of the entire roster is the receiving corps. You still, uh, need a QB and a defense, and Chad Morris’ next good college defense will be his first. But I’d trust them to hit 5 or more if that Colorado State game was at home…

Bud: A few more I want to bet when they come out:

• Washington State to miss a bowl
• Northwestern to miss a bowl because that schedule is nails (if I get +150 or better)
• Pitt to miss a bowl (hard schedule)
• Virginia to make a bowl (easy schedule)
• Oregon over as long as it is 8 or less (schedule and QB)

Bill: Oregon would have a MASSIVE year — like, better than Stanford’s and the only chance at taking down UW — if Herbert stays healthy and the D improves again. Love them at anything 8 or lower. And yeah, I feel like we’ve reached such a consensus on Wazzu at SB Nation that I almost feel like pushing back against groupthink and saying they’ll be pretty good. But S&P+ says only 7-5, and that’s before you get into any of the intangible issues they’re dealing with.

Heisman wonkiness

Bill: If you had asked me beforehand who I assumed would be at the top of the Heisman odds list seven months or so out, I’d have said some combination of …

• Bryce Love (last year’s returning finalist)
• Trace McSorley (proven, fun entity who could be leaned on heavily)
• Tua Tagovailoa (QB for obvious contender)
• Dwayne Haskins (QB for obvious contender)
• Kelly Bryant (QB for obvious contender)
• Jake Fromm (QB for obvious contender)
• Khalil Tate (this year’s crazy-fun-to-watch QB on a mediocre team)
• Damien Harris (Requisite Bama RB)

Based on that alone, the biggest surprises to me are…

• McSorley’s got the same odds (20/1) as Jalen Hurts (aka the second-best Bama QB) and nearly the same odds as Sam Freaking Ehlinger (25/1)?????????
• J.K. Dobbins (also 20/1) makes sense, but no Bama RB? Not Damien Harris orNajee Harris? (And before anyone says they cancel each other out, here’s your reminder that there are two Bama QBs on the list.)
• Shea Patterson’s crazy-high, but I get it.
• Justin Herbert (33/1) is a massive dark horse here, even more than McSorley. He would have been top-five in passer rating last year had he qualified, and Oregon was 6-1 with him before losing with an interim staff in the bowl game.
• Seriously, though, what the hell is with the Ehlinger odds?? They’re better than Bryant, Haskins, Herbert, Nick Fitzgerald, Jake Browning, and two QBs who actually put up stats last year (McKenzie Milton and Drew Lock). That’s insane.

Bud: Is now a good time for a reminder that CFB odds in May have very low limits so that Vegas doesn’t get exposed on green lines?

Agree with Herbert. I rarely bet the Heisman because the value is scant, but he is so talented and the schedule is tissue soft.

And yeah, Najee not being on there is wild.

Bill: Yeah, this is game-within-a-game stuff. And page views stuff, I guess. In the last six years, only two Heisman winners were predictable before the season (Mariota and Mayfield), with a third (Henry) that would have produced decent odds. Manziel, Jameis, and Lamar had started, like, a combined four games or so before their Heisman campaigns.

Bud: If Herbert had started the full season in 2018, he’d be under 25/1.