Recruiting thoughts: Miami, Oklahoma Tennessee surging, Florida showing signs of life

There was more recruiting activity in the past week than we see in a typical month. What a time to take a vacation, huh?

Instead of doing the normal “This Week in Recruiting” format, I thought this would be the perfect time to instead get a bunch of thoughts out there while simultaneously updating everyone on the happenings of the past few weeks. This will serve as a reset after a very busy month and a half in recruiting that started with the June official visits. Let’s just jump right in.

• It’s been apparent that this was going to be one of the more interesting recruiting cycles in recent memory. Why? Because there were so many intriguing coaching changes. Mario Cristobal to Miami. Brian Kelly to LSU. Lincoln Riley to USC. Brent Venables to Oklahoma. Dan Lanning to Oregon. Marcus Freeman to Notre Dame. Billy Napier to Florida. Tracking how all of these coaches — who all seem to really understand what it takes to recruit at a high level — is just flat-out entertaining. The funny thing, though, was that they all seemed to get off to relatively slow starts in the 2023 cycle. Not after last week.

• Let’s start with Miami because there’s no other way to put it than, “Wow.” Since June 26, Miami added commitments from offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG, edge rusher Jayden Wayne of IMG, quarterback Jaden Rashada of Pittsburg (Calif.) High, tight end Riley Williams of IMG, receiver Nathaniel Joseph of Miami (Fla.) Edison, linebacker Raul “Popo” Aguirre of Fayetteville (Ga.) Whitewater and athlete Robert Stafford of Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie. All of those prospects are ranked in the top 165 in the 247Sports Composite and four are in the top 100. That’s one of the most impressive single two-week periods I’ve seen from any program in recruiting. Again, wow.

• You can make all the LifeWallet jokes you want — and I’m sure we’ll get plenty of them in the comments — but people forget that Cristobal is a top-level recruiter. He deserves plenty of credit here, not only because the Hurricanes have landed a bunch of players, but for how they are doing it. They got top talent in Florida, sure, but they also have national prospects in that group as well. Rashada and Mauigoa (who is a native of American Samoa) are the types of prospects Miami simply wasn’t landing in the recent past. And Miami is one of the favorites for five-star offensive tackle Sampson Okunlola of Brockton (Mass.) Thayer Academy. We’re still far away from Miami being “The U” once again, but this is exactly how the program can get there. The entire viewpoint of how we view Miami has to shift now. It has for me.

• There were some whispers starting that maybe Napier wasn’t the answer for Florida on the recruiting trail when Rashada committed to Miami last month. Those were premature, but you have to understand Gators fans’ apprehension after the Dan Mullen era. Napier, though, responded to those worries by having his most significant recruiting run as Florida’s coach. Since July began, Florida has added four four-star prospects — athlete Eugene Wilson III of Tampa (Fla.) Gaither, defensive lineman T.J. Searcy of Thomaston (Ga.) Upson-Lee, running back Treyaun Webb of Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy and quarterback Marcus Stokes of Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.) Nease. Stokes had been committed to Penn State but flipped to the Gators after returning home from the Elite 11 Finals in California.

• Florida still doesn’t have a top-100 player in its 2023 class, which is something that’ll need to change if the Gators want to win national titles. But three of the four players listed above are in the top 200. And Stokes, ranked No. 398, had a very strong showing at the Elite 11. Since Rashada — who was once considered a strong Gators lean — committed to Miami on June 27, Florida responded in a big way, not only at quarterback but also by landing some top-end talent. It’s going to take time for Napier to really hit his stride, but this has been a very solid month for the Gators.

• How about Lanning at Oregon, huh? Though it has been a tough stretch for the Ducks — who recently watched USC and UCLA bolt to the Big Ten — they landed five-star quarterback Dante Moore of Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King. Oregon also added four-star cornerback Caleb Presley of Seattle (Wash.) Rainier Beach, the No. 78 overall player and the No. 1 player in the state of Washington (don’t get me started on the Huskies). Lanning dipped into the Midwest and took one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Solid early returns for Lanning and the Ducks.

• Michigan lost Moore in 2023 and five-star quarterback CJ Carr of Saline (Mich.) High in 2024. Carr is the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. Missing out on two in-state five-star prospects is a tough look for the Wolverines right now, especially considering their 2023 class ranks No. 45 nationally and doesn’t include a commitment from a player ranked in the top 200. I would have expected Jim Harbaugh to capitalize big on the 2021 season. Michigan did pick up four-star athlete Collins Acheampong of Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) High, the No. 298 overall player, which is a solid addition. But the Wolverines are, frankly, stinking it up in this cycle. Come up with any excuse you’d like: Harbaugh flirted with the NFL, Michigan isn’t playing the NIL game, whatever. This is just bad.

• Kelly dramatically improved LSU’s class since the beginning of July, highlighted by landing five-star receiver Jalen Brown of Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep. The Tigers also added five four-star prospects: edge Jaxon Howard of Minneapolis (Minn.) Robbinsdale Cooper, defensive lineman Dashawn Womack of Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy, edge Joshua Mickens of Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence Central, running back Kaleb Jackson of Baton Rouge (La.) Liberty Magnet and defensive lineman Darron Reed of Columbus (Ga.) Carver. All of those prospects rank in the top 250 nationally and three are in the top 110.

• LSU’s pickups were a nice blend of taking care of the home state and landing elite-level national prospects. LSU’s class ranks No. 8 in the country, and the Tigers still have plenty of top-tier in-state talent available. Here’s a crazy stat: LSU doesn’t have a top-10 player in Louisiana committed yet (four of the 10 are committed elsewhere). Kelly still has work to do, but you can count on the Tigers to make an impact in their home state.

• In my opinion, Cristobal has done the best job so far of the first-year coaches. That’s a layup answer after what Miami did over the past few weeks, but there truly hasn’t been a coach like him in Coral Gables in a long, long time — a Miami native with a distinct understanding of “The U” and how to recruit both locally and nationally. I’m all in on Miami right now.

• Michigan State earned a commitment from four-star Bai Jobe of Norman (Okla.) Community Christian School, the No. 64 overall player and the No. 9 edge rusher in the country. I said Mel Tucker had to land some top-100 players and the Spartans got one in Jobe. Michigan State lost a commitment from four-star cornerback Jaylon Braxton of Frisco (Texas) Lone Star (now committed to Arkansas), and Okunlola likely isn’t going to pick the Spartans, but Tucker is building a really solid class.

• Five-star defensive lineman Peter Woods of Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson committed to Clemson on July 8. That was a very significant pickup for Dabo Swinney, who now has the No. 3 class nationally. There is no question that the Tigers have mastered the art of recruiting both defensive linemen and quarterbacks. Three of the four top-100 players currently in the Tigers’ class play one of those two positions.

• I’ve been quick to point out that I’m selling stock in Clemson, but credit has to be given where credit is due. Landing Woods out of Alabama is top-level recruiting. Though I’d like to see Clemson with more than four top-100 players in a class with 17 commitments, Swinney’s program is still a viable destination for elite-level players — even five-star defensive tackles in the state of Alabama.

• When I was at the Elite 11, there was a competition at the end of the first night that pitted the participating high school prospects against college quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud and Caleb Williams. The winner of that competition was a stud with a live arm who made throw after throw. After the competition, I turned to my colleague Antonio Morales and asked, “What team does he play for?” I thought he was a college quarterback. He looked more like Stroud and Williams than he did the five-star prospects he was competing against. Antonio told me it was Chris Parson.

• Parson is a four-star prospect of Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood, the No. 328 overall player and the No. 16 QB in the 2023 class. His rating is lower because he has moved around a lot in high school and he’s maybe 6-foot. But he can play. He decommitted from Florida State on Tuesday evening, which was a big blow for the Seminoles. Florida State is still in a battle for four-star quarterback Brock Glenn of Memphis (Tenn.) Lausanne Collegiate School, so it may turn out OK. But I’m telling you right now: Parson is a stud and whoever lands him (Mississippi State has some momentum) is going to be very happy.

• Four-star quarterback Avery Johnson of Maize (Kansas) High, the No. 214 overall player and the No. 12 QB in the 2023 class, committed to Kansas State last Tuesday. Johnson participated in the Elite 11 and is surely one of the best quarterback prospects in the country. That makes the second time in three classes that Chris Klieman has landed a stud quarterback. In 2021, Kansas State signed four-star Jake Rubley of West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley.

• You thought Tennessee was done with five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava? Nope. Tennessee added five-star edge Chandavian Bradley of Platte City (Mo.) County, four-star athlete Cameron Seldon of Heathsville (Va.) Northumberland, four-star offensive tackle Shamurad Umarov of Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark and three-star linebacker Jalen Smith of Loganville (Ga.) Grayson in the past week. Tennessee’s class now has 18 commitments and ranks No. 5 nationally. It also has an average player ranking of 91.53. Tennessee is about to sign an elite-level class.

• Alabama was in the Arch Manning sweepstakes, but you could make the case that what the Tide is bringing in at quarterback in the 2023 cycle is better. Alabama already had four-star Eli Holstein of Zachary (La.) High in the fold before landing four-star Dylan Lonergan of Snellville (Ga.) Brookwood on Monday. There are only a few programs in college football that can pull off signing multiple top-100 quarterbacks in the same class, and Alabama is one of them. What would you rather have: One Manning or two top-100 quarterbacks? Depends on the program, I guess, but Alabama is in a really cushy spot right now.

• Penn State flipped four-star safety Elliot Washington of Venice (Fla.) High from Alabama. Yes, you read that right. Penn State flipped the No. 110 player nationally — a prospect who lives in Florida — from Alabama. This was a legit flip, too. He took other visits while committed to Alabama, and though the Crimson Tide didn’t really recruit him as though he was a prospect they couldn’t lose, Penn State went out and got him. And Washington is an Alabama legacy. His father played baseball for the Tide. This is a nice pickup for the Nittany Lions, who now have the No. 6 class in the 2023 cycle.

• In the past week, Oklahoma landed two four-star prospects who rank in the top 100 in receiver Jaquaize Pettaway of Houston (Texas) Langham Creek and offensive tackle Cayden Green of Lees Summit (Mo.) North. The Sooners’ class now includes four top-100 players. Ironically, Oklahoma’s class ranks higher than USC’s, which would be an incredible (and funny) reality if it ends that way. For whatever reason, Venables hasn’t gotten as much attention as the other first-year coaches at big-time programs, but I have a sneaky feeling that’s not going to last very long. Oklahoma is still landing top-tier offensive talent and has a defensive-minded head coach. That seems like quite the combo for that program.

(Photo of Mario Cristobal: Photo by Samuel Lewis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)