← Cover 3 College Football
Cover 3 College Football
NEW 247Sports 2026 Rankings Drop — Early Preview + Big Risers | Cover 3 Recruiting Show
00:47:59
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- [00:00]
A
So I made the new Eggo protein waffles the other day for my boys, and no surprise, the kids loved it. They've got that same great Eggo taste we all know and love, but with an irresistible twist. 20% of your daily protein in every serving. And let me tell you, protein has never tasted this good. I mean, my kids couldn't believe they were protein waffles. They just wanted more wall waffles. They're made with wholesome ingredients fresh from the griddle. And honestly, they become an easy part of our breakfast routine. It doesn't matter whether we have a little bit of syrup, maybe a little bit of butter, or, you know what, even just plain, because it's so simple and so delicious, these waffles deliver an excellent source of complete protein. 10 grams per serving, without compromising on flavor. Because, let's be real, if it doesn't taste good, no one's going to eat it. But. But these. No one can say no. Head to your local grocery store to fuel up your morning with Eggo protein waffles and pancakes. Available at retailers nationwide. It's the home stretch of the college football season. We're headed out of town. Rivalry weekend. Ooh, college football playoff games. The whole experience. While I'm off soaking in the excitement, I. I realized my home could actually be doing something for me while I'm away. That's right. You can host your home on Airbnb while you're gone. And it's such a practical way to earn a little extra money. I started thinking about it. A few nights of hosting could help cover part of the trip or even fund tickets for my next game. It's easy, and it doesn't take over your life. Just make your space available and then let others enjoy it while you're out having fun. And maybe it's not even a big game. We do it when we're out for holiday travel as well. You come home to a little extra cash in your pocket and no hassle at all. So if you've got an upcoming trip, whether it's a football weekend, a quick getaway, or a family visit, hosting really does feel like a smart move. Seriously, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much@airbnb.com host so I brought home the new Eggo protein waffles. That's right. My boys were all over them. And honestly, I get it. Because protein never tasted this good. They've got that same great Eggo taste we all know and love. But with an added bonus. 20% of your daily protein in every serving. What's not to love? They're made with wholesome ingredients fresh from the griddle. And they've become a go to around here in a lot of ways. I mean, we could have a little bit of syrup, maybe a little bit of almond butter for even more protein. Or how about just plain? They're still great. Everyone loves them. We call it a win win. Head to your local grocery store to fuel your morning with Eggo protein waffles and pancakes available at retailers nationwide.
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B
What's going on, y'? All? Bud Elliott here of the COVID 3 college football podcast. And today it is the COVID 3 recruiting hour. That's my man Andrew Ivins, who has been putting in a ton of work. Ivan, what's going on, man?
- [03:12]
C
Not much, Bud. In the words of Nick Cage from the movie gone in 60 seconds. A little tired, a little wired, but hey, I'm ready. Two weeks till signing day. Big rankings update for the class of 2026. These are the guys that are putting pen to paper here right around the corner. You know, a lot of work went into it, but, Bud, man, I feel really good about the top of the board for us, and I think a lot of teams are going to be getting better that first Wednesday of December.
- [03:43]
B
So, like, talk me through, through your process here. Obviously, like, we, we generally kind of know who a lot of the good players are, you know, by, by the summer, but everybody does kind of develop on a different timeline. Like, how important is it to actually continue to evaluate senior film?
- [03:58]
C
Well, Bud, I, I think it's vital to the evaluation process. And I've always said, you know, as we extend, accelerate the recruiting process, right? And, you know, decisions get made earlier and earlier, and these recruiting classes get assembled July 4th weekend of, of right before the senior seasons. I, I think it leads to, you know, mis evaluations and it leads to more players entering the transfer portal. Because a lot of schools are, you know, pushing that, that, that senior season to the side, and every prospect is not created equally, right? I mean, we're talking about kids that are, you know, some of them are 15, 16, 17, 18 years old. A lot of these guys grow on different timelines. The body matures on different timelines. But, I mean, I know you have some teenagers in the neighborhood, right? You're gonna have two boys, like, they grow on different timelines. And the other thing, too is, you know, some of these kids, they're at powerhouse programs where they might not be a starter as a freshman or a sophomore, and then, hey, junior year Is that first season, then as a senior, it's all clicking. They're much more confident. So the senior season evaluations are key. We're never going to push aside a 1012 game sample size. And some of these kids are going to be playing all the way up until the week before Christmas. Right. We got the state playoffs. So it's important, and I've said it a few times on the COVID three recruiting hour here. You can tell which recruiting departments have it humming right now. Those are the ones making the strong senior season of als, are the ones flipping the kids from the max schools. They're the ones that are adding and tinkering with the recruiting classes. So it's important. And I'll finish on this, bud, because I know I'm ranting on this, but no, it's good every time, right? You know, we look at, you watch college football, you look at the true freshman making plays. Like 99.9% of those kids were good as seniors. Like, the arrow was pointing up as they embarked on their collegiate career. Like Andrew Marsh, right. For Michigan this past weekend, I think it was 10 catches, 140 yards. Yeah. Guess what? Andrew Marsh was doing that as, as a senior, and he might not have been doing it as a junior. So the, the phrases arrow point up, right? We want to bet on the guys that are, that are doing it as they embark on that collegiate career.
- [06:14]
B
All right? So to get super nerdy with it, just from an evaluation standpoint, before we dive into, what I think everybody wants was maybe a sneak peek of. A sneak peek. Sneak peek of some of the preview stuff we have coming here. If a guy was like really good as a junior and he drops off as a senior, is that alarm bells? Is it more of like a flag? We, we got to investigate to figure out why. Like, what if we really can't find a reason for why he wasn't as good as a senior? Or like just maybe on a slightly lesser scale, what if he just kind of matches what he did as a junior and doesn't progress? Like, is that a red flag to you that maybe this guy is closer to topping out as a prospect than maybe some others?
- [06:54]
C
Yeah, but I mean, our rankings are always kind of steering towards the NFL draft, right? That is, that is our compass. And I think a lot of people are confused by that. You know, why is the NFL draft your guys, your guys measuring stick. And, you know, the counter to that is, okay, are we going to rank guys based off of their all American status? They, you know, are going to be award winners. We know the NFL is going to be there. There's going to be, you know, 260 draft picks every year. So we're looking for the ceilings. And I think it's a balancing of the ceilings in the floors. And you know, players do plateau, right? I mean, it happens all the time, right. Sometimes guys will break onto the scene at the power four level as a youngster and then three years later it's, they're still kind of the same guy. So, you know, we're looking for indicators of future long term success and you know, the tape is going to be king. That is going to drive the evaluation. But we're also taking into account so many different outside factors and, and you brought up, all right, guys, good as a junior, maybe doesn't exceed expectations as a senior. Yeah, we're going to dig into that. We're going to figure out, hey, is this kid hurt, right? Or is this kid mailing it in? Does this kid think he's made it right? Because a lot of the times the kids, you see where they're big names early on, they get all the offers, they get all the attention, and then the senior year, the production doesn't match. Usually that kid doesn't have it in them. Right. They get to their first stop and I say first stop because there's going to be multiple stops after that. So, yeah, it's certainly a ceiling in a floors. And at the end of the day, you know, we're trying to gather as much information as we can. The example I always use is, you know, the day before Jeremiah Smith started classes at Ohio State, he was in San Antonio at the Navy All American bowl, catching a touchdown pass in a game he didn't need to play in. But that kid wanted to compete. That kid wanted to show he was the best. And obviously, you know, he is, he is kind of one of one. But if Jeremiah Smith's not afraid, and Jeremiah Smith can do it as a, as a senior, I think a lot of these other, these other guys can as well.
- [09:01]
B
Yeah, man, I, I'm right there with like the guys who I, I think about like Decorian when we saw him last year at battle, right, like he gets rocked in pool play, like not even, you know, like elimination round. And like as somebody who was trying to shoot some tick tocks of them for cbs, I was like, damn it, like, all right, move on. And then obviously you hope he's okay. It looks like he wasn't, you know, gonna be bad Laker, but it's like he's diva receiver types. Not that he's one, but like receivers oftentimes, you know, like, are you really gonna keep, keep playing in pool? Play? Like he's like, no, I'm playing football. Like, let's get out there and play. And I thought at least he would sit out until the, the elimination round. So. I like guys to play football, man. For sure. All right, so we have found some new dudes here. Obviously we're not gonna. So first of all, the new top 247 comes out on Wednesday. Some of y' all may be listening this Tuesday. Some of y' all may be listening this Wednesday. How many new members of the top 247 do we have?
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C
Over 50.
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B
Look at that. That's a good amount of turnover. Yeah.
- [10:00]
C
This is, I think the biggest update we've executed since I've, I've sat in the chair at 247 sports. And you know, that was kind of by design. Right. You know, we haven't really got into the top two four, seven since the summer months and there's, there's a ton of different contexts. And in addition to that, bud. Right. You know, we got 50 new guys inside the top 247. We got over 50 new four star prospects. Right. We wanted to stamp at the end. Yeah. There's still some football that's can be played. We still got some all star games. But this is, this is the big update, right? With, and I think it's important just with, with everything that's going on now, signing days coming up, coaching carousels hitting warp speed. Right. Transfer portal is going to open up. You know, we know all the eyeballs are going to be on signing day. That, that three day signing window in two weeks. So, so this is the one. Right. And I feel really, really good about it, bud. A lot of hours went into it. Gabe Brooks, Hudson Standish on our scouting team. You know, feedback from, from you, Tom. Boy, all those guys. I mean, this is, I don't want to say like months, I mean, because it's years. So I mean, we've been tracking these kids for, for three years now and it's kind of like Top Chef, right? At some point, you know, time, knives down, hands up, you know, the timer's over. We got to put product out there and that's what we're doing on Wednesday.
- [11:18]
B
So like, obviously I do our recruiting scorecard and grade the whole industry to see who does best for like, like for us it's been really, really good for a while, you know, and one of the things that, when I went back and looked at the errors that like the industry in general would make, anchor bias is like by far the number one as far as avoidable errors. You know, like, you may not know a kid has mental health stuff, like, or even if he does, like, you may not be able to find that out. Like, there are certain things, injuries and whatnot are avoidable, but that's in some ways somewhat random. Anchor bias is like by far the biggest one. Like not getting away from your priors because it's like, you could call it confirmation bias too. I think anchor bias probably more appropriate there. It's just like, it's not like you were wrong. It's. You're evaluating a three year data set, now you're evaluating a four year data set. Everybody grows. Like you said, it grows on different timelines. So I'm, I'm pumped to hear that we have that many new ones because, like, that tells me that like, it's good. Like the, the where we screw up, where I'm like, damn, we could have had like 7% more accuracy here overall if we could have dumped some of these dudes who we loved as sophomores who never grew or just kind of stagnated. Like. So I. All right, enough about the process. I just like, Ben, that, that's music to my ears for sure. Yeah.
- [12:28]
C
And, and I think, bud, like, with where we've gotten in the rankings process, you know, we're not going to miss on the guys with the traits. Right? We, the, the ones where we miss is how they're wired between the ears. And, and we are not, you know, the NFL, right. We are not the 33rd organization. We, we can't get these guys on the whiteboard. Yeah, we get some exposure to them at various points around the year, but we're talking about a pool of players that is 5,000 deep. Right. We're not gonna get to everyone. And I had an SEC gm, you know, tell me that back in the summer. It's like, hey, you guys don't miss like on, on the freaks. Where you guys misses is, is the guys that, you know, have it between the ears and, and they admitted that they miss on that stuff as well. So, yeah, you know, it's, it's a lot. And, but I think we've, we've continued to, to fine tune the process. And again, like, you know, we're gonna miss. Absolutely. We miss all the time. And guess what? When we're missing, everyone's sitting there watching the games on, on Saturday. I'm going back and I'm figuring out why we missed and hopefully trying to, you know, limit the that margin for error moving forward.
- [13:35]
B
I mean, we, we have a whole chart. It's like, all right, like check here. Got Guy added more than 25 of body weight after graduating high school. Like again, as an evaluator, if you project that to happen or like with any kind of regularity, you're going to get fired because that's just not good process. Yeah, right. All right, Ivan, man, I'm pumped by this. Always like, like learning about some of these new guys. If you are watching this show, certainly you do as well. Who are the dudes that you're like, oh, we got one here, man. Like I, I'm excited. Like, like pop on the tape, learn the kids background. Oh yeah, this is it.
- [14:05]
C
Yeah. Well, but I mean, let's start at number one overall, right? And, and, and the battle for number one wrote about it for 247 sports on, on Tuesday. Kind of a four player, four horse race for that, that number one position. And Faison, Brandon, the Tennessee quarterback, commit. You know, he's been our guy really from the jump. He's held that number one title in the rankings. The issue is as this, as a senior, he got hurt week one. He led his team to an overtime victory, hurt his, his hand and kind of shut it down. And we were under the impression that, you know, Faison, no reason to, you know, put himself out there. He's going to roll early at Tennessee. Who knows what the quarterback competition looks like in Knoxville next season. We thought he was done, right? He wasn't gonna do any all star games. Well, sure enough, last week, Faison, Brandon returns the action in the second round of the state playoffs there for Grimsley. And he looked awesome, right? He played one half blowout victory, threw three touchdown passes. And you know, you watch the cut up on, on Fazen Brandon, it's like, okay, yeah, this is the guy that we fell in love with, right? He's, he's a tall, athletic, methodical passer and he threw some absolute darts. I, I charted him with only, you know, one turnover worthy pass. So Faison's been the guy at, at the top for the longest time. You know, we thought coming into this update it was like, all right, we can't hold this guy that isn't going to play as a senior at number one. Well, you know, now he's back playing and if he leads his team to another state championship, he's going to have four more starts under his belt. And he's going to head to college with 36 career starts and kind of the key number for us is 35. So, you know, Faison, Brandon's the guy everyone has been chasing. And, you know, there's, there's three dudes behind him that I think if, if you follow recruiting, you listen to the show, you're aware of them. Keyshawn Henderson, the Houston quarterback, commit, he's been excellent, right? He just wrapped up his senior season, you know, plays a bit of a independent rogue schedule there at Legacy School of the Sports and Sciences. So he's not playing like in a Lone Star state district where it's, you know, a bunch of dudes weekend and week out. Well, Keyshawn Henderson's team, I mean, they played some spotlight competition, right? They played some big games. They went into Louisiana, they played St. Augustine, Port Arthur Memorial there in Texas as well. And Keyshawn was awesome in both of those competitions. Intoxicating is what I texted all our guys. You know, watching those games, I'm like, the more you see of Keyshawn, the more you like, he is a, a catalyst. Everyone wants to be around Keyshawn Henderson and really what I think stands out about him as a senior has shown a ton of growth as a passer, using the legs a little bit more. You know, I think a lot of people see and read about Keyshawn Henderson and you know, former wide receiver, former safety, he's got this track speed. They assume this guy just wants to take off and run, but he wants to win from the pocket. With that being said, you know, when he decides to exit, when he decides to scramble, he is going to gash defense. I mean, we're talking like 60, 70 yard touchdown runs. I think stylistically Jaden Daniels comes to mind. Lamar Jackson comes to mind. So, you know, Keyshawn has certainly been a Darling for 24, seven sports. We've had him in our, our top 32 for over a year now. I think the rest of the industry has finally caught up on, on Keyshawn Henderson. But the, you know, there's a reason why we believe in him and he's just a guy that, you know, he, he can be that difference maker. The two others, Jared Curtis, five star quarterback. You know, he's been a five star quarterback committed to Georgia, Vanderbilt. We talked about that, bud. You know, they kind of got involved with, with Jared Curtis. The big question with him, I think coming into the senior season was he's a guy that didn't do the elite 11 finals. He is a guy that didn't do a ton of camps. And we're certainly not saying like hey, you have to do these camps. Like you know, if you don't do the camps, we're not going to rank you high. That is not the case. Right. Bryce Underwood was not at the Elite 11 finals. Arch Manning never did anything like we will stick you up there. But you know, when you're not as putting yourself out there as some of these other, other, you know, your peers in these other arms, it kind of makes it hard to, to gauge you in the group and identify that ceiling and identify the floor. He's at Nashville Christian which is playing a lower level of competition in Tennessee and we had some games circled on his senior schedule because they, they were, they were playing some bigger schools end in Tennessee. Multiple FBS prospects on defense and, and Jared Curtis was, was the X factor against the best competition leads a a overtime victory kind of come come from behind. You know I talked about it in the past with Jared Curtis, bud. You know he can make all the throws with his arm, right. You know he can do the Mahomes stuff. He can, he can drop the elbow, throw off platform and all that. He's also a really, really good runner. And you know I say this, he reminds me a little bit I brought it up in the past of like Dylan Raiola only if Dylan Raiola was a true dual threat talent. Now I think a lot of people are going to push back on, on that comp because you know, I think opinions are still split on Raiola there at Nebraska. I think there's some Jay Cutler to him. He's got this swag to him. So Jared Curtis for us came into the season a lot of, I don't know doubters I would say but there were some questions and he has, he has answered all of those. And then finally Bud, the fourth player non quarterback Lamar Brown Offensive lineman, defensive lineman. Committed to LSU at University Lab there in, in Baton Rouge. We initially listed him as a guard, right Then we moved him to defensive line. Well on Wednesday he's going into the rankings as a 280 pound athlete. He's going to be athlete one and, and, and that's because we think like he could be D Lineman 1, he could be O Lineman 1 and he's played a lot more offense than defense this season. I think that's going to change in, in the playoffs. It seems like his coaches are electing to to save him. But man on defense Havoc creator up front alignment flex change of direction burst polish as a pass Rusher, it's all there. And then, you know, the offensive tape is, is, is elite. Right? It just swallows up guys hip turn can climb to the second level. I mean Lamar Brown is, is, is so unique. And I said it, I think back in the summer, you know, how many, how many teams out there enter week 13 of the college football season happy with their offensive line play? It's a really small group. Okay, then how many teams are pleased with the pressure their defensive line is creating? Like, I don't know if Lamar Brown's gonna play both ways, but he can, he can solve one of those problems for a lot of different schools.
- [21:15]
B
Man, that is a really exciting foursome right there. I, with Curtis, like I remember, you know, over the summer, just chat with me was like, I just, I just want to see it like can the guy just get healthy and put together a string of, of dominant performances, you know, and it like I think you were right to wait until he did so and then now you're rewarding him for going out and absolutely freaking dominating. Like that's kind of the way it should work, right? Like, like that's, I mean if you're Georgia, Stockton's playing really well ability wise. Curtis may have a different gear.
- [21:49]
C
I think he's a fighter pilot. Right. And it's, it'll be interesting, you know, assuming he does stay with Georgia. Right. And, and by all accounts, like that is certainly not mine. I don't swim in that lane. Right. Like that's, that's Tom boy. That's, that's the other guys at 24, seven sports. But you know, out of, out of the three I just mentioned quarterback wise fazing Keyshawn and Jared, Jared is if I had a bet like he's the guy that that could step in year one and I think any of, with any of these freshman quarterbacks, we're seeing it with Bryce Underwood. You know, I think you can put DJ Lagway in the same bucket. But Arch Manning, like there's going to be some growing pains, right? I think some guys are more ready than others and I think Jared is the most ready play signal caller in this group in this class. He's going to go to college with over a thousand career pass attempts. He's a little bit older. I think the maturity is there and, and I think his floor is certainly up there. Now with, with Faison and Keyshawn, you know, the physical features, they're a little bit younger. You know, you can make the case that the ceiling's a little bit higher, but you can't go wrong. I, I think with either one of those three quarterbacks, it just really depends on, on your flavor.
- [23:04]
B
So let's go down the list a little bit. Who are some of the guys who came not out of nowhere, but like relative to the rankings, essentially out of nowhere. Like the guys were like, oh, all right, cool, we got one here. We feel really good about this. Let's, let's fire.
- [23:19]
C
Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put. I'm gonna chum the waters with, with two names out there.
- [23:23]
B
Yeah, man.
- [23:24]
C
Danny Odom, cornerback out of the Orlando area. Bud. Watched a lot of corners. A lot, a lot of corners. Danny Odom, man, gets me excited jumping out of. Of the seats, right? Everything you want in a. A new age cornerback. He's tall, he's long, he's fast, he's reactive. He can play the football, he can make tackles. He's young, he's got the speed. Like just box checked after box check after box checked with, with. Danny Odom took on Venice High School this season and, and the, the program. He's at the First Academy. They, they played like an img, like schedul. Different powerhouse programs around the country. I mean, this kid's battle tested. And against Venice, who usually wins a state title in the Sunshine State, three interceptions as a man corner out on the boundary. I love this kid. I think Nebraska, which has had to fend off a lot, a lot, a lot of programs here down the stretch, I think they got a dude in Danny Odom. And again, the more exposure we get to him, it's like, whoa, okay, Danny Odom, you know, I put him in the bucket along with some of these other corners that we've, you know, stamped high in recent years that have gone to powerhouse programs and made plays early. Like kind of, kind of reminds me a little bit, not player wise, but I had a similar feeling about Xabian Brown, who did it as a freshman, doing it as a sophomore at Alabama. I think the same thing goes with, with Danny Odom. Potential corner one. And I think in the Big Ten, perfect fit. Just kind of with the receivers. You see there, more right line of scrimmage league. So, so Danny Odom's one and then Bud the other guy, I gotta highlight. I'm calling him the Swedish Jalen Carter. And I ran that by a few people in Athens. They didn't push back on it. So I'm calling Valdin Sone the Swedish Jalen Carter. This is a kid but I saw two years ago in Germany at An international camp. They were like, hey, this is, this is Valden Sonnet. He's from Sweden. He's got a taekwondo background. And I'm like, well, he looks like an absolute freak, but, but can he play American football? And you know, last year showed up to the Navy All American bowl, went head to head with, with a bunch of offensive linemen that are playing a true freshman right now in college football. You know, one we've been slowly keeping an eye on. He's playing in Virginia. Loved his senior tape. Disruptive up front. I mean he is, he just takes over. He also plays a little bit of offensive line. Georgia, I think this is the gym of their class. Valden Sone, a guy that we're just super excited about. I mean, 6, 3, 315 pounds, moves like Jalen Carter there in the middle. So another kind of darling for us. But I think his senior tape backed it up. And you know Georgia, that they're trying to get better in the middle there. We saw a little bit of Elijah Griffin, former against Texas. Five pressures according to pff.
- [26:34]
B
Needed it.
- [26:35]
C
Yeah, well, they're reloading Valdon Sony, the Swedish, Jalen Carter. Remember that name because I, I think UGA is really fired up about him and it's easy to see why with the game tape.
- [26:47]
B
Who is your toughest call in this thing? Like the guy, the guy you debated over the most?
- [26:53]
C
Yeah, and I knew bud, like a month ago. Just, just kind of talking with my team. And, and for those that aren't familiar, you know, we have 32, five stars every year, right? 32. It reflects the first round of the NFL draft. You have 32 picks, you know, unless some organization gets in trouble and then maybe there's 31 picks, but there's 32 every year. And, and you know why, why 32 five stars? Well, you gotta protect, I, I think the, the value of a designation, right. You know, if we, you know, there's only 400 blue chip prospects every cycle. So we have the 32 five stars, which are the fives. I'm not going to do math right here, but when it comes to the four stars, we stop at 400. And I think a lot of people wonder, you know, why is that the case? Well, if we made everyone a four star, then it's, hey, why aren't they all five stars? So I, I said I knew a month ago that we were going to have more prospects with five star grades than, than we had spots in the 32. And you know this isn't finalized, right, because we are going to get, you know, another month of football we are going to get. These all star games are a little bit different now because kids are off to CFP practices and starting, you know, their, their collegiate careers and it's more juniors at these all Star games. But we're going to get some of them in there. So you know, I think this time last year it was like, hey, we're going to wait for the All Star games and then we'll set our 32 five star field. We didn't want to do that. We wanted to get this looking like we were turning in the assignment right now. So you know guys, that it was really, I, I think difficult. Tyler Atkinson's a player that comes to mind. Linebacker out of Grayson High School. I mean I love this kid. He's Gonna have over 500 tackles in one of the Peach State's highest classifications. I think he sees the field at an elite, elite, elite level. He can offer value on, on third down as a blitz or even an off ball rusher. I mean he is the heart and soul of a defense. He is a green dot player there at Texas in the future. Now that being said, Tyler Atkinson, he's six foot one. You know, he's, he's 215 pounds. How much bigger is he going to get? You know how many linebackers are getting selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Jihad Campbell looks a little bit different than Tyler Atkinson does. So you know that, that's a difficult one for us. You got the tight end Kendra Harrison committed to Oregon, you know, but I, I love the big freaks. I, I love Kendra Harrison like participated in USA basketball mini camps. He has shattered three backboards in high school. I mean he is 6 foot 6, 260 pounds. He, he looks like Darnell Washington who we all saw make that big play for the Steelers over the weekend. But again, how, how many tight ends go in the, in the, in the first round these days? So you know, I, I think honestly I would have to add it up here. I probably have 40 or so guys with what I would have a first round grade on, right. We only got 32 spots to use and we're not locking it in. There will probably be some more tweaks here but man, we really love the guys that we do have inside because we have these complete evaluations. A lot of them we saw last year at an all star event. A lot of them we've seen on the camp circuit. A lot of them are multi sport athletes. A lot of them had, I mean Everyone has had an excellent senior season. So tough calls were made. Tough calls were made, and those are the ones that keep me up at night. But if we're being honest, like, yeah.
- [30:37]
B
This is, this is good TV. Good YouTube at least, right?
- [30:41]
C
Yeah. You're sitting there and it's like, yeah, you know, I go back in my back and forth in my head on, you know.
- [30:51]
B
We should note like a top 50 grade out of the thousands and thousands of high school football players in the country is nothing to be pissed off about, I, I would say. All right. So anybody, anything else on the new five stars you mentioned, you mentioned Baldin? Do we want to talk Richard Anderson, or do you want to pivot to the guys who made like the biggest jumps in the ratings? Those are kind of some of like the out of nowhere guys. Tell me about Kosiak Pala. Bud, I was excited about this.
- [31:20]
C
Yeah, love, love this kid. And I, I, he's probably a name that I don't even think the diehards are gonna know unless you're a Texas fan. Front seven defender out of the Lone Star State. You know, again, you start rolling through guys, rolling through guys. Rolling through guys. Cosi Okpala, he's one where it's like, whoa, okay, like, what do we got here? I think Bud, he might have the best bend in the class. You look at his junior season, you go through your notes and it's like, okay. Still trying to figure it out. Still trying to figure it out. Completely different as a senior. I think he had four and a half sacks as a junior, got close to eight as a, as a senior. Two way player. He's explosive and, but I think one of our big, you know, self scouting corrections has been we used to get so caught up, I think, in the, in the measurements with those pass rushers, right? Like Reuben Bain comes to mind and you know, Miami fans love to tell me, hey, Reuben Bain wasn't a five star and it's looking like Reuben Bain is, is going to be a first round pick. So I, I guess we got to eat that one. But Reuben Bain loved him. I, I went back to my final notes on him. It's like war daddy up front gets to the quarterback, just figures out ways to make it work. A bit of a tweener, but this guy's going to be a dude. I don't think we valued that enough. I think we got too caught up in that, in that tweener tag. Now you have a guy like Kosi Opala, right? Yeah. He's under 6 foot 3, right. You know?
- [32:53]
B
Yeah.
- [32:53]
C
Is he an off ball linebacker? He's an all ball linebacker. Here's what it doesn't matter, right? The time to quarterback. This guy can let it rip. And we're seeing it, I think with this upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. We see it on Saturdays and Sundays. Like the guys that you need to bet on are the guys that can pressure the quarterback and they can get sacks. And Cosiopala, not a complete product, but he's got some of the best testing metrics for a guy his size. And we thought he took a major, major jump forward as a senior. And I think if you're a Texas fan, you need to be thinking about, okay, maybe we got another Colin, you know, Colin Simmons here, right? This guy that can just pin his ears back and tee off on quarterbacks.
- [33:37]
B
And one of the things is like, you know, fall in love with the measurables that I would love to fall in love with even more measurables if we could measure like your reactive bend, right? Like there are certain some of these drills, but you know, at which point you need to bend it. Part of like ball is like when do I do I hit my, my dip move, right? And that that's reactive to other elements. Like what's the quarterbacks drop, what's the offensive tackles pass set like that that's hard to put like a true number on. And then you're like, all right, well like some of these guys, they may not run the best time, but they win with get off. Even in high school, man, like when you watch this stuff, I'm sure you see it like when I'm watching some of these guys, like, dude, that is so good. But also like how do we know this quarterback doesn't go on one way more often than he should, right? Like how do we know that like, you know, the guy he's facing doesn't have an obvious tell that would be licked like that in college. Like they just wouldn't let the guy on the field if he had to tell. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, yeah, it. I wonder if in like the next decade we get better ways to measure like reactive bend and, and reactive quickness in a way, right? Like certain drills that, you know, show reaction time that, that can shave a couple tenths off your play speed, you know, compared to what, what your time speed is. But we just, I don't think we have that perfectly right now. You know, it's like the actual just watching the tape and watching these guys move in person, it still matters so much.
- [34:55]
C
Yeah, and, and, but that's, you know, circling back to the, the front end of the show. Hey, why did the senior seasons matter, right? You know, you know, why are you trying to gather so much info? Yeah. In the spring, it's, it's great watching these guys in the combine setting. But, but to your point, I mean, you know, you can be pretty polished at running the hoop, you can be pretty polished at the three cone drill. You learn how to do the shuttle when you can see it on the game tape is, is when you get really excited and when you can see these guys do it out of a variety of, of different alignments. Right. You know, they can do it out of two point stance, they can put them in a three, they, they can execute some inside games. And I think Cosi Opala, he's. Again, you know, I feel confident saying this because I rolled through all the edge rushers. I think he's got some of the best bend out there, right. Is he as polished as these other dudes? Maybe not, but I love the potential and what he could be at some point down the line.
- [35:51]
B
And you talk to some of these, like, these guys in the college scouting departments, like, yeah, we know what time he ran at UC Report, but luckily UC Report, they video all the reps of the testing. So you can go. And there's a major difference between, oh, this guy's a slug and oh, this guy doesn't know how to run this drill. And it's clear like he's thinking through it like he's not prep, like he's not actually executed before, you know, with his trainer. So who else do we have for the big time risers, man?
- [36:18]
C
Can I just tee off on some wide receivers? Yeah, you know, I, I think I.
- [36:24]
B
Like this receiver class.
- [36:25]
C
Yeah. And, and I, I think, you know, six months ago we wouldn't have liked this receivers class, but Samorian Wingo, who's, who's committed to Miami out of St. Augustine High School. Right there, so there. And in Duval County, I, I think this guy's Jeremy Bernard, right? He heats up after the catch and, you know, huge fan of him early on as, as a youngster and has continued to exceed any and all expectations. And, you know, he's not a guy that runs track, but I'd rather have my receivers to be, if we're being honest, play basketball, punch it on the hardwood. Think about it, bud. You know, in basketball, if you want to get to the rim, you got to go through someone, right? That's how, that's how you score. And Saborian Wingo is a guy that can certainly do it on, on the basketball court. He's committed to Miami. I just, I love what that kid has, has put on tape. He's one to me, you know, super convicted in what he could be at some point down the line. You know, a few others in here. Ethan Booby Feaster, I think I mentioned him before on, on the COVID three podcast headed to usc. I think this is a, a Trojans wide out of old. Like get this guy in the black cleats, let him on the outside make plays. He's got really long speed and he's got that catch radius where he can make the adjustments. He could, he can put his arms out usc. I'll say this, but like having watched all the blue chip players really like USC's recruiting class and I know you see them number one in the rankings and you know, they got 30 plus guys committed. I think a lot of people wonder, okay, it's like, is this class legit or is it a lot of fluff? I think they got some dudes coming in. Chad Bowen, the new GM there, you know, Lincoln Riley, like it's been a complete 180 and they've done an excellent job nationally but also in LA and tapping into that new kind of Midwest footprint. Their quarterback, Jonas Williams, he's out of Illinois. Albert Hill out of Ohio, he's got 20 career interceptions. Albert Hill does. I just, I really like USC's recruiting class and you know, Kenye Pepe, offensive tackle. I mean I can go up and down the list and on and on. But you know, I think for everyone listening like this USC stuff is, is legit. Like this is a foundational class for them and it much, much needed after they lean so heavily on the transfer portal.
- [38:56]
B
I mean it does feel like it's so hard to execute like a mid, not mid career, although I guess Riley is technically mid career, but like a, a mid tenure pivot and, and like this recruiting class for USC does feel differently. I thought last cycle actually to kind of circle back to something we talked about in the show. They took some dudes who at least watching them at times I was like, that's kind of a competitive character risk but the abilities there and some of those guys are like playing for them early and actually making a real impact. So if you want to read into that and you're a Trojan fan, positively, it's like, all right, hey, like we took some, you know, some guys that maybe didn't always bust their butts throughout their high school career and yet they're playing hard for us. So maybe, maybe new strength program, new new culture there at usc. I'm really actually starting to buy into this thing. I, I think they're, I agree with you. They're doing a nice job there.
- [39:50]
C
Two, two more receivers. I just want to shout out here, here, bud. Corey Barber headed to Ole Miss out of the state of Alabama last I checked. And this stuff's all, all fluid. He was leading the Yellowhammer State in receiving yards. You know, you think about Lane Kiffin in, in that offense and I know Lane's name has been linked to a variety of different SEO, buddy. Yeah, but Corey Barber, to me, I mean it doesn't matter where he's going to go to school. This guy can produce some yak, he can produce some explosive plays. One of my favorite wide receivers that I watch. And, and to be honest, like, this is the hardest position I think to stack for us, right? All these guys are productive. All these guys have traits. All these guys have track markers. So we're looking at for guys that can consistently separate. Corey Barber currently committed to Ole Miss. He's one of them. Another guy, bud, Jason Lopez committed to Florida State out of Chaminade Madonna Prep High School. Same school as Jeremiah Smith, obviously. This kid year over year production is insane, like insane. Multiple thousand yard receiving seasons. He's just a tough individual that gets open. Also expected to play basketball for Florida State and, but I think when you get around Jason Lopez, you're like, there's no way this guy's a Division 1 basketball player. Then you put on the hoops mixtape and you know he's dropping 30 a game. You know, he is, he's just one of those athletes kind of like best on the park, just get good at everything. Jason Lopez, he's been one as well.
- [41:21]
B
And then great stopping power.
- [41:22]
C
Yeah.
- [41:23]
B
Like his deceleration to, to create space is, is pretty noticeable.
- [41:29]
C
Yeah, he's, he's, he's one. So again, like the receiver position, you know, we're going to, we're going to take as many shots as we can at those receivers. We're saving ourselves some, some buffer zone because we've had success in the past. Alabama, Mississippi, All Star game coming up. Shrine bowl of the Carolinas coming up. You know, we've seen some guys kind of rise to the occasion there. Same thing with the Navy All American Bowl, Under Armour game. So I like this receiver group. You know, those are some of the ones that, you know Really, I, I think stand out. And. And there's a bunch, right. I said it. 54 newcomers, you know, a lot of receivers. We stamped. And that was by design. We want the guys that are playing their best football as they embark on that collegiate career.
- [42:15]
B
You know, something else. Like, we talk about how the talent is more spread out among the sport without giving away who they are. Quick discount here. There are 20 different schools of the five star. I know, but that's cool though, man.
- [42:31]
C
It is like, the sport is much.
- [42:33]
B
Healthier if we have like 30 or 40. Like fan bases are like, hey, if we do it right, we have a shot, you know?
- [42:40]
C
Yeah. And.
- [42:41]
B
And that was never the case growing up, man. There was like maybe like 10 or 12 schools that if they're really doing it right, they got a shot. Like, with the talent spread out, like, you can have a magical year and actually like not be completely delusional and.
- [42:51]
C
Think you can go do something right. And. And can I get like some people really fired up here, bud?
- [42:57]
B
Yes.
- [42:58]
C
All right. I know Jed Fish's name and this is. I do not want Washington fans to take this the wrong way. Like, big fan of what Washington can be. I said this last year when I saw the recruiting class coming together. Dude, their 20, 26 recruiting class is awesome. I. I'm like all in on it. And I bring that up because, you know, Jed Fish has been linked to some jobs out there. Right. I think people wonder about Jed Fish the recruiter, you know, open up the hood. Look at this recruiting class. His. His guys, which followed him from Arizona and are now there at Washington, like, they are going to make noise in the Big ten. They are getting a caliber of player that, you know, I know Washington played for the College Football Playoff. This is a little bit different. And you know, our colleague Cooper, protagonist, put together that College Football Playoff roster. He would say this is on par. You know, they got a really good offensive tackle, you know, potential franchise corner protector Cody Green. Out of matter day, they got him. They got the safety out of Las Vegas. Gavin Day. I think He's Dylan Dyneman 2.0. I love their entire DB class. Washington. I. I just love what they're doing on the recruiting front. The other one, Bud, again, I'm trying to get fan bases fired up. I. I think Tulane's got like three guys inside the top two. 47 Summer all name keeps coming up.
- [44:17]
B
That's a good class.
- [44:18]
C
I. It's a really. It's a really good class. And. And same thing. You know, he. His previous Stop. He brought those guys with him. I think they had a bunch of official visitors over the weekend committed to SEC schools. But you know, like Trez Davis is, is a receiver that. I think we had a four star in him before he even picked Tulane. He's out of West Monroe. He's kind of flown under the radar. You know his senior stuff is up there with a lot of these household names around the country. And I, I just bring that up with Summerall because you know, if he does end up somewhere else, I would not be surprised if a lot of that recruiting class, you know, followed, followed him to the next stop. Just given that we got two weeks until that early signing period.
- [44:59]
B
I thought there were six kids in that class that were no doubt like easily could play at the jobs to which he's current. Like he's you know, commonly rumored to, to be in contention for, you know, so like you know, upper mid level SEC schools, like they would not be out of place on that roster if they develop. So yeah, like that. That's a hell of a job.
- [45:18]
C
And same thing with Alex Gillesh at us. Yes. Yeah, the Bulls have been, dude, they've been raided. They have been rated. It seems like every week they're losing kind of one of these early evals to another school. I know Michigan's come in there, they got an edge rusher Jamie and Picnic Pinckney. Yeah, they're fighting to hold on to, you know, he ends up at usf. Gillesh doesn't end up anywhere else. Yeah, that's like all AAC type of caliber player and I think a guy that would get on the field there early.
- [45:48]
B
Yeah, I completely agree and I do like that we are especially in the Portal era, like not afraid to take shots. Like not everybody has to have the name Ohio State or Texas or Georgia next to them to get a ranking. You know, not that you did before but like obviously the talent was more hoarded at those schools before nil was the thing. Right. And before transfer Portal was a thing like somewhere else and go.
- [46:10]
C
We're not scouting the helmet logo like right. I, I think I have to fight, fight the fight all the time. I mean we understand player movement is at an all time high. I mean the odds of these guys ending and staying at the same school, I know they all say three to four years but you know, four to five years is, is very slim. And the other other thing is, you know, the odds of the coaching staff staying in place are quickly shrinking. Right. Like hey yeah, this staff does an excellent job of Developing wide receivers. Well, how do I know they're going to be there in, in two years, right? I. I mean, there's just so much movement. I mean, we are trying to get it right. And you know, the past two years, we, we set aside, I think, 10 spots for group of six signees that we were going to, we're going to stamp. We, we know group of six players. Well, it used to be they would get drafted. We know they're, they're getting poached in the transfer portal. So we, we set out to, to find 10 of those guys each year. We're going to do that again after signing day because, you know, we, we don't like stamping the guys and then, you know, some recruiting department looking to add to their recruiting class. But I think as it stands right now, like, we got six, you know, group of, of, of, of six players that have blue chip status. I mean, heck, Keyshawn Henderson's committed to Houston and, you know, I just brought up how he's in the conversation for that, that number one pole position in the, in the rankings.
- [47:36]
B
Absolutely. Man, this has been so much fun. Obviously, everybody's gonna have all their eyes glued tomorrow to 247 sports. You jumping on HQ for this as well?
- [47:43]
C
Jumping on HQ, bud. Yeah, you know, I, I think I'm out of the film bunker, so I'm, I'm ready to.
- [47:50]
B
Got the eye patches ready to go. Yeah.
- [47:52]
C
Just ready to, to talk about these, these, these players. And you know, I guess the first big coaching domino falls with, with James Franklin of Virginia Tech. Dude, he's, he's going to get that thing. Ripping. From a recruiting class standpoint, excited to see how that, that pans out. But, you know, I, I think this is the best I've ever seen. Seen the board, right, and just, just fired up for like the next two weeks. I think it's gonna be fun. I, I ended an email today, you know, happy silly season to everyone. And I mean that. Like, this is, this is fun. This, the roster construction. We're gonna go from signing day right into the portal right into these All Star games and, and this coaching carousel just continues to hit warp speed.
- [48:37]
B
No doubt about it, man. Guys, make sure you hit that like, and subscribe to this. We're gonna have a couple more of these as signing day approaches, maybe beyond Lauderdale. We'll see for, for signing day, for, for a quick couple hits and obviously got the all the All Star events coming up as well. We see Ivan's Navy All American bowl shirt on, probably rocking the day. I gotta get one of those, man. Those are. Those are sharp. Look at that. And gotta get my.
- [49:01]
C
I gotta wear it when I can in case they change the logo. You know, it's like one of those ones you look in the closet, you're.
- [49:06]
B
Like, all right, then it's a collector's item.
- [49:09]
C
Yeah, yeah.
- [49:09]
B
You know, yeah. Awesome, man. All right, well, hey, we'll. We'll chop it up again next week.
- [49:14]
C
Appreciate you, bud.
- [49:15]
B
I'll see you.
- [49:17]
C
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