← Inside Scoop On3 Football Recruiting Show
Inside Scoop On3 Football Recruiting Show
Texas Longhorns Stay RED HOT | Ohio State 5-Star Intel
00:27:23
Texas Longhorns Stay RED HOT | Ohio State 5-Star Intel
Loading summary
Transcript42 lines
- [00:01]
Commercial Narrator
When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there's no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
- [00:30]
Josh
Today on the inside Scoop, we got a major development on the Texas Longhorn recruiting board. The quacks keep coming for Oregon recruiting. Ducks are on a heater. Texas Tech five star commitments. Looking around, we got the latest intel on Jalen Brewster and Anthony Sweeney. Speaking of five stars, Ohio State is trending for another one. Also, do you guys know that we are putting on a huge summer signing day show this week right here on the Rivals YouTube channel. On Wednesday, July 1st, we are going to be hosting, get this, a four hour live show that will have 10 commitments go down during the show. Plus intel observations from our national in insiders. We got Steve Wilfong, we got Chad Simmons, Hayes Fawcett, plus more. I think we're gonna Pete n on the show. So we're like three days away. Make sure you guys hit subscribe. We got a big show though. Let's get to it. Let's talk Ohio State. The Buckeyes are on a run Friday night. Huge pickup. Kaden Moss, offensive lineman out of Mississippi. A bit of a soccer. We're going to cover that in a minute. But first we got big news. Let's talk about Marcus Fakato. He is locked in to make his decision right here on Monday. So Greg Biggins, we are 24 hours out. Lay it out for us. What is this decision looking like for Marcus Fakato?
- [01:50]
Greg Biggins
First off, props to you. Great job with that last name. It's not easy but you nailed it, Josh. So there you go. He's got a final three. You know, he cut out Texas and Oregon. He took trips he loved. He loved. Excuse me, Texas is in there. Notre Dame was out. He loved his visit to Texas. Also loved his visit to Georgia. But right now, you know, I think most of us feel good about Ohio State. They've been kind of trending for a long time and a lot of it goes down to Larry Johnson. Obviously don't want to give away the answers to the test, but do feel good about Ohio State. You know, he's taken multiple visits to Ohio State and every time he talks about family He. It talks about development. I know everyone's been saying, oh, it's nil, nil, nil. You know, he told me that some of the schools that he kind of cut off his list early on actually had the biggest Nils. So for him, you know, Marcus was. Was. Was very straightforward and honest. He goes, I want to be developed. I want to play in the NFL, and I want to stay as an edge rusher, not move inside. Some schools see the frame, and they see him as a three Tech or a big old D tackle, kind of like a DeForest Buckner type, but he's like, hey, I want to stay on edge. I want to play in the NFL. I want to get developed, and I want to play for a coach I love and respect. And Larry Johnson's a guy who he really resonated with. Larry Johnson's a guy who he said is coaching style very similar to what I want to be coached by. He's not a yeller, not a screamer. He talks about the Bible to his guys. That's very. You know, his faith is very important to him. So, again, cliche box checker. But every box that Marcus wants, Ohio state has with 24 hours to go. I really love the Buckeyes right now.
- [03:08]
Josh
Yeah. And, you know, his recruitment was. When we're talking February, March, April, it was one of the most volatile recruitments in the country. Meaning whenever he would step off of a campus, it seemed like we had a new leader. So he was taking all these visits. He had all these new leaders. But I feel like the last five or six weeks, the one constant has been Ohio State. And I feel like that recruitment has kind of settled down as we're 24 hours out.
- [03:33]
Sam Spiegelman
So.
- [03:34]
Greg Biggins
Great point. And we kind of ribbed Marcus. You know, like you said, every school was his new leader. Like, Marcus, man, this is kind of getting a little. Maybe just don't even mention a leader. But the last two visits he took, you know, Notre Dame was. Remember, Notre Dame was the leader a year for sure.
- [03:45]
Josh
Yeah.
- [03:46]
Greg Biggins
And he loved it. I go, so, no, I joke. I had not a new leader. He goes, they're number two now, and Ohio State still won. That was the first time, Josh, he took a trip where that school he visited was not the new leader. Ohio State was the concert. Then he visited another school, and he said, you know what? Ohio State is still number one. And so we kind of started to see a little bit of a pattern. It's a. It's a cool man. He's a reclass from 28. I saw him, you know, at the Poly Polyball combine as an eighth grader from Alaska. And to see kind of him going from there to there to where he's at now, you know, one of the most had a D line in the country. It's kind of a cool, really cool story for him. And you know, like I said, we'll find out in 24 hours what he's going to do. I'm excited.
- [04:22]
Josh
Yeah. All right. Now, there's not a ton of surprises when it comes to recruiting, but to me, when Kaden Moss announced his decision on Friday night, I was surprised that the elite offensive tackle out of Mississippi was not going to Ole Miss. He was not going to Oregon. He picked Ohio State. I honestly thought. Now I knew Ohio State was in the running here, but I honestly thought heading into that decision, Ohio State might be running third. But how do you think the Buckeyes pulled ahead late and landed Caden Moss?
- [04:51]
Greg Biggins
Yeah, no, I mean, if I didn't see some of the commit predictions going in 24 hours before, I would have been shocked too, because literally 24 hours before he was Ole Miss, obviously, in State, kid, you know, it sounds like what, what it came down to is, no, this is one of the top offensive linemen in the country. Guard, tackle, we like him as a guard. Ohio State wants him as a tackle. But just development, development, development. And also, you know, just the Big Ten sounds kind of funny. The Big Ten stage at Ohio State, talk about an SEC school, right? Ole Miss. So it's not like he's playing in the WAC conference where I'm from, out here on the west coast, but played on, on the Big Ten stage at Ohio State was a big deal. Then also NFL development, you know, again, Ohio State doesn't matter. If you're talking about wide receiver, talking about edge rusher, talk about offensive lineman, talk about quarterback, man, Ohio State, you got to say, man, they're one of the top two or three schools in the country that gets these guys ready for that next level. And I'm talking about the NFL and I think in the last 24 hours and obviously 24 hours when it happened, but Ohio State had been, you know, behind the scenes, chipping away at that lead for the last few weeks. Not just the last day, but I think it came out of those two things. Big stage, Ohio State and also NFL development. And they were able to, you know, seal the deal on Friday.
- [05:58]
Josh
Yeah. And they want a big time recruitment. So let's, let's wrap this up. Let's talk about Brady Edmonds, the headline quarterback commitment in Ohio State's 2027 class. You were out there at the opening in Oregon. First, what did you think of his performance out there? And secondly, where does his commitment with Ohio State stand?
- [06:17]
Greg Biggins
I, I, I thought he did well. You know, his team, the west coast team, won little bragging rights for myself. They, you know, ran rough shot over everybody else. Him and Ryan RA have a, a little more lightly recruited with the two quarterbacks for that west team. You know, super strong arm. You know, thing with Brady, you know, he had some knee issues last year, so mobility is kind of where he got dinged a little bit. But the arm is strong, man. The arm is really live. And he was accurate down the field. I mean, he's got ball placement for days. So, you know, it was interesting. Josh me trip to Ohio State, I kind of got the vibe. And it wasn't just an official visit. He was there for a whole week. He did a camp and did a 7 on 7 showcase. So he was there for five days. And I kind of thought, you know, okay, once he gets home, he'll shut it down. That'll be the end of his recruitment. And he did not do that. And I talked to him the last day of the opening and you know, he said he did not want to make an emotional decision. And he said after his UCLA trip, he goes, I thought I was going to ucla. And then after his Ohio State trip, he goes, you know what, I'm going to stick with Ohio State, but I don't want to do anything right now. I don't want to be, you know, emotional high and just do something right away. I want to really take a week because this is the biggest, biggest decision of my life. I don't want to rush it. And so I want to make sure all the post visit high is worn off. And I want to go where I'm most comfortable. I want to go where I'm just not just wanted, but needed. I want to go. And he said something. He goes, you know, playing time, you know, I know people are saying, hey, Ohio State, tougher quarterback, room to play. And he's extremely confident. In fact, he told me, you know what, I'm the number one quarterback in the country. I truly believe that. And Ohio State is the number one football program in the country. That's why I committed there in the first place. He goes, ucla, Yeah, I could probably play earlier, but he goes, if I'm good, this is interesting. He goes, if I'm good enough to play as an NFL Quarterback, I can play no matter what college. It may take longer, but eventually, you know, my talent, you know, will rise up and I will play no matter where I go. So it's not going to be based on early playing time. It's going to be based on, you know, one year plan and 40 year plan. And so I think a week, maybe a week and a half and I think we'll know something. You know, probably I would say early to mid first week of July.
- [08:10]
Josh
All right, Ohio State fans, talk to me. Do you feel like the Buckeyes are on the verge of landing another five star Marcus Fakato tomorrow right here on this channel? You guys gonna be here? Let me know. Comment section below. We're talking Texas recruiting. We got Sam Spiegelman. He broke some news this morning that Texas fans need to be aware of Ishmael Kamara, one of the best offensive linemen in America, one of the top prospects, regardless of position for the Longhorns. They love this guy. And Sam, we had a, we had a feeling that if anybody was going to take his recruitment the distance, it could be Ishmael Kamara. But you spoke to him, you put out a story this morning. Tell us about his, his timeline for a potential decision.
- [08:53]
Sam Spiegelman
Yeah, Josh, this has been a very fluid recruitment. You know, he had five official visits scheduled between May and just last weekend. He ended up pushing all those official visits back and based on the situation at home, was considering fall official visits and then a decision sometime during, possibly even after his senior season at Gilmer High School out there in East Texas. But he ended up making a few visits, at least unofficially. He made it back to SMU twice and also returned to Austin for that final official Visit Weekend on June 19 that had multiple five stars like Moonshon Sales and Easton Royal. You name it, you know it. They were all on the 40 acres. That includes Camara, who is arguably Texas's biggest target left on the board. I believe that the Longhorns are the favorite going into what is shaping up to be a decision as early as July or August before his senior season.
- [09:47]
Josh
All right, let's talk a little bit more about Monon Sales, another five star target that's out there on the board that I'm not, I'm not counting Texas out. I don't feel like they're a leader here. But, you know, you never know what's going to happen with Easton Royal and that recruitment. But do you expect Texas to stay on Manchun Sales until this thing's over?
- [10:08]
Commercial Narrator
There are moments that define who you are. And who you're becoming. And when those moments arrive, what you drive should rise to meet them. The Range Rover Sport commands attention from the very first glance. Every line, every detail engineered for impact. Inside refinement takes over with sculpted 22 way heated seating with available massage and a 13.1 inch touchscreen that puts everything within easy reach. But the Range Rover Sport isn't just about luxury. It's about uncompromised performance too. Delivering a powerful, agile drive that feels as confident as it looks. And with nearly endless ways to personalize, from interior finishes to wheels to unique colors and accessories, your Range Rover Sport becomes unmistakably yours. For those who expect more from every moment, there's a vehicle designed to meet it. The Range Rover Sport Exclusive offers available now. Explore further@range rover.com when you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-granger clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
- [11:35]
Sam Spiegelman
Absolutely. He had a really terrific visit to Austin in the spring and I believe that his final official visit back to Texas really put Texas right into the thick of this recruitment along with leading contenders like Indiana and Ohio State. Listen, this is one of the best players in the country and he's from Indianapolis, so the Hoosiers are going to be in this fighting away and of course the Buckeyes are as well, especially with an elite wide receiver. But what Texas has done on his official visit, making a big move forward, trying to sell him on, pairing him with Easton Royal and possibly filling the shoes of Cam Coleman who they went out and brought in in the transfer portal and is pacing to have possibly a Bulletnikov award winning season over there on the 40 acres. If Texas continues to keep its foot on the gas with him, whether they lose Royal to another team or hold on, they are still going to recruit moonshine sales and feel confident that they have a shot in this one.
- [12:28]
Josh
All right, let's stay in state for these last couple prospects. I want to talk about Landon Williams. Callous now, he's borderline five star recruit, could arguably be the number one running back in America when it's all said and done. But his recruitment is still open. It's still out there. Where do you see things standing after a great visit to Texas recently.
- [12:50]
Sam Spiegelman
Yeah, I think that visit launched the Longhorns into the driver's seat. With Landon Williams callous, a decision could come as early as July, definitely before his senior season. But this recruitment has been very fluid over the past couple of months. You know our RPM picks are on the Aggies, but I look at Texas A and M as a program on the outside looking in for Landon Williams. Callis having said that, I do expect him to play somewhere inside the state on Saturdays. Right now if I made a decision today, I think it would be the Longhorns. I also won't discount SMU which has continued to gain steam in this race throughout the spring and of course had a fantastic official visit in May. And then don't sleep on the Houston Cougars. Last year they were able to sign five star quarterback Keyshawn Henderson from their backyard. Williams Callis is the next blue chipper from the Houston area that they would love to keep in in town. Don't sleep on the Cougars, but I do like where Texas is positioned at the moment heading into the a possible decision in the near future. All right.
- [13:52]
Josh
And that Texas secondary is shaping up to be a great one. So I wanted to talk, you know this channel. We've had a lot of Texas commitments on this channel, but recently, yesterday we had Montre Jackson, a great looking corner, committed to Texas. The day before that we had Junior Tuopo commit. He's maybe a safety. He's another versatile one. And then on Wednesday from Pearland, Texas we have Brandon Sherrard. He's 6 foot 1, he's a top 200 prospect. Texas battling for him. How do you see this recruitment going down? Who's the biggest threat to Texas right now?
- [14:24]
Sam Spiegelman
Yeah, I think this is an LSU versus Texas race. No one is sleeping on Oklahoma, which he had a terrific visit to Norman at the top of the summer. But LSU was was setting the pace in this recruitment for a good portion. I believe Texas leapfrogged them during his official visit. That was not originally on the calendar for Brandon Sherrard. He made that visit anyway. Texas is out to put together arguably the best secondary class in America. Ironically, they're they're probably rallying their their rivals, the Aggies for that mantra this year. But Brandon Sherrard loved his visit to Texas from speaking to sources informed on his recruitment. It is starting to trend toward the Longhorns. There is a lot of excitement about the ability to stay in state. They have emerged as a late option down the stretch. I am leaning toward Texas going into his July 1st decision, I'm not ruling out LSU. The dialogue has continued between Sherrard and Corey Raymond, his position coach in Baton Rouge. But I like where Texas is sitting just days away from his announcement right here on this channel.
- [15:26]
Josh
Let's talk some Oregon recruiting because the Ducks keep quacking. Anthony Cartwright III committed to Oregon earlier today right here on this channel. That's why you guys need to be subscribed. So Greg, why should Duck fans be excited about tight end Anthony Cartwright out of Detroit, Michigan?
- [15:45]
Greg Biggins
So he's a complete package of what you want in a tight end. He's not one of those hybrid big receivers and he's not just kind of applauding inline blocker. I mean he does everything well. You know, he's got the beautiful frame, six four, pushing six five. He's 235 with the frame to bulk up even a little bit more if Oregon wants him to. He attacks the football in the air. He can run a route, he can block. He's physical, he's tough. And in the last few years, man, Oregon has done a great job evaluating and developing tight ends. Obviously I think they're going to get another first rounder or second round or this upcoming draft with Jameer Johnson. So they do a great job. This is the guy they wanted, rivals four star and huge pickup for the Ducks. I like him a lot, man.
- [16:22]
Josh
And there's more to come. Five star wide receiver Xavier Saab he could be denouncing in a matter of days, maybe at most. We're maybe two weeks out from his decision. So where do you think things stand right now? Are the Ducks the leader here?
- [16:37]
Greg Biggins
I do. I think they are the leader. And ironically, you know, our good friend Steve Wilfong put the crystal or put the commit prediction in while he was on his UCLA trip or shortly after. So I think Oregon has been the team to beat for a while. And he's such a gifted athlete. I mean you watch the heist, the tape, the highlight tape, I mean it's kind of unreal. Two sided guy, three way facemaker, return punts, kicks, corner safety, wide receiver, does everything well. The hoop highlights are ridiculous. One of the better all around athletic profiles in this class. You know, we talked off camera, Josh, this is what Oregon does, right? They get hot right at the end of the summer. Like they're. They're on a heater right about now.
- [17:12]
Sam Spiegelman
Yeah.
- [17:12]
Josh
And it's not stopping. We have a big event going on right here on this channel on July 1st. It's going to be Something recruiting fans have never seen. We're going to have upwards of 10 guys committing in the matter of three to four hours. And one of them that's locked in right now is elite cornerback Hayden Step. He is committing on Wednesday and you got to spend some time with the Mountain Eugene at the opening. What's the latest intel on his recruitment?
- [17:38]
Greg Biggins
Yeah, love Hayden Step. You know, he's a guy, west coast guy, Gorman guy. We've been covered since he was a freshman. You know, he was a freshman impact player at one of the top five high school programs in the country. He's long, man, he's all up 63 and you don't realize how long he is until you see him in person. And he's pushing 6 4. And I always joke, you know, most guys want to give himself a couple inches. He actually wants to always say, I'm always six two. You know, he wants to stay at corner. He's worried if he gets too tall he might outgrow the position. But you know, he's down to three. Cal is heavily involved, as is Alabama. Kind of the childhood dream. School was the tie, but right now we feel Oregon is in a good spot for sure. And he was one of our top performers every day at the opening finals. Again, he's long, but he's not a long strider. He's got that short area burst and short area of quickness that you have to have if you're going to be a six two plus corner man. He has it. He has ball skills, he's tough, he's physical, he's smart. IQ was there, man. He checks off all the boxes. And like I said, right now, I think the Ducks are in a good spot for Hayden Stephen.
- [18:30]
Josh
All right, another top 100 prospect committing with us is Tay Walden. And he's, he's, he was out in Eugene as well with you guys. What do you think? Where does Oregon stand in his recruitment? Do they have a shot here?
- [18:43]
Greg Biggins
I think they lead for him as well. And he's another multi, you know, two way player, multi positional. Oregon sounds like, you know, you know, he mentioned kind of safety is where they like him. And I think he can play corner. I think he's got some excellent high school production as a receiver. You know, he's got the gene pool that is strong, total, you know, just elite athletically. His last Visit on the 19th was to Oregon and you know, if you're going to take a lot of trips, you always want to be last. And Oregon was able to be last for Tay and as of right now, I don't have a pick in yet, but if I did, it'd be with the Ducks. I think they look good for, for Step and for Walden on July 1st. It's going to be exciting day if you're an Oregon fan.
- [19:22]
Josh
All right, now let's talk Ishmael Kamaru. Sam Spiegelman had a bit of news on him on Sunday, so kind of a new wrinkle here. But Ishmael Kamara never really set a summer decision date. We always thought if there was any top prospect that could take this thing to distance, it might be Kamara, at least into the fall. But now he's telling Sam maybe quote in the next couple weeks. So we know he took that OV to Oregon. He's from the state of Texas, but really he's an international player from France. So how do you see things if he is going to come off the board? Where do you think Oregon stands right now?
- [19:56]
Greg Biggins
I would say Oregon is probably in the top three. I was with Sam all weekend. Great time at the opening, but the feeling is Texas, it's probably trending right now. And you mentioned the France, it was fighting. You know, he was at the Polynesian bowl last year. So we get a chance to talk to him and you know, kind of his support group and it's a, it's a really cool support group and how it all, you know, the backstory is pretty cool. But you know, Oregon's trying. You know, they've had an up and down O line class. You know, they lost a couple guys and they've got a couple guys that are all really good. So that's kind of how recruiting works, right? But as of right now, you know, I always tell you, if signing day was today, you know, I think right now the Longhorns are probably the school to beat.
- [20:30]
Josh
All right. But it's not. And we know Oregon things can are always fluid with Oregon recruiting. So Duck fans chime in. How you guys feeling? The Ducks are red hot. Summer's here. Talk to us comment section below. Let's talk some Texas Tech recruiting. There's been some drama when it comes to that commit list, but Sam Spiegelman, When Texas Tech was racking up five star commitments in December, January, February, we knew there'd be a time where Texas Tech is going to have to play defense on some of these guys. And let's start then. There's been rumors swirling, so let's start at the top with Jalen Brewster. I spent my Saturday going to his Instagram because I had heard he wiped out all his Texas Tech commitment wordage in, in his bio. So, you know, as a 40 something year old man, I'm on Jalen Brewster's IG on Saturday and yeah, there's no mention that he's a Texas Tech commitment. So we know he took these visits. We know that he is solid in his commitment. But how solid is he? Sam, what's happening right now with Jalen Brewster?
- [21:37]
Sam Spiegelman
That's a great question, Josh. And like you, I was on Jalen's Instagram after all the messages to go look and peek and see what's happening and speaking to his representation and people in his circle. Also some, some front office members around the country. There is still a lot of confidence that Jalen Brewster will end up playing in Lubbock when it's all said and done. He loved his official visit to Lubbock. Texas Tech has been at the top for a reason. They didn't accidentally slide there. His most important and most significant relationship in this process is Joey Maguire, the head coach of the Red Raiders, who is also the head coach of Cedar Hill High School, where Jalen is set to graduate in a couple of months. Listen, there is no doubt that this gap between Texas Tech and the rest of the schools in the mix has closed significantly. From speaking to people, you have heard Florida being thrown out as a team that gained a lot of traction. The school that I'm hearing the most buzz about at the end of June is the LSU Tigers. He had a fantastic official visit there as well, and they are anxious to try and get into the Jalen Brewster market. So I think that those are the two teams you primarily have to watch. But of course, nobody is discounting the Red Raiders in this recruitment moving forward. You talk about the relationships, you talk about the consistency, and you talk about this record setting, historic haul that Joey Maguire and James Blanchard are putting together. There is a lot of confidence that Jalen Brewster will want to be a part of that. He didn't accidentally choose them. So all that, you know, in spite of these late pushes, we'll see how things turn out. But there is some concern. I still like where Texas Tech sits as of today.
- [23:13]
Josh
All right, well, it seems like LSU might be a bit of a thorn in the side right now for Texas Tech because they have the number two ranked pass rusher committed in Anthony Sweeney. And things had been really quiet on his front. He's out of Baltimore, Maryland, St. Francis Academy. That is until he popped up on a June visit in the Bayou. LSU got him on campus. What do you make of that? And is there any other teams that Texas Tech fans should watch out for when it comes to Sweeney?
- [23:43]
Sam Spiegelman
Yeah, from speaking to sources about this recruitment, I don't expect him to flip anytime this summer. I feel good about where Texas Tech stands in the short term and the long term. With that being said, he has a fantastic relationship with Sterling Lucas, which compelled him to take that final official visit to LSU at the end of June. LSU is trying to close the gap like we just talked about with Jalen Brewster. And if he does in fact return to Tiger Stadium for a game this fall, I think that the level of concern for Texas Tech fans should naturally be elevated at that point. That's a huge TBD at the moment. LSU feels that they made a leap in this recruitment in the month of June, but there is still a long road ahead to catch up with Texas Tech. Right now. This is a watch to see if something develops down the road more than anything imminent happening for Anthony Sweeney.
- [24:34]
Josh
All right, now let's talk a little bit about Benny Easter Jr. One of the top pass catchers in America, made an early commitment to Texas Tech and I think he's solid. But the fact that he popped up on an Ohio State visit, I think it was only his first visit ever to Ohio State, so maybe there's not much there. But out of Humboldt, Texas, what do you make of Benny Easter Jr. In his kind of visit schedule this, this spring summer?
- [24:58]
Sam Spiegelman
Yeah, you talked about Ohio State. He visited there first this summer and then he made it to Ole Miss to sandwich his summer. So you have two schools that are continuing to recruit Benny Easter, the number three wide receiver in the country who like Jaylen Brewster, committed at the end of his junior season, felt comfortable with Joey McGuire. Coach Juice Johnson out there in Lubbock, loves his fit there. Just spent the weekend in Oregon with a bunch of other Texas Tech commits who we'll talk about like Sir Rod Baker, of course, Julian Caldwell, Kavian Bryant, the face of this classic quarterback. Ultimately, I feel excellent about Texas Tech holding on to Benny Easter Jr. He hasn't publicly shut down his recruitment. He is still maintaining dialogue with the Buckeyes with Ole Miss, who just really impressed him on that visit, I think of the two schools. Ohio State had some momentum this summer, but he made a mid summer visit back to Lubbock for his official visit that felt like home from speaking to him, from speaking to members of his family. And I know there's plenty of optimism in West Texas about their chances of hanging on to this Prolific in state, wide receiver. Yeah.
- [26:01]
Josh
And let's stay in state with top commitment. Sarod Baker out of Dodo High School. He's, he's another that has taken some trips. How do you feel about him and his status with the Red Raiders?
- [26:13]
Sam Spiegelman
Yeah, I can tell you for sure, Josh, that Texas A and M would love to add Sarod Baker to their number one recruiting class in the country. And he officially visited College Station this month. And again, the Aggies are not going to go anywhere in this recruitment troop. Taylor, their position coach there, recruits to Soto High School as well as any coach inside the state of Texas. With that being said, he did make it back to Lubbock for his final official visit. Sirod Baker has not officially shut things down, but from speaking to sources involved in his recruitment, from speaking to Sirod, from folks involved in this process altogether, there is a lot of confidence that Sirod Baker is going to be a Red Raider. He is someone that they believe can play in that offense. As soon as he arrives in town, we know that he's coming off a historic high school football season at DeSoto High School and his pacing for what should be a fantastic senior season. He just was a top performer this past weekend at the opening. A lot of buzz still around the Red Raiders and their recruitment, the way they recruited him, how hard they came in this and the relationships that they built with this Rivals 300 playmaker.
- [27:15]
Josh
Yeah, it's really, you know, it's, it's interesting. Texas Tech does a great job of loading up early. Then they also know they, they, they're going to have to play some defense and that's where we're at now. We've seen it with plenty of guys with Damian Guyton last year. I mean, going into the state of Georgia and landing a coveted player like that and then holding on to him for the entire length of the, the cycle should bode well for some of these recruitments. And a lot of these recruitments are in state guys la. Damian Guyton was a guy in Georgia, so it's always easy. You get more access to the guys within your state. So that being said, attrition hits everybody. They're bound to lose somebody on this commit list. Do you think that Texas Tech is prepared where if they do have a spot come open, I mean, are they going to take a big swing at somebody that might be on somebody else's commit list?
- [28:02]
Sam Spiegelman
Yeah, that's the beauty of this. If you're a Texas Tech fan, listen, you got these early commitments. You have a historic 20, 27 recruiting class. Of course, people, especially schools in the SEC, are going to take shots at your best commitments. Schools like Ohio State and LSU and Texas A and M. These are contenders competing for the College Football Playoff championship year in and year out. But there is a lot of optimism that they hold on and if they don't, Josh, they got plenty of ammunition. One, they had it from the nil side to potentially flip recruits that are committed elsewhere. They also have a loaded front office that if you look at guys like Benny Easter, Texas Tech was the first to offer him. Hunter Hogg, who is a Rivals300 athlete involved in this class. Texas Tech was there first. They have the most one of the most devoted scouting departments in all of college football that inside the state of Texas. If someone is having a great senior season and they think that they can be a help to this roster, Joey Maguire, James Blanchard aren't going to hesitate to offer. They also aren't going to be shy if they think that one of these kids who's committed elsewhere can make an impact in Lubbock. They're going to shoot their shot. They are not going to be shy about it. Just like they're not going to be shy about playing defense with some of these blue chippers and five stars already in the class.