With the 2024 recruiting class in the books, we turn our complete focus to 2025 and beyond. Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney is taking a look at the recruitments of the top 10 players by position in 2025. Next up are the linebackers.
THIS SERIES: How things stand with the top 10 quarterbacks in the 2025 class | Running backs | Receivers and tight ends | Offensive linemen | Defensive linemen
Family history is not going to play a factor in Owusu-Boateng’s decision but it cannot hurt that his brother, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, had such a great career at Notre Dame. The Irish are definitely one of the frontrunners for the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout along with Ohio State, Texas and many others pursuing him.
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Is it only a matter of time until the Ellaville (Ga.) Schley County four-star standout picks Georgia? The Bulldogs are still sitting in great shape for Walker although that has been the case for months – if not for more than a year – and Walker still hasn’t committed. Florida State and South Carolina are the other two to watch for the edge-rushing outside linebacker.
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The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei edge rusher has visits to USC, Ohio State, Miami and Tennessee planned for March and April, and all those schools have a shot with the four-star standout but another team has the lead in his recruitment right now. Oregon is the team to watch for Wyatt as the Ducks’ coaching staff has made him a big priority. He loves the program and the defense. They could be tough to beat.
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On Friday, the four-star linebacker from San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic released his top four of USC, Oregon, Notre Dame and Ohio State. All four have a legitimate shot at landing him as Faraimo is now going to full focus on his recruitment. The Trojans have received the most early attention but Faraimo could surprise some since he has been relatively quiet about which school leads in his recruitment.
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Nebraska has made him a priority. He’s a four-star linebacker from Omaha (Neb.) Westside and a lot of signs are pointing to Jones playing for the Huskers. Oklahoma is a team to watch, if he stays in the Midwest and doesn’t pick Nebraska then Notre Dame will be in the mix. Texas A&M seems like an outlier, as well.
The Huskers have to love their connection to Jones and especially his interest in staying home and playing down the road in Lincoln.
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The Penn State legacy did not include the Nittany Lions in his top five. Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Duke and Wisconsin made the cut for the Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s Prep four-star linebacker and some crucial visits are coming up.
Sacca will spend four days in Tuscaloosa soon to get a feel for the new coaching staff and how practice runs, and that could change things dramatically. Trips to Ohio State and Notre Dame will happen as well and it’s believed those two have the edge right now.
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A top 12 was dropped by the four-star linebacker from McKinney, Texas, in October but since that time a whole lot of changes have happened across college football. One thing has remained the same: Texas remains the lead horse in Pettijohn’s recruitment.
Things might have even been more solidified for the Longhorns when five-star safety and McKinney teammate Xavier Filsaime flipped late to Texas. Texas A&M and many others are in the mix but the Longhorns look like the top team here.
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Originally from Colorado, the four-star from Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola committed to Miami in mid-December and while Melendez said he’s still “100 percent” locked in with the Hurricanes, some visits will be coming up soon.
Auburn has been working hard to get Melendez on campus and so has Colorado which could make things interesting since he’s originally from that state. The new Alabama staff has also prioritized Melendez so Miami has him locked up but others have not given up.
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Next month, the La Verne (Calif.) Bonita four-star linebacker will be in the Southeast playing with California Power and he will get a chance to see Alabama and other schools. The Texas programs and other teams out West are all involved but USC is believed to be the far-and-away leader right now for Mikhail’s services.
A commitment to the Trojans would not be a surprise at all. The entire visit schedule coming up is Alabama, Texas A&M, Oregon, Nebraska, Notre Dame and USC by mid-April.
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Moses grew up in Baton Rouge, he goes to high school at University Lab, which is on the LSU campus, and he’s been going to Tigers games his entire life. It only made sense that LSU won out for his commitment in November over finalists Florida, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas. The hard-hitting linebacker has shown no signs he’s looking elsewhere.
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