It was an incredibly busy weekend of commitments with major visits and spring games happening across the country. On Saturday and Sunday, 18 Power Five commitments came through.
In today’s Tuesdays With Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney breaks down the 10 biggest pledges and lists the others as well:
The four-star quarterback from Corona (Calif.) Centennial made this interesting down the stretch. Texas A&M was considered the front-runner for a long time but Auburn pushed late and this nearly went in the Tigers’ favor. But Longstreet stuck with the program that had really appealed to him for the longest.
He’s a big early victory for coach Mike Elko, offensive coordinator Collin Klein and the entire Aggies’ staff. With his ability to make the right decisions and push the ball down the field, he could be a major asset in College Station.
After an early commitment to Notre Dame did not work out, Roberts reset his recruitment and this basically came down to an Ohio State–Oklahoma battle. The Washington, Okla., four-star standout is a big-bodied, physical receiver who can also move.
His respect for the Buckeyes’ staff and what it has done at the position made a major impact in his decision. He lives down the road from Norman and he loves position coach Joe Jon Finley but Ohio State had too big of a lead to make up.
Over the last few months it started to become clear that Miami and Ohio State were the front-runners for the Leo, Ind., four-star tight end and after getting back to Coral Gables – and seeing Roberts’ commitment to the Buckeyes – Schott pledged to the Hurricanes.
An athletic, fast and physical tight end who also stars as an edge rusher in high school, Schott has a chance to shoot up the rankings the more we see him on a national level.
Miami is arguably Tight End U., and Schott has a great chance of adding to that tradition.
When you think of Haddad, think about a player from a proud high school program in Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius who was committed to Wisconsin and then backed off that pledge to pick Ohio State.
He’s smart, has great instincts, diagnoses the play and then comes up to make the tackle, the interception or the pass deflection. He’s a fearless hitter and while he might not have elite speed, Haddad is always around the ball and making the right plays.
*****
5. JAEDON HARMON, Alabama
In late March, Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, Tennessee and Clemson were the five programs Harmon said he was focused on but only a few weeks later, the four-star linebacker said playing for the Crimson Tide was “too great of an opportunity” to pass up.
Harmon is physical and relentless. He doesn’t have elite length but he can rush off the edge, drop back in coverage, he loves to come up and hit, and he plays with an undying motor to get opponents on the ground.
Texas A&M was the top program for the four-star offensive tackle from Denton (Texas) Ryan since January and the Aggies won out over Michigan, Penn State, Florida, Ole Miss and others, although A&M looked like it was going to the spot for a long time.
Once Garcia gets his hands on an opponent, the four-star does an excellent job of driving players back and winning that way. He plays right tackle only because five-star Ty Haywood is on the left side. But he has great feet and enough power to take over.
*****
7. DARREN IKINNAGBON, Georgia
Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Duke, Tennessee, Ohio State and Penn State were some of the other main contenders in Ikinnagbon’s recruitment but Georgia always seemed to hold an edge and he’s one of the more intriguing commitments of the weekend.
Ikinnagbon is all of 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, and while he still needs some polish to his pass-rushing acumen, Georgia’s staff is among the best at developing players. The high three-star has all the tools to be special.
Although Piening has lived in Cincinnati since 2015, the three-star is originally from the Orlando area so his commitment to UCF in recent days is something of a homecoming. It helped that the Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson tight end has some local connections but his relationships with numerous UCF coaches, starting with Gus Malzahn, paid off in a big way.
At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, Piening has the size to stay in and block, but is best splitting out and using excellent hands down the field to make plays.
The three-star receiver from Edina, Minn., can play inside or outside and that versatility is what makes him so attractive as a pass-catcher. Offensive coordinators should love him.
Cal made a lot of sense for two main reasons: Position coach Burl Toler recruited Swinney well and his brother, Bastian, already played in Berkeley.
The three-star receiver from Maize, Kan., lines up outside in high school and runs by defensive backs with his speed or he can take a short pass and make people miss down the field. A jolt of speed, athleticism and playmaking ability is definitely needed in Nebraska’s offense so Hayes could be a big help.
Kansas, Kansas State and others might not give up but the Huskers landed a productive receiver who had 60 catches for 962 yards and 10 touchdowns in his junior season.
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