With this past weekend’s official visits now in the books, recruiting has hit a dead period, meaning that news has halted to a trickle until Signing Day on Wednesday.
Still, some stuff did go down on Monday, and here is a recap of the most important events:
Your Daily DGB Update:
The race to get the No. 1 high school player in the country- Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham- took a surprising twist on Monday, when reports surfaced that Green-Beckham had gone ahead and committed to the University of Missouri. Big get for Gary Pinkel and his staff, right?
Well, apparently, not so fast my friend. According to the Tulsa World, not only has Green-Beckham not committed, he hasn’t even narrowed his choices, which still include Arkansas, Texas and a handful of other schools.
Green-Beckham is expected to make his announcement at 9 a.m. sharp on Wednesday, meaning that we’re just about 24 hours away from getting the big news.
USC Gets OL Help:
Of the players who actually did make official announcements yesterday, USC got the biggest name, when massive offensive lineman Zack Banner announced he would head to Troy, and potentially block for Heisman Trophy frontrunner Matt Barkley next year. Banner picked the Trojans over Washington and Oklahoma, and at 6’8, is also expected to try and play for USC’s basketball team when football season is done.
Shaq Thompson Switches Things Up:
Wow, late-breaking news on Monday night, as Shaq Thompson, one of the nation’s top safeties switched his committment from Cal to Washington. The move isn’t totally surprising, as Cal’s recruiting class has been quickly falling apart since the departure of ace recruiter Tosh Lupoi, who left for a job at- you guessed it- Washington.
Still, with so little time left in the recruiting game, this could be a death blow for Jeff Tedford’s program. Remember, they already lost stud defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy earlier in the process.
Michigan State Is A Winner As Well:
Michigan State was also a big winner on Tuesday, when it was announced that coveted four-star safety Demetrious Cox selected the Spartans. Cox had offers from virtually every other Big Ten power, including Ohio State and Penn State.
Take that Urban Meyer!
Rutgers Holds On For Dear Life:
In the wake of Greg Schiano’s surprising move to the Tampa Bay Bucs last week, Crystal Ball Run told you how it might impact the Scarlet Knights’ top ranked recruiting class. Simply put, until Rutgers named a new head coach, all their recruits were fair game to other schools.
Well on Monday, Rutgers gave us their answer at head coach, when former assistant and current interim man Kyle Flood was selected as the new head man of the football program. And because of it, a “flood” of good news (see what I did there), came the Scarlet Knights’ way as a number of top players re-confirmed their commitment to the school. Included were stud offensive linemen J.J. Denmon and Chris Mueller.
On Tuesday night though, Flood’s recruiting chops could really be tested, as Darius Hamilton, New Jersey’s No. 1 player, and one of the Top 15 players nationally, will announce his college decision. Hamilton was thought to be a Rutgers lean before Schiano left, and will choose between the Scarlet Knights and Miami. Florida is also believed to be in the mix.
News and Notes:
Mississippi State went out and got themselves a quarterback…so too did Charlie Weis… Josh Harvey-Clemons now has Miami in the mix, along with Georgia, Florida and Florida State… Speaking of which, apparently Will Muschamp is doing some heavy lifting outside the Sunshine State’s borders… also, our Michael Felder weighed in on Paul Johnson’s archaic recruiting tactics… and SB Nation’s Bill Connelly weighs in on the question “What If Tim Tebow Had Chosen Alabama Over Florida” which would’ve been a much more interesting read, if I hadn’t done almost the exact same article verbatim last summer.
(In the sake of transparency, I spoke with Mr. Connelly, and his was an honest mistake. No hard feelings on my end. But I encourage you to read both his article as well as my own.)
Check back in tomorrow, as Crystal Ball Run will have your Signing Day coverage all day long!
