(From Anwar)
Texas was expected to hire South Carolina’s Drew Hughes as its Director of Player Personnel, but there is a possibility it will not occur.
According to multiple sources, Hughes is involved in the current Tennessee football recruiting investigation. It is unclear what the allegations are, but Hughes worked at Tennessee for two seasons, joining Jeremy Pruitt's initial staff when he was hired in December 2017.
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte has been hesitant to hire staff members involved in active investigations at other programs. Also, Hughes does not list an employer on his Twitter profile.
I will keep you posted.
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(From Suchomel)
We’re less than one week away from NSD2 and while it’s not going to be an action-packed day the way we used to see before the implementation of the early signing period, there are still a handful of stories we’re tracking.
Lots of topics to get to this week, so let’s jump right in …
It’s weirdly quiet with LJ Johnson this week … like hear a pin drop quiet. Over the weekend, we were told by multiple sources that Johnson was likely to take a visit to Austin at some point this week. We’re nearly through the workweek and as of yet, to my knowledge, that trip hasn’t happened. Would it surprise anyone at this point if Johnson popped into Austin on Friday or over the weekend? Nope. Would it surprise if he didn’t visit at all? Nope.
I checked with multiple sources on Thursday and had people from the A&M side reaching out to me to see what I’d heard, and it’s the same answer (or lack thereof) from both sides. Nobody seems to know what Johnson is going to do, or when he’s going to decide.
Signing day is on Wednesday so common sense would seem to indicate that Johnson will pick either Texas or Texas A&M on or before that date, but common sense has knocked to the canvas repeatedly in this one. If Johnson isn’t going to enroll early – which looks more and more like a possibility with every passing day – he could very well take this thing past NSD2 next week and wait until as late as April to decide before enrolling in June at the school of his choice.
We’ll obviously keep you all posted with anything we hear, but it’s been radio silence from those close to Johnson and other sources as of Thursday evening.
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If Texas doesn’t land Johnson, and if Camar Wheaton doesn’t call up the UT staff saying he’s ready to jump on board, Texas could make a late play for 2021 RB Jaylin White.
As we reported on Wednesday night, Stan Drayton and Brandon Harris talked to White on the phone this week and expressed an interest on UT’s behalf. No offer was extended in that initial conversation, but White was told that the staff was going to discuss things and let him know soon.
As I write this, I haven’t heard back from White on what he’s heard (which means no offer has been extended yet) but this remains one to watch over the coming days.
If I’m Texas, and I KNOW I need a second back in this class, White is a guy the staff could probably circle back to very late in the process (even as early as next week) and win over with an offer. So there’s time to keep plugging away with LJ (and maybe Camar) to see if you can get a definitive answer from one of those two. If things appear to be trending away, or if LJ is still completely undecided, a late call to White could still fill the RB void that the staff is trying to fill.
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A recap (and some thoughts) on the Evan Stewart situation from earlier this week …
Stewart, the Rivals100 gamebreaking receiver in the 2022 class, tweeted early this week that he was done with the recruiting process and his mind was made up. Not surprisingly, that sent everyone into a frenzy wondering who he was going to pick.
You had claims of different leaders (mostly out of a grouping of Texas, Alabama and Oregon), but I feel confident in saying that if Stewart had decided this week – or does decide in the near future – that Texas would/will be the choice.
Here’s the hang-up. Stewart has since deleted his tweet that stirred everything up, and word is that he’ll likely slow things down a bit. Not a huge surprise. Stewart has a tremendous ability of marketing himself (this is a dude with 1.2 million TikTok followers) and him committing this early never seemed to make a ton of sense.
I still like where Texas sits very much due to a variety of factors, including the presence of Steve Sarkisian and Jeff Banks, but if this thing goes on for a while it could obviously open the doors for other teams to shuffle their position on his list. Basically, it feels like there’s still a ways to go in this one and there will be probably be some twists and turns, but you’d rather be in the position Texas is now than having to play catch-up to other programs.
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The 2022 class in the state of Texas has some talented running backs, but one out-of-state guy that probably isn’t getting enough attention is Jaylen Thompson
The Playa Del Rey (CA) St. Bernard product said he spoke to Stan Drayton about a week-and-a-half ago.
“We were just talking about life more than football, what Texas can do for me, things like that,” Thompson said. “Things other than football. When it comes to football, things like the new stadium coming in, the coaches coming in.”
Thompson picked up an offer from Texas way back in June of last year after talking to Brandon Harris, Stan Drayton and Bryan Carrington. At the time, he told the coaches “Texas has always been like a dream school” and things have progressed from there.
“I just love the tradition. I love the name behind Texas. When I say the name behind Texas, I mean all the great people that have played for Texas like Ricky Williams, Colt McCoy, Sam Ehlinger, Collin Johnson,” Thompson. “They fit very high on my list. I love Texas. I have always loved Texas. They fit very high on my list once I actually make my list.”
Thompson doesn’t have a timetable for a decision but said if everything falls into place, he’d love to have a decision before his senior year. Part of that would probably including taking visits after the dead period ends, and there’s a very good chance he’d make his way to Austin to check out the Forty Acres if Texas wants him to.
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Offensive tackle Austin Uke told me about a week-and-a-half ago he had a top five of Stanford, Penn State, Texas, Northwestern and Oklahoma. Interestingly, he rattled off the first three of that list quickly, before throwing in that the other two were “probably” in his final grouping.
I tried following up with Uke on Thursday with no success. I’ll keep working on that this weekend as he works towards what he told me would be a NSD2 decision.
A person with ties to Uke was told similar information as what Uke told OB – that he’s still considering five and no clear leader. Obviously, the Parish Episcopal School standout is playing things close to the vest and doesn’t want to tip his hand.
Total guess on my part here, but after talking to Uke a few times over the last month or so, I’d handicap the race as a Stanford, Texas and Oklahoma battle. It’s interesting to me that Penn State is always one of the first schools he mentions to me, but I don’t see him going that far away from home unless it’s for a tremendous academic institution like Stanford. Oklahoma is a very recent offer which would usually put it behind the pack, but the Sooners have enough pull in Dallas where you can’t ignore them. Stanford and Texas are two obvious ones that are in the mix, and the change in the UT staff does appear to be helping UT’s chances. Tough one to call in terms of a final decision but Texas is squarely in the mix.
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When I spoke with Texas commitment Jaylin Guilbeau on Tuesday night, he had just hung up with the UT coaches in what he said was a “good” conversation that helped quickly lay the foundation of what he thinks will be a solid relationship with Terry Joseph, Blake Gideon and Steve Sarkisian.
He is keeping the lines of communication open with other programs who reach out so the new staff will have to continue to recruit him, but that was the case the day after he committed. If things progress the way I expect them to (both on the field and off) I don’t think there’s any reason to be too concerned here.
“I’m still committed. All my options are still open, but I’m still committed. That’s nothing new. I’ve told you that before,” Guilbeau said. “I’m just trying to get to know the new staff. I heard the new staff is the stuff. I just want to get to know everybody, have the right communication and build that bond.”
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Rivals250 safety Bryan Allen Jr. decommitted from LSU last week, and a couple days later Allen was re-offered by the current UT staff. The timing was more coincidental than anything, with new defensive backs coaches Blake Gideon and Terry Joseph extending a few re-offers last weekend, but the timing certainly worked in UT’s favor.
In catching up with Allen this week, it sounds like he is keeping an open mind, but the Longhorns are definitely a school he’s considering.
“They seem cool. I talked to two of the coaches, coach Joseph and coach Gideon,” Allen said. “I talked to both of them and they both seem cool. We’re going to build a new relationship, get to know each other better.”
As for where he sits on UT’s board, Allen said he was told that he’ll be a priority for Texas moving forward.
“They said I was number one on their board and they were still going to recruit me no matter what,” Allen said.
LSU remains in the picture, but Allen said he thought it was in his best interest to explore other options after the Tigers had to overhaul their coaching staff, including safeties coach Bill Busch.
“Coach Busch was the guy that recruited me. When he got fired, things kind of fell off after that,” Allen said.
So where does Texas now fit in?
“That’s one of my options, one of the schools I’m looking at,” Allen said. “There’s nothing wrong with Texas. I can really see myself playing there. They’re close to home and they have good academics.”
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A quick update on 5-star defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau …
I didn’t think this morning when I decided to put this note in the War Room it would fizzle out a couple hours later, but Texas did try to make a later run at Tuimoloau, only to have word come out on Thursday that the Bellevue (WA) Eastside Catholic standout was going to focus on his top five of Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, USC and Washington.
Swinging for the fences on this one made a ton of sense since Sark was Tuimoloau’s lead recruiter at Alabama and Pete Kwiatkowski obviously has a connection there, but the word earlier today is that it’s just too late for Texas.
This one was always going to be a longshot, but Texas could have a sliver of a prayer here since Tuimoloau is not going to sign in February and wants to take visits before likely signing somewhere in April. Ohio State and Bama are the two favorites but if you’re the glass-half-spilling-over-the-cup type, maybe Texas can somehow keep chipping away and get the big fella down to Austin for a visit. Again … longshot, but a scenario for you dreamers.
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(From Anwar)
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian scoured the nation to assemble an elite coaching staff. Two of his recent coaching hires have roots in an unexpected location.
Bozeman, Montana.
Sarkisian recently convinced Jeff Choate to give up his head coaching duties at Montana State to become a co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers in Austin. In addition, Sarkisian hired Washington defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, who held the same title at Montana State from 2000 to 2005, in the Big Sky Country.
Dan Davies knows Choate and Kwiatkowski very well.
Davies played football for Montana State from 1975-79. He became an assistant football coach for the Bobcats in 1980. He worked as an assistant coach for the Bobcats until 1986 and was a member of the staff for MSU's last national championship in 1984. Davies began working in the Montana State athletic office in 1998 and is currently the school’s Senior Associate Athletic Director.
Basically, this is the guy who will have his name on a school wall one day.
Davies provided a lot of insight about Choate and Kwiatkowski. I decided to transcribe the interview instead of just giving highlights to make relay every insightful observation by Davies.
Here you go:
Q: What can you tell me about both those guys from what you've seen and experienced?
Davies: Well, Pete. Let’s start with him. He became our defensive coordinator. At that time Mike Kramer was the head coach and he was at Eastern Washington, and Pete was with him. And Coach Kramer brought him. Kramer and I used to coach here as assistants here at Montana State. I remember, Pete, he lived right down the street from me. He has a daughter that's about my son's age, actually, so they went to the same elementary school. First of all, he was a great player at Boise State. I remember when he played there but also when he came here as a coach, he's just a great leader on defense. Had a lot of great ideas. Obviously, it's important to get the assistant coaches to buy in, then the players follow that. He had a good attitude and really helped us get our program kind of turned around the right direction.
Q: As a former coach, did you see a lot of things you liked from them?
Davies: Yes, absolutely. The other interesting thing is I've been our radio color guy for about 33 years too, so I've actually seen it.
Q: Obviously, Montana State isn't chasing four-star or five-star athletes. Can you give me an idea of how Kwiatkowski developed his players?
Davies: There's no question about that. But if you take it a step further, it's really a talent and a skillset to identify those guys that you can make better. If you're at Notre Dame or you're at Texas, you walk into a high school and say show me your list, and you take the top guys. The tough part is digging through the rest of the list and find out which guys will fit, and identify those guys. That's part of it. Pete was so organized and was able to get those guys to believe in themselves and that's half the battle too. To make those guys think they’re better than they are.
Q: What was his coaching style?
Davies: I think he was fairly demanding, but he's also very laid back. He expected a lot out of you. I remember he was a Harley guy. Him and one of the other assistants had Harleys and were always buzzing around town. That part was pretty cool. He was demanding and expected a lot, but that's how you push kids to get better.
Q: Was the defense in a better place after Kwiatkowski left?
Davies: Well, certainly better than when he got there. That's what you ask for. He has been able to make some good career moves for him. Obviously, the Washington thing, and now with the Longhorns. He's really paid his dues, so to speak. Pete doesn’t like the limelight so to speak. He just likes to grind and come up with ways to beat you.
Q: What can you say Choate’s tenure at Montana State?
Davies: The thing I've always said about coach Choate is he's as close to being a Montana person without being born and raised in Montana. He understood the importance of … our big rivalry the University of Montana. That's a battle, a bloodbath every time we play. He came out of here with his record against the Grizzlies 4-0. He's very proud of that. We're very proud of that too. But with Coach Chaote, he's an old-school type coach. He can coach them hard and get away with it because the kids respect him, and he oozes the feeling that he cares about them. It's really legitimate and genuine and that's why he can do that. He can relate to him and understands. I know this sounds like coachspeak, but he really cares about them as individuals and wants them to succeed and that's how he gets away with coaching him so hard. It's just coming from his heart.
Q: Was Choate’s departure a tough blow to Montana State?
Davies: Oh yeah, there's no doubt. There's a lot of people in Bozeman, Montana that are disappointed to see him leave, but at the same time want to wish him well and do well. The interesting thing, he was up for the Boise State job. He was down to the wire on that. He was very close. We were nervous at that time. All the rumors going around about he's going leave this and how many coaches he will take with him, but that didn't come to be so we kind of take a big breath. Then a week later, we're going through it again. With the timing, our defensive coordinator went to Boise as a coordinator. That happened all within 24 hours so we kind of got a double-punch there so to speak. The guy that left was a four-time all-American here player, coached here, and had a really good chance to be the guy for us, and our fan base was taken by them. So, we kind of lost both those guys. It was a hit that was really close to our program. It was kind of a double-blow to us a little bit. When coach Choate decided to take that job, it was disappointing for us, but that's not unusual for programs at our level because when you hire good people, you know they're not going to retire here a lot of times. You're going to be able to move on. We get them on the way up.
Q: Was Choate’s coaching style similar to Kwiatkowski?
Davies: From that standpoint, Coach Choate was very comfortable in the public eye. He had a great gift for you know making his presentation. We ask a lot of our head coaches to go around and travel around the state. Our state is 700 miles wide by 500 miles deep, up and down, north and south. There’s a lot of little stops in the road that we ask those people to go to because that's our fan base that is driving 500 miles one way to the game, listening to the radio, or watching it on TV. We have to touch them however we can, and he was so good at that part of being a head coach. Some of the parts of the head coaching job are not that much fun, but he jumped in with both feet. He knew he had to do it, and he did a great job from that standpoint, but he was in his element when he was on the football field. He just loved being out there and coaching ball, as he says.
Q: What was Coach Choate’s biggest accomplishment at Montana State?
Davies: Well, he made a lot of positive impacts on a lot of young people's lives. There's no question about that. Beating the Grizzlies, a 4-0 record is right up there at the time. He embraced our program, cared about our program, the department, and every kid that he coached.
Q: What do you expect to see from Choate and Kwiatkowski at Texas:
Davies: I think they're going to do great. I know it's a huge challenge and it's obviously in the limelight as one of the premier power programs in college football because of the tradition and so forth that they've got. I can assure you they're going to give every ounce of their soul to that program because it means a lot to them. I'm excited to see how things are going end up for sure.
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(From McComas)
Hopefully, evaluation periods will be a thing this spring and summer for the 2022 recruiting class. This isn’t a list of everyone Texas is recruiting and there are certainly guys that will join this list. But it is a projection of some priority targets after gathering some intel on what Texas’s recruiting could look ahead of what's hopefully a more normal recruiting cycle.
--- Texas was one of the first high-major programs to offer, and he’s still a bit under-the-radar because he didn’t play for a well-known AAU program initially. He’ll run with Houston Hoops this AAU season, and I expect his status to explode as a possible five-star prospect.
K.T. Turner is spearheading this recruitment for Texas and is making major progress. Longhorns are a definite factor in this one.
--- Texas was also the first high-major school to offer Black in basketball. A very talented football player as well, Black could play both sports in college. Many believe Baylor is the biggest factor in the recruitment because his father played basketball there.
---
--- Shaka Smart and Texas offered a long time ago and have been among the group of high-major programs to prioritize the talented guard. But this one is going to be a war of a recruitment, and it’s possible schools might have to recruit against the G-League as well. I don’t believe Kentucky has offered, but Jai Lucas – sound familiar? – has been in consistent contact with George and I’d expect a Kentucky offer to come at some point. Texas needs to root for the family to prefer staying closer to home.
---
Wallace will be, if he isn’t already, a priority target for the Longhorns. While the battle won’t be as national as George’s recruitment and will probably be more regional, it’ll be as fierce.
---
Underrated and under-the-radar right now, but he won’t be for long. And he’s emerging as a top target for the Longhorns. Explosive wing player with big upside and has been extremely productive so far, recently scored 40 points, during his high school season.
---
Like Ejiofor, I think the Longhorns are in good shape here. Nunez can really, really shoot it from deep and has legitimate point guard skill. Texas has been recruiting him a long time and as a priority target in the class for a while as well.
****
On the team side, Kai Jones, when asked today if he anticipates getting some teammates back for this Saturday’s game at Kentucky, had this to say:
“I don’t know… I know that the eight we had last game will all be back again. But I think we may have more. We may not. I'm just waiting to see like everybody else what the results hold. And hopefully we're able to have everybody back,” said Jones.
Basically, he’s just like the rest of us. The Longhorns will go through another round of scheduled testing tomorrow before practice. They’re scheduled to leave for Kentucky in the afternoon.
As one team source reminded me, just because guys make the trip doesn’t automatically mean they’re cleared to play. Brock Cunningham was a recent example of that earlier this week. He cleared enough protocols to rejoin the team in its “bubble,” but not enough to actually return to game action.
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(Ketch)
With a lot of action on the portal front this week, I thought I would update the Transfer Big Board. There's still lots of talent out there, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Quarterbacks
James Blackman (Florida State)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Has started games for all four years that he was on campus for Florida State, but never quite took the job by the horns. Has 5,445 career passing yards and 43 touchdowns.
Best of the Rest.
1. Alan Bowman. (Texas Tech)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Has terrific arm talent, but sometimes makes poor decisions and never could completely hold down the starting job in Lubbock.
2. Tate Martell (Miami)
Seasons remaining: 2
Notes: Maybe the third time is the charm? First, it was Ohio State and then Miami. The former big-time recruit hasn't found a place where he can win a job.
3. Terry Wilson (Kentucky)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Only has one season left, so probably not a fit for Texas, but when he's healthy, he's had moments of flashes.
4. Luke McCaffery (Nebraska)
Seasons remaining: 3
Notes: Another player that showed flashes in brief playing time while in Lincoln, but it's hard to know exactly what his level of play should be.
5. Chris Robison (FAU)
Seasons remaining: 2
Notes: Look who is back! After leaving Oklahoma without ever playing a down, he's had a nice two-year run under Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic and still has two seasons of eligibility left.
Commitments from this week: Ryan Hilinski (South Carolina to Northwestern), Jason Brown (St. Francis to South Carolina) and Gunner Cruz (Washington State to Arizona)
Running Backs
Zach Charbonnet (Michigan)
Seasons remaining: 3
Notes: Had an impressive 726 yards rushing and a school-record 11 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2019 before turning into a total non-factor in 2020. It's hard to know exactly what kind of player we're talking about here, but he has definitely displayed major flashes at times in his brief career.
Best of the rest.
1. Cyrus Habibi-Likio (Oregon)
Seasons remaining: 2
Notes: Scored 10 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019, but he has not been a consistent standout player.
2. Deondrick Glass (Oklahoma State)
Seasons remaining: 3
Notes: Former four-star running back has talent and is drawing interest from around the country.
Commitments from the last few weeks: Eric Gray (Tennessee to Oklahoma), Keaontay Ingram (Texas to USC), Ty Chandler (Tennessee to UNC), Chris Curry (LSU to Utah) and Markese Stepp (USC to Nebraska)
Wide Receivers
Ricky Smalling (Illinois)
Seasons Remaining: 1
Notes: Per Rivals..."Over three seasons, Smalling had 88 catches for 1,141 yards and eight touchdowns. He opted out and didn't play in 2020 before entering the portal."
Best of the rest
1. Ja'Lynn Polk (Texas Tech)
Seasons remaining: 4
Notes: Made a nice impact out of Lufkin in his true freshman season with the Red Raiders and seemed posed to be a starter in 2021 before putting his name in the portal. Has a chance to upgrade.
2. Tre'Von Morgan (Michigan State)
Seasons Remaining: 4
Notes: Made some plays late in the season for the Spartans. Has a huge 6-7 frame that has folks thinking he'll eventually break out one day.
3. Rashawn Williams (Indiana)
Seasons remaining: 4
Notes: Williams was one of the top recruits in the 2020 class for the Hooisers and figures to receive a lot of attention from schools in the Big 10 area. Didn't play a single snap in his true freshman season.
Commitments from this last 2 weeks: E.J. Jenkins (South Francis to South Carolina), K.D. Nixon (From Colorado to USC), Charleston Rambo (Oklahoma to Miami), Wan'Dale Robinson (Nebraska to Kentucky),
Tight Ends
Arik Gilbert (Class of 2020)
Seasons remaining: 4
Notes: Gilbert might be the crown jewel on the transfer market at the moment. There's some discussion that he could be on the verge of a commitment to Georgia.
Offensive Lineman
Jahmir Johnson (Tennessee)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Johnson is a former JUCO prospect that entered the 2020 season as a senior, but has an extra season of eligibility remaining because of the COVID rules and was projected to start at left tackle for the Vols at the time of his transfer. Split starts with OU transfer Wayne Morris this past season.
Best of the Rest
1. Justice Oluwaseun (UNLV)
Seasons remaining: 2
Notes: A former Texas prep standout, he's started 20+ games in his career, including 15 in the last two seasons. A 6-3, 325-pound player with a lot of game action under his belt. Picked up an offer from Virginia Tech today.
2. T.J. Fiailoa (La-Monroe)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: A three-year starter and former All-Sun Belt performer for the War Hawks. Regarded as one of the top FBC transfers on the market.
3. T.J. Storment (TCU)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Started six games for TCU in. 2020, with the 6-7, 325-pound lineman making a big impact for the Horned Frogs in the running game.
4. C.J. Thorpe (Penn State)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Started in three games for the Nittany Lions this season and has played in 30 career games. Maybe PSU's version of Denzel Okafor?
Commitments from the last 2 weeks: Eric Wilson (Harvard to Penn State), Robert Congel (Arizona to OU), Wayna Morris (Tennessee to OU), Obinna Eze (Memphis to TCU) and Grant Miller (Ole Miss to Baylor)
5. Austin Myers (TCU)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Has started off and on for the Horned Frogs at multiple positions for the Horned Frogs. Has tons of experience and can be a swing man at both guard and tackle.
Defensive Linemen
Big Kat Bryant (Aubuirn)
Seasons Remaining: 1
Notes: A team captain for the Tigers that started nine games in 2020. Committed to Tennessee on January 16th, but there is now serious doubt about whether he's still committed to the Vols because he deleted the post that announced his decision to go there.
Best of the Rest
1. Andrew Leota (Northwestern)
Seasons remaining: 3
Notes: Left after logging 521 total snaps in the last two seasons for Northwestern, recording 25 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.
2. Weston Kramer (Northern lliinois)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: A four year starter and the best defensive player at Northern Illinois, Kramer is viewed as a player that could be an instant starter for a power five school.
3. Malik Fisher (Villanova)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Had seven sacks for Villanova in his final season with the Wildcats and has been a few NFL draft lists on the Internet as a small school player to watch.
4. Matt Lorbeck (Iowa)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Was an all-MAC performer in 2019 for Northern Iowa, but had zero impact with the Hawkeyes in 2020.
Commitments from the last 2 weeks: Ovie Oghoufo (Notre Dame to Texas and )Daquan Newkirk (Auburn to Florida)
Linebackers
James Houston IV (Class of 2017)
Seasons Remaining: 2
Notes: Has two seasons of eligibility remaining after recording 100 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and three forced fumbles over the past three seasons for the Gators.
Best of the rest
1. Henry To'o To'o (Tennessee)
Seasons Remaining: 3
Notes: Could easily be the best player on this list after earning freshman All-America honors in 2019 and serving as the best player on the Tennessee defense in 2020. Alabama, Michigan, USC and Georgia are just a few of the schools already chasing him down.
2. Reynard Ellis (Georgia Southern)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Is reportedly on his way to the portal after recording 137 tackles, 15 TFL and 3.5 sacks in his college career thus far.
3. Mike Jones (Clemson)
Seasons remaining: 3
Notes: A seven-game starter with the Tigers this season as a red-shirt sophomore, who finished with 30 tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass breakups and two interceptions this season, including an interception in the playoff against Ohio State.
4. Chance Campbell (Maryland)
Seasons remaining: 2
Notes: Earned honorable mention All Big 10 honors in 2020 after leading the Terps and ranking 12th in the nation in tackles per game.
5. Quavaris Crouch (Tennessee)
Seasons remaining: 3
Notes: The 6-2, 235-pound Crouch was the third-leading tackler for the Vols during his sophomore season with 57 tackles, while also forcing two fumbles and recording two tackles for loss.
6. Palaie Gaoteote IV (USC)
Seasons remaining: 2
Notes: Former starter at USC who was regarded as a five-star talent only two years ago. Big boys from all over the country will be involved in this one.
7. Rashie Hodge (New Mexico State)
Seasons remaining: 2
Notes: Last played in 2019 for the Aggies when he recorded 90 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and forced a pair of fumbles. He might be one of the more underrated players in the portal at the moment.
Defensive Backs
Adam Sparks (Class of 2017)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Grad transfer with 98 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3 INT and 9 PD in his career with the Tigers. South Carolina is one of the schools showing interest.
Best of the rest
1. Makyle Sanders (North Texas)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Posted 60 tackles (team-best 38 solo, 22 assisted), 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, a pass break-up, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery while starting all nine games this season.
2. Trey Rucker (Wake Forest)
Seasons Remaining: 3
Notes: Was one of the best freshmen in the 2019 season in the entire SEC, but an injury sidetracked him in 2020. Was expected to be a major contributor in 2021.
3. Marlin Brooks (Ohio)
Seasons remaining: 1
Notes: Recorded 114 tackles, 2 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles in his first three seasons in the MAC.
4. Elijah Gates (UCLA)
Seasons Remaining: 2
Notes: Has starting experience at cornerback and safety, but could never quite hold down a starting spot for any length of time.
Commitments from the last 2 weeks: Jalen Green (Texas to Miss State.), Cameron Johnson (North Texas to UCLA) and Key Lawrence (Tennessee to Oklahoma)
