Latest news with #ESPN300
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Colorado Buffaloes Land ESPN 300 Four-Star Linebacker Over Power Four Schools
Colorado Buffaloes Land ESPN 300 Four-Star Linebacker Over Power Four Schools originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Deion Sanders has landed a few good recruits in the month of July. The surge continued on Saturday as four-star linebacker Rodney Colton Jr. committed to the Colorado Buffaloes over the Florida State Seminoles and Ole Miss Rebels. Advertisement The Newnan, Georgia product became the Buffaloes seventh defensive recruit during this cycle and the second four-star, along with Brandon, Mississippi safety Preston Ashley. They're now the two cornerstones of the 2026 recruiting class for Coach Prime and the Buffs with no five-star talents. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Colton Jr. is the No. 15 linebacker in his class and the No. 23 prospect in Georgia. He was previously committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks and ultimately decided to be in Boulder. He's currently 298th overall on the ESPN 300 list. "Everything was great on my visit," Colton told BuffStampede. "Coach Hart is a great man, I am not going to lie. He is down to earth, he is cool, cordial, all of it. He is always checking in, making sure I am good, making sure my family is straight." Colton is the biggest pick up for Sanders and Colorado after the 2026 class was slow rolling into July with three players on the books. What makes his commitment even bigger for CU is the fact Colton turned down offers from teams in the College Football Playoff like Penn State and SMU. While Sanders and his staff aren't blowing other teams out of the water with recruits, this is all by design and follows the pattern of previous years. They find players who are ready to play and fill in the gaps through the transfer portal. Colton closed his junior season at Newnan High School last fall with 51 total tackles (12 for loss), six sacks and an interception. Advertisement Following Colton's commitment, Colorado's 2026 recruiting class got a boost to No. 79, according to 247Sports. They sat at No. 100 to open the month and are expected to pick up a few more players. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN moves Notre Dame's 2026 class up to No. 3 in its latest recruiting rankings
The commitment of Lamar Brown, ESPN's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2026, continued to shake up the website's Top-25 class rankings. Just over the past week, three ESPN five-stars announced their decisions, including Brown, who gave LSU another in-state win as the Tigers held off Texas A&M to keep the local prospect at home. There are still four five-star prospects uncommitted, so more movement is on the way. Notre Dame fans have no need to worry, however, as the Fighting Irish currently sit at No. 3, up a spot from the previous rankings on the site. The Irish have 17 ESPN 300 commits, led by top offensive prospect tight end Ian Premer and top defensive prospect cornerback Khary Adams. Marcus Freeman and Co. added several ESPN 300 prospects in the spring and summer months, including key defensive additions such as EDGE Rodney Dunham, safety Ayden Pouncey (who could grow into an outside linebacker), linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. and Adams. Offensively, offensive tackle Gregory Patrick joined an already loaded offensive line class that also features OT Tyler Merrill. This unit underscores just how well ND has recruited across the offensive line under this regime. Meanwhile, in addition to Premer, big-name offensive prospects include quarterback Noah Grubbs and wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald. Whether a recruit is a legacy or not, this Notre Dame class is certainly shaping up to be special. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan football makes big climb in ESPN 2026 recruiting rankings with elite commitments
Michigan recruiting is continuing to surge, and ESPN is taking notice. The last time that ESPN updated its 2026 college football recruiting rankings, Michigan football had just made its debut, coming in at No. 17 overall. After a torrid month of June, the Wolverines are moving up even more. Last week, ESPN updated its rankings, and though it doesn't include the commitment of wide receiver Travis Johnson or cornerback Dorian Barney -- or the flip of cornerback Brody Jennings to Miami -- the Wolverines have moved up 10 spots and are now just outside of the top five at No. 7 overall. The Wolverines signed the No. 1 QB for the 2025 cycle in Bryce Underwood and he carries high expectations, but they continue to add talent to the position and landed ESPN 300 signal-caller Brady Smigiel. The onetime Florida State commit is not only an accurate passer, but he also plays with the confidence and swagger that will be needed battling with five-star Underwood. After losing two DLs in the first round of the NFL draft, Michigan added several DLs to this class, including ESPN 300 DEs Titan Davis and McHale Blade. Four-star DE Tariq Boney is a player to keep an eye on. He lacks ideal length but can be a well-rounded technician and a quick contributor. In addition to pulling Boney out of the nation's capital, Michigan also landed Carter Meadows, a rangy edge defender who can bend well. As noted, at No. 44 overall, Smigiel continues to be the highest-rated commitment for the Wolverines in this class, according to ESPN. Wide receiver target Calvin Russell, who committed to Syracuse in a surprise pledge on Saturday, would have been the top offensive player at No. 28. Meadows, the highest-rated defensive commitment, is No. 88 according to ESPN's rankings. Here is where each of the current commits ranks in the ESPN300: With 10 included in the ranking and 12 overall now, the Wolverines are in a good spot to continue moving up. Of the remaining top targets in the 2026 class, Mineral (Va.) Louisa County running back Savion Hiter is No. 24, Ogden (Utah) Fremont athlete Salesi Moa is No. 35, Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill defensive tackle Deuce Geralds is No. 40, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy linebacker DQ Forkpa is No. 41, Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian cornerback Davon Benjamin is No. 63, and Marietta (Ga.) Kell linebacker Brayden Rouse is No. 153.
Miami Herald
05-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Report: Five-star OT Felix Ojo commits to Texas Tech on $5M deal
Felix Ojo, a five-star offensive tackle, will stay in his home state of Texas after committing to Texas Tech on Friday. Ojo's commitment came upon signing a massive $5.1 million revenue-share contract spanning three years, according to ESPN, with programs now allowed to pay players directly. Ranked No. 20 in the 2026 ESPN 300, the 6-foot-7, 285-pound Ojo arrives in Lubbock as the program's highest-ranked recruit since ESPN began ranking high school prospects in the 2006 recruiting cycle. The second-ranked recruit out of Texas, Ojo selected Texas Tech over Texas, Florida, Michigan and Ohio State. The seven-figure deal is believed to be one of the largest fully guaranteed revenue share agreements in college football history, per ESPN. Such a deal became allowable after a recently approved federal settlement permitted college programs to directly pay their athletes. "Football is a brutal sport and athletes are not able to play professionally until their graduating class has been in college three years," Derrick Shelby, Ojo's agent, told ESPN. "It was important to be able to secure Felix Ojo's future and give him and his family some security as he continues to develop into a first-round NFL draft pick." --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Clemson football land in 2026 national recruiting rankings after busy month?
Clemson remains in the top 10 in national recruiting rankings for the class of 2026 after a busy month of June. Clemson football ended June with another busy month on the summer recruiting trail. Dabo Swinney's program added five players in June and now have 20 hard commitments in the 2026 recruiting class. The latest came on June 28 in four-star defensive lineman Keshawn Stancil from Clayton, North Carolina. Stancil is the 15th-ranked lineman in the class of 2026 and the 143rd ranked overall player, according to On3. Clemson also added four-star EDGE Dre Quinn, who chose the Tigers over the Texas Longhorns, and two four-star offensive linemen in Leo Delaney and Carter Scruggs. Both rank as top 10 interior lineman by 247Sports and On3, while three-star EDGE JR Hardrick committed in early June. Clemson had been ranked as high as No. 3 in recruiting by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals in April, but that was before other marquee programs began to solidify their respective 2026 classes to balance the scales. The Tigers still have a strong 2026 class overall, with the potential to improve before the summer recruiting period ends on July 31. Here's a look at where Clemson now lands in the experts' latest class of 2026 team recruiting rankings following another busy month on the recruiting trail. Rankings updated as of noon ET on July 4. 247Sports' 2026 college football team recruiting rankings, updated In 247Sports' overall team rankings, Clemson has fallen four spots from in the national recruiting rankings since May 14. That's nothing alarming, just a sign that other programs have picked up steam in the past month and a half. On3, Rivals 2026 industry football team recruiting rankings In On3/Rivals' industry rankings for 2026, Clemson had actually moved up one spot from its mid-May ranking before Michigan added four-star receiver Travis Johnson to its class on Friday. ESPN updated 2026 college football recruiting class rankings ESPN's updated 2026 recruiting rankings were unveiled on Thursday. The Tigers were at No. 4 on May 14. Recruiting analyst Craig Haubert listed Delaney, who committed on June 4, as the top offensive recruit in Clemson's 2026 class, with four-star safety Kentavion Anderson the Tigers' top defensive prospect. Anderson committed on May 15. Haubert said of Clemson's recent pickups: "With some new offensive weapons, the Tigers are making sure they have the time to get the ball downfield by loading up along the offensive line. Delaney, Carter Scruggs, Grant Wise, Adam Guthrie and Chancellor Barclay give the Tigers multiple ESPN 300 OLs to help reload a senior-heavy unit that is projected to lose multiple starters after 2025. They could one day protect fellow four-star Tait Reynolds, a dual-threat QB out of Arizona who could push to be part of the long-term solution to replace Cade Klubnik. While the foundation of the class is on offense, Anderson is a key in-state pickup on the other side of the ball. With his frame (roughly 6-foot-2, 190 pounds) and range, he can be a versatile back-end defender for the Tigers." Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
