Recruiting Rumor Mill: The latest on J.T. Tuimoloau, others
There are always recruiting rumors and rumblings whether it’s close to National Signing Day or not. In a new series, we break down that chatter to see what’s the latest across the recruiting landscape. Today, we focus on the remaining 2021 Rivals250 prospects who have not signed yet.
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MORE: Transfer Tracker - best available QBs in the portal | Top remaining unsigned QBs in 2021 class
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
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COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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Tuimoloau rarely talks about his recruitment and those around him have been quiet as well, but the five-star defensive end still has USC, Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State and Washington as his top five. There have been some whispers that the Ducks and the Crimson Tide could be battling it out for his services and that the Buckeyes could be slipping, but others believe Ohio State is still very much in the picture.
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New Texas coach Steve Sarkisian could pull a major recruiting victory and convince Johnson to join the Longhorns, but the feeling is that Texas A&M is the team to beat for the Cypress (Texas) Fairbanks star running back. The program is in great shape, the scheme fits Johnson’s style and there is stability in the coaching staff. Oklahoma missed out on Camar Wheaton and probably has little chance with Johnson as well. If Texas can land him, Sark pulled some serious strings, but A&M looks best.
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Alabama, Florida and Georgia remain the key players for Arnold, and there have been some interesting developments recently to give some teams more hope than others. The Crimson Tide have made it clear they feel Arnold is one of the best defensive backs in the country and they can recruit anybody from anywhere. But Georgia might be the team surging a little bit and the Bulldogs could have more optimism, especially since coach Dan Mullen fired his secondary coaches and is rumored to be interested in NFL jobs. Florida is still seriously involved, but there are more questions than ever there.
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Ole Miss is still the leader. But the four-star defensive tackle is taking a trip to Florida State this weekend, and there’s no question the Seminoles could make up serious ground. Still, Malone has had the Rebels high on his list for some time, nothing has really changed there and it would be a major late recruiting coup if Malone ends up at FSU. Still, it’s something to watch heading out of the weekend.
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Davis had been committed to LSU for nearly a year, but four days before Christmas the four-star linebacker reopened his recruitment. He had developed a strong relationship with former Tigers defensive coordinator Dave Aranda before he left for Baylor and always had a good bond with coach Ed Orgeron, but staying with the Tigers was not meant to be. For weeks, there has been chatter that he will end up in USC’s recruiting class, giving the Trojans another outstanding group.
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Benny committed to Michigan State in early November but didn’t sign during the early period, which started a bunch of rumors that Michigan was going to flip the four-star offensive tackle who could play both ways. But the feeling heading into the second signing day is that the Spartans are still in very good shape and that it would actually be a surprise if he flips to the Wolverines. It’s not done yet, but coach Mel Tucker and his staff should hang on.
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Four of the top five players in the state of Louisiana are either signed or committed to LSU, and Walker would make a clean sweep, but his recruitment has gotten much more interesting than expected with Alabama and Texas A&M making a serious run at him. History is definitely on the side of the Tigers to get him locked up, but the Aggies and the Crimson Tide have success with rangy receivers like Thomas and that could be a selling point.
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Florida State has been the team to beat for a long time, but it became a little curious when he decided not to sign during the early period as expected. Still, there does not seem to be any significant changes in his recruitment, so the Seminoles still look best.
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Dickerson has had an intriguing recruitment because he had Nebraska, Ohio State and LSU as his three favorites before committing to Minnesota without visiting the campus. That pledge has stuck since April, but the four-star cornerback did not sign during the early period. Nebraska looks to have the best chance to flip him late, especially since he lives right up the road, but the Gophers should not be counted out, either.
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Cal and UCLA looked like the top schools for Cardwell, although USC is still sticking around. But things changed in the last few weeks as Oregon and Notre Dame got much more involved in his recruitment. Cardwell is planning to commit on Jan. 25, but he also has not rushed a thing in his recruitment and could take these next few weeks for some late trips if he can make that possible. The Ducks could steal him, but other Pac-12 schools are still in it.