Announcement previews: 4-stars Aamil Wagner, Julian Humphrey set to commit

As is always the case, early November looms large in the recruitments of most targets that have yet to commit.

Many prospects will have multiple rounds of official visits in their rearview mirror. Recruits have also been to several college games to help them get a feeling of what it’s like on a college campus on game day. Plus, it becomes increasingly clear where prospects stand on a school’s board.

So, it’s no surprise to see several top targets set commit dates. With that in mind, On3 previews the upcoming commitments and where some of these recruits are trending toward.

OT Aamil Wagner

Background: Dayton (Ohio) Wayne
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 134
Commitment info: 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday

On3 Consensus four-star offensive tackle Aamil Wagner is one of the most coveted line prospects remaining on the board in the 2022 class. While he says he’ll pick between Kentucky, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State, intel indicates this is really a race between the Wildcats and Nittany Lions.

Kentucky is the team to beat heading into the final few hours before the decision. That’s largely due to ace recruiter Vince Marrow doing what he always does with top targets in Ohio. Plus, Wagner is the younger brother of former Kentucky wide receiver Ahmad Wagner (2018-19), who is now on the Wildcats’ staff as an offensive graduate assistant.

Penn State, led by Phil Trautwein, is trying to sway him its way before he announces.

CB Julian Humphrey

Background: Houston Clear Lake
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 101
Commitment info: 1 p.m. ET Friday

On3 Consensus top-10 cornerback Julian Humphrey announced a top three of Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M last week. Humphrey has taken recent official visits to Georgia (Oct. 1) and Texas A&M (Oct. 9).

In an interview last week Humphrey talked about his relationships with Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M, but he considers Georgia as his leader.

“Georgia is leading, and I think everyone knows that,” Humphrey said. “I think it’s very clear that Georgia is the leader.”

Even with that statement, insiders point out that A&M – with all the recruiting momentum they’ve gotten in the last week – has made up some ground.

“Texas A&M is only 2 hours away from my house,” he said. “It’s a close school and they’re showing that they can build something. They’re losing a bunch of defensive backs over there and I’ve known coach T.J. Rushing for years.”

With the Aggies’ strong push, is it enough to overcome Georgia? That remains to be seen during the final hours of Humphrey’s recruitment.

DL Tawfiq Thomas

Background: Tampa (Fla.) Gaither
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 68 DL
Commitment info: 10 a.m. ET Saturday

On3 Consensus three-star defensive lineman Tawfiq Thomas took an official visit to Louisville this past weekend. He didn’t even leave campus before announcing he will make his commitment public this Saturday.

Louisville offered Thomas in January and has remained consistent with the relationship since. He’s also taken official visits to Kansas and Iowa State and has offers from Arkansas, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami, Maryland, Syracuse and others.

But all signs point toward this being a boost to the Louisville recruiting class that currently ranks as the No. 64 class in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking.

WR Andre Greene Jr.

Background: Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher’s School
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 87
Commitment info: 7 p.m. ET Nov. 17

On3 Consensus four-star receiver Andre Greene Jr. has narrowed his list to Clemson, Georgia and North Carolina. He will announce his decision at 7 p.m. ET Nov. 17 on CBS Sports HQ.

Greene has already visited UNC and UGA officially but an official visit this weekend to Clemson looms large in his recruitment.

“It is big for me,” Greene recently told On3’s Chad Simmons. “Even though they offered me a little late, they have been recruiting from the jump, so I am strong with them. They have a couple of presentations to show me. One is on how they would use me and the other is a comparison with them to every other school on my list.

“I should be able to start focusing on my decision after that visit.”

Dabo Swinney, Mack Brown and Kirby Smart are head coaches heavily involved in his recruitment. He says choosing one will not be an easy decision.

“It will be more of a gut-feel type of thing for me,” Greene said. “I will go where I feel the most comfortable and to the school, I feel can develop me to the best of my ability.”

While others have tipped their hand, schools and recruiting insiders have had a tough time getting a real read on where Greene is leaning, other than Clemson and UNC are likely the teams to beat.

S Xavier Nwankpa

Background: Altoona (Iowa) Southeast Polk
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 26
Commitment info: 9 a.m. ET Dec. 8

On3 Consensus five-star safety Xavier Nwankpa has a month to go until making a college decision on Dec. 8. But he has done plenty of thinking over the last few weeks. He visited all three of finalists — Iowa, Notre Dame and Ohio State — in the past month.

All three schools have pulled out all the stops to make sure he knows he’s a priority. And all three have strong points to sell to him.

At Ohio State, Nwankpa is impressed with the fans and people on campus. He told Lettermen Row’s Jeremy Birmingham that he also has a strong bond with the coaching staff in Columbus.

Notre Dame is selling Nwankpa on the brotherhood of being a member of the Fighting Irish family. Plus, he has built great relationships with players committed in the class.

Then at Iowa, there is the opportunity to stay at home and be the hometown hero that turned down major schools to play for the Hawkeyes. Nwankpa is also sold on Iowa’s success at developing defensive backs.

Iowa was trending early in the season for Nwankpa and Ohio State was also high on his list. But the recent visits have muddied the water. All three schools feel like they have a legitimate shot at landing him.