4-star LB Elias Rudolph releases top five schools

Deerfield Beach (Fla.) four-star linebacker Elias Rudolph has narrowed his list of top schools down to five Cincinnati, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Pittsburgh.

Rudolph is the No. 260 overall prospect and No. 29 linebacker in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 39 player in Florida.

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), Ohio State holds a narrow lead over Michigan to land a pledge from the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder.

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“I’m feeling determined to go through this process,” Rudolph told The Wolverine in January. “There are a lot of big schools on that list so it’s going to be a hard choice. I’m just ready to take it on. I do want to walk into my senior year with a school in mind that I do want to commit to. But, I mean, it’s tough.

‘This offseason is going to be when I’ll (visit) the schools in my top list. It’s just hard because you can’t just decide which one is the best without even going into details with them.”

Rudolph currently only has one official visit locked in. He’ll visit Michigan on June 9.

While Michigan and Ohio State may be viewed as a favorite, Rudolph was able to also visit Penn State in January and told BWI’s Ryan Snyder that he was impressed with that visit.

“Coach [James] Franklin stood out the most on this visit,” Rudolph said. “I love his energy and how he is raw and uncut. I liked seeing that Coach Franklin has a genuine passion for his athletes as men.

“Another thing that stood out to me is Penn State’s alumni and fan base and the incredible amount of people interested in Penn State sports. The coaching staff left a good impression. They showed me Coach Franklin’s character. Penn State is a sound program and I loved the facility.”

Rudolph currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $58K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.