Recruiting Notebook: Portal chaos, five-star recruitments heating up

Only two short weeks remain until the beginning of the Early Signing Period — also known as the new National Signing Day. And between the official opening of the NCAA transfer portal and the final stretch of the recruiting calendar, college football recruiting news is on one right now.

Each day until we hit the signing period, On3 will be breaking down the top storylines from both the recruiting world and the transfer portal. Let’s get into it.

Schools coming after Alabama’s five-star commits

Alabama currently holds the No. 1 recruiting class in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. But after the Tide’s relative struggles on the field this year, as well as the normal twists and turns of the recruiting cycle, they could be in for a tense next couple of weeks. Other programs have taken aim at some of the top Alabama commits, including two of their three committed five-star recruits.

Along with safety Caleb Downs and running back Justice Haynes, four-star safety Tony Mitchell has also become a top flip target for one of the Crimson Tide’s bitter rivals. On Monday, On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons broke down the latest intel with each recruit during the Inside Scoop Recruiting Show.

Auburn has become the biggest threat for Mitchell, with Texas A&M still pushing to flip him as well. In the case of Downs, Ohio State has become the main threat after he visited the Buckeyes over Thanksgiving weekend instead Alabama. And with Haynes, Georgia is unrelenting in its effort to keep the Bulldogs’ five-star legacy inside the state. Each of the three will very much be down-to-the-minute as we get to signing day.

Coach Prime wasting no time

After being officially announced as the head coach at Colorado yesterday, Deion Sanders has been offering prospects across the country as he looks to rebuild the Buffaloes’ roster. The latest target for him is five-star Iowa offensive tackle commit Kadyn Proctor.

The 6-foot-6, 330-pounder announced the offer on his Twitter account on Monday morning. This is the first offer he’s received from Colorado, but not the first from Coach Prime. Jackson State was among his finalists over the summer before he ultimately chose the in-state Hawkeyes. Oregon, Alabama and others are still working to flip the nation’s No. 2 offensive tackle.

The Buffaloes are expected to be big players in the portal too, with former five-star and Jackson State athlete Travis Hunter saying last night on a live stream that he was coming to Colorado. Over 450 FBS players have officially entered the portal, with that number only expected to grow in the coming days.

DJ Lagway decision incoming

The nation’s No. 2 2024 quarterback, DJ Lagway, is set to make his commitment announcement on Wednesday, and On3’s Sam Spiegelman has the latest intel on that front. Florida is considered the favorite by the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), but USC, Clemson, Baylor and others aren’t giving up with a little more than 48 hours still to go.

Lagway is expected to have multiple coaches from his top schools at Willis (Texas) High over the next two days. The Gators may have taken the lead on his unofficial visit last month, but they have a battle on their hands for the dynamic playmaker.

According to Spiegelman, Lagway is heavily weighing the opportunity to play for Lincoln Riley after watching his development of Caleb Williams at USC and Jalen Hurts at Oklahoma. The Trojans have pushed that button hard, the latest intel suggests this is a tight, two-team race between the Gators and Trojans.

Florida, Miami going back and forth for 5-star OT Samson Okunlola

Miami has long been considered the favorite to land five-star Brockton (Mass.) Thayer Academy offensive tackle Samson Okunlola. The Hurricanes took the lead on his official visit over the summer, and while he hasn’t cut down to a short list of teams, his recruitment is coming down to the wire.

During On3’s Inside Scoop recruiting show, Chad Simmons said he believes it’s now a two-team race between the Hurricanes and their in-state rival, Florida. Okunlola recently took a multi-day unofficial visit to Gainesville, and he told GatorsOnline’s Corey Bender that he expects Florida coaches for an in-home visit on Monday night.

Georgia trending up for 5-star EDGE

Ohio State and Georgia have been the unofficial top two schools for five-star Venice (Fla.) EDGE Damon Wilson since October. Each got him on campus for an unofficial visit within the past few weeks, but Wilson told Simmons that he knows which one he is ultimately going to commit to. While the On3 RPM still favors the Buckeyes, Simmons said Monday that he gives the edge to Kirby Smart and Co. ahead of in-home visits this week.

No commitment date has been set, but the Bulldogs have a chance to add another elite pass-rusher to their class after securing five-star Samuel M’Pemba on Sunday.