Week 8 recruiting winners and losers: Bama, Notre Dame, Pitt impress; Penn State falls flat

Recruits normally don’t make decisions based on a one-game performance. But make no mistake, Saturday’s games will have an impact on the recruiting trail. It’s why Alabama, Notre Dame, Pitt and Ole Miss are the recruiting winners for Week 8 of the college football season. It’s also why Penn State is the biggest loser of the week.

Winner: Alabama

Alabama won its 15^th in a row against visiting Tennessee, beating the Vols 52-24 with a four-TD outburst in the fourth quarter. It was a game that impressed a big collection of blue-chip recruits on campus, including five-star OL Kiyaunta Goodwin of Charlestown (Ind.) High.

Goodwin, a longtime Kentucky commitment, continues to look at other programs, and the Crimson Tide did a tremendous job of swaying him on and off the field this weekend on his official visit.

“I saw a game with great fans, in a great stadium and in a great atmosphere,” Goodwin told On3’s Chad Simmons. “The fans are there, and they love Alabama. The visit was really good. I left with a better understanding of Alabama and who the coaches are. Alabama is a great place.”

Goodwin’s comments were pretty much echoed by On300 defensive lineman Chris McClellan, who was also on his visit this weekend. McClellan, from Owasso, Okla., said he got the full Alabama experience, and the on-field play left a lasting impression.

Five-star junior EDGE prospect Lebbeus Overton of Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton also said similar things after he returned home from an unofficial visit.

While it’s no surprise to see the Crimson Tide make a move for top targets like Goodwin, McClellan, Overton and others, it certainly does help when things go well on the field to make the visit more complete.

“Alabama was everything I thought it would be,” Goodwin said.

Winner: Notre Dame

It’s one of the biggest rivalry games in college football, so it was no surprise Notre Dame used USC coming to town to host a big recruiting weekend.

Things went really well for Notre Dame on the field, as the Irish blasted USC 31-16. And from all indications, the play on the field helped the Irish pick up some momentum with some key recruits.

One of the key recruits was five-star DL Anthony Lucas of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral. He said he was wowed by the game-day atmosphere in South Bend.

“If I had to describe the experience, it would be phenomenal. This visit did help them with me,” Lucas told On3. “Being able to talk with the coaches and watching them win the rivalry game were some highlights. The atmosphere was great. It was what I expected it to be.”

The atmosphere also impressed four-star S Xavier Nwankpa of Altoona (Iowa) Southeast Polk, On300 DL Hero Kanu of Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic, Billy Schrauth of Fond Du Lac (Wis.) St. Mary’s Springs and many, many others that were there. It also had to help Notre Dame in its pursuit of LSU QB commitment Walker Howard. The four-star signal-caller from Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas More was on his official visit this past weekend.

In the end, it was the type of performance on the field and setting in the stands that moved the needle with top targets still on Notre Dame’s board.

Winner: Pitt

With more than 150 recruits at the game, including some top regional recruits in the 2023 class like Rodney Gallagher, William Watson III and Austin Ramsey, Pitt walloped Clemson 27-17.

QB Kenny Pickett has established himself as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, and the Panthers are first in the ACC’s Coastal Division with another big home game on the horizon this week against Miami.

It’s the perfect type of situation to create a recruiting buzz. Recruits are definitely liking what they see from Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt Panthers.

“It was great and I was glad to see a lot more support from the team, and Pitt just played a great all-around game,” Gallagher told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “What impressed me is how everyone on Pitt gets involved. They can score whenever they want when their offense gets going.”

Winner: Ole Miss

Chuck Rounsaville of On3’s OM Spirit is right on the money: He called this past weekend the perfect Ole Miss weekend.

Ole Miss retired the No. 10 jersey of two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning and the Rebels beat LSU 31-17. It was an indescribable scene in Oxford with top recruits on hand, including the nation’s No. 1 junior – Arch Manning.

It was about the most remarkable recruiting pitch you could make for Manning. And he felt right at home, signing autographs while he was on campus.

Loser: Penn State

Ok, let’s put things into perspective: Penn State has a top-five recruiting class already committed. With 24 players on board, the Nittany Lions are wrapping up their 2022 class.

But let’s also be honest that Penn State losing to Illinois as a 24.5-point favorite in nine overtimes won’t win over too many players on the recruiting trail.

Penn State is trying to score style points with the top remaining targets in the 2022 class. It’s also hoping to continue to get a good head start on the 2023 cycle. As a coach, the last thing that James Franklin wants to do is go into living rooms with seniors and have to answer questions about the inexplicable loss – especially with games against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State on the schedule.

To make matters even worse for Penn State, the Nittany Lions officially lost a commitment from On300 safety Jordan Allen on Monday. He had been dropping hints that he was looking around; he visited LSU recently. But the decommitment adds insult to injury on what was a bad weekend for Penn State.