Where the top EDGE recruits in the 2024 cycle are committed

Through early August, many of the nation’s best edge rushers have made their college decisions.

Five-Star Plus+ Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy EDGE Dylan Stewart committed to South Carolina over Ohio State to kick off the month of August. He is one of two five-star EDGE recruits to have announced their decision.

Below are the top committed EDGE recruits in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, and where they are heading.

Five-Star Plus+ Dylan Stewart — South Carolina

School: Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 10
On3 NIL Valuation: $358K

Scouting Summary: “Dylan Stewart is a big, athletic pass rusher with the most complete physical skill set among 2024 EDGE prospects. Measured at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds with a 33.5-inch arm and 10.5-inch hand prior to his senior season. Added around 20 pounds of mass during his junior year. Clocked 40 yard dashes in the 4.6 second range at college camps as a rising junior. Has rare movement skills at his size. Flies around the field with a burst that pops off the screen. Lines up all over the front seven at his high school. Often plays in a two-point stance, both as a stand up rusher and off-ball linebacker. Shows high-end flexibility as a pass rusher. Stays low and turns the corner at high speeds with strong curvilinear movement. Dangerous on stunts and twists. Closes extremely quickly behind the line of scrimmage. Strong finisher in part due to his combination of speed and size. Finished his junior season with 16 sacks, which stacks up on the high end among his peers. Will need to continue developing to maximize his considerable talent.”

5-star Elijah Rushing — Arizona

School: Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 32
On3 NIL Valuation: $191K

Scouting Summary: “Elijah Rushing is a tall, rangy pass rusher with projectable tools. Has a big frame for a rising junior, checking in at 6-foot-5.8, 224 pounds prior to his junior season. Had a good sophomore year, tallying 7.5 sacks while primarily playing defensive end in a three-man front. Shows disruptive qualities both as a pass rusher and pursuit defender. Plays with good bend, particularly for a taller prospect. Posted encouraging athletic testing marks in the combine setting. Will need to continue to add functional strength as he fills out his frame and progresses as a player.”

4-star Marquise Lightfoot — Miami

School: Chicago (Ill.) Kenwood Academy
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 63
On3 NIL Valuation: $125K

Scouting Summary: “Marquise Lightfoot is an explosive EDGE prospect who stands out due to his athleticism and effort level on Friday nights. Measured in at over 6-foot-5, 220 pounds prior to his senior season. Has solid length for the position. A twitchy, quick athlete who turned in strong marks with his change of direction in the combine setting. Parlays that burst onto the field. Lines up both as a traditional defensive end and as a stand up pass rusher. Makes eye-popping plays in backside pursuit. Tracks down ball carriers from behind, making high-level individual plays. Shows good first step quickness, darting into the backfield. Takes on blocks and works to hold his ground as a run defender. Plays with intensity and a high effort level. Productive as a junior, tallying 122 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 9 sacks. Also plays tight end, where he made some big plays as a pass-catcher. Will need to hone his pass rush technique at the next level as he is making most of his plays with pure athleticism and effort. Does not look to have an overly large frame, but has solid size at 220 pounds. Younger for the class with an April birthday.”

4-star Kameryn Fountain — USC

School: Atlanta (Ga.) Washington
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 102
On3 NIL Valuation: $122K

WeAreSC: “It’s a beautiful place out in California and I love the entire coaching staff at USC,” Kameryn Fountain said. “Most impactful part of the visit was when they had us talk to the professor about our major. I was surprised to learn they were number one in academics.”

4-star Cheta Ofili — Texas Tech

School: Sachse (Texas)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 143
On3 NIL Valuation: $88K

Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings: “Cheta Ofili is one of the most athletic EDGE prospects in the cycle. He was phenomenal at the Under Armour Dallas Camp. He really wowed us with his athleticism. He was someone that was on the cusp of being a four-star, On300 type going into that day and he really surpassed our expectations. He’s over 6-foot-3 and 210-215 pounds. He has a very good length at over a 6-foot-10-inch wingspan and he was off-the-charts athletic at that event. He ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash and had a 35-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-3 broad jump. I think he had an argument to be the most athletic guy at that camp. We like the film. He’s a guy who’s going to continue getting better technically, but the immense athletic upside was very evident, seeing him at that camp and going through the results.”

4-star Wendell Gregory — South Carolina

School: Marietta (Ga.) Walton
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 166
On3 NIL Valuation: $90K

Scouting Summary: “Wendell Gregory is a versatile space defender whose length and range allows him to make plays at every level of the field. Ran a solid 11.86 100m and an impressive 23.89 200m during his freshman track and field season given his size. Tremendous spatial awareness when working in zone coverage. Excellent closing speed and ability to run from sideline to sideline. Possesses stopping power at the point of contact when engaging ball carriers. Functional rusher off of the edge. Need to see development with his hand usage and ability to shed blockers. High upside prospect who has every chance to become a top-tier NFL prospect.”

4-star Loghan Thomas — Notre Dame

School: Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 173
On3 NIL Valuation: $84K

All-American Bowl Combine On3 MVP: “On300 EDGE Loghan Thomas is next up for Katy (Texas) Paetow, which just graduated two of the nation’s best defenders at their respective positions in David Hicks Jr. and Daymion Sanford. Thomas arrived in San Antonio at a swollen 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, and it showed with an explosive first step and consistent wins against an array of tackles in the Dome. Thomas was quick around the edge and also showed he could win going inside as well. Thomas clocked a 4.7-second 40 time and also registered a 42-inch vertical. He’s a superb athlete flying off the edge.”

4-star CJ Jackson — Georgia Tech

School: Tucker (Ga.)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 180
On3 NIL Valuation: $80K

Scouting Summary: “CJ Jackson is an active speed rusher who creates constant disruption due to his quickness and hair-on-fire effort level. Measured in at over 6-foot-3, around 220 pounds prior to his senior season. Has good length for the position, with arms that measure 33.75 inches. Has notable play speed. Shows high-level quickness, firing off the snap. Redirects quickly with lateral movements. Capable of winning with pure speed, but also shows the ability to hit offensive tackles with up and under and hesitation moves. Shows outstanding speed in pursuit. Closes very quickly. Plays with a high effort level. Plays with a willing level of physicality and throws his body around as a run defender, despite being lighter. Will need to add mass to aid in anchoring against the run. Has solid size but is not as overly imposing as some other blue-chip EDGE prospects.”

4-star Darien Mayo — Clemson

School: Olney (Md.) Good Counsel
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 211
On3 NIL Valuation: $81K

Scouting Summary: “Darien Mayo is a tall, high-cut EDGE prospect with ability as a pass rusher and edge setter. One of the taller prospects in the 2024 cycle, measuring at over 6-foot-8, 250 pounds prior to his senior season. Has the expected plus length with a wing span over 6-foot-10. Lines up as an outside pass rusher for his high school. Has a nice speed rush and the capability to win with speed to power. Shows some encouraging dip for such a tall pass rusher. Uses his length to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. Projects as an effective edge-setter with his considerable size and room for growth. Shows the ability to control offensive tackles at the point of attack Faces top competition at Good Counsel. Needs to improve his lower body fluidity and ankle flexion. Does not register as a top athlete in the combine setting at this stage. Has the potential to fill out close to 300 pounds once in a college strength and conditioning program.”

4-star Jacob Smith — Michigan

School: Corbin (Ky.)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 255
On3 NIL Valuation: $72K

Cheshire (Conn.) Academy head coach Bill Mella: “The first thing that really impressed me about (Jacob Smith) is he has the ability to dip under offensive linemen without losing balance. It’s really impressive. He can get on an angle that defies physics. You’re talking about a 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 kid that is 230 pounds. The entire length of his body is like at a 30-degree angle at full speed. He takes that rush angle and crushes the pocket because of his ability to do that. He just has really good balance and acceleration. His ability to get underneath, use his hands and accelerate through the tackle.”