USA TODAY high school sportsFriday Night Notes is a weekly roundup of high school recruiting that looks at the latest news from around the country – from the class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.
Like unpredictable 2023 NFL draft set in Kansas City, the best high school football players across the country continue their ascent to the next level. In this week’s edition of Friday Night Notes, we’ll be playing the proverbial point guard – or quarterback of the game manager – if you prefer.
Instead of going through a deeper dive on a few recruiting updates, we’ll take a scrolling tour of the landscape through over a dozen links to recruiting stories from across the College Wires network.
First, we’ll share some quick notes on five college football programs that stood out this week in the the 2024 recruitment drive.
1. Michigan
There’s a new leader this recruiting cycle. By making commitments from a pair of blue chip prospects earlier this week, the Wolverines knocked arch-rival Ohio State from the No. 1 spot in the country.
2. Arkansas
Although top billing went to Ann Arbor, no school made more overall progress this past week than Arkansas. Last weekend, the Razorbacks took commitments from four new recruits for their class of 2024, Arkansas is already 14th in the nation.
3. Notre Dame
Just yesterday, two more blue-chip recruits committed to Power 5 programs. The Fighting Irish got one at Warner Robins (Ga.) four-star wide receiver Isaiah Kanyon. Taking the overall rankings into account, he is No. 29 at his position, also No. 29 in the state and No. 194 nationally.
4. Oklahoma
Sooners too they got a four-star wide receiver on Thursday at Zion Kearney of Hightower (Texas). Kearney had offers from 33 other schools, including Arkansas, Colorado, LSU, Oregon and Washington. His arrival pushes Oklahoma into the top 25 (more on that later).
5. LSU
Last but not least, LSU also picked up a pair of four-star recruits. Over the weekend they got Denham Springs (LA) safety Dashon McBride to commit. On Wednesday, they followed that up by recruiting East Feliciana (La.) four-star tight end Trey’Dez Green.
1
How each first-round pick graded out as a college recruit
Chris Kwiecinski/Tribune/USA TODAY NETWORK
“Thursday night, 31 college football players achieved the first part of their childhood dreams… In all, we saw 11 five-star prospects go in the first round. Two were the No. 1 overall prospects selected back to back. Of the remaining 20 selections, 10 were four stars, leaving 10 with three stars or no rating.
2
Ohio State recruits are already tearing up Michigan football
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
“On Tuesday night, when Jerod Smith became Michigan football’s 14th commitment in the 2024 class, the Wolverines passed Ohio State as the highest-rated recruiting class of the cycle. And even though the Buckeyes have a higher average per rookie, the Maize and Blue have the edge in total scoring with more players in the class overall.… That didn’t stop OSU offensive line devontae Armstrong from getting in a little digging.”
3
Florida coach to visit new blue chip 2025 QB
Mick Walker – 247SPorts
“Billy Napier and Co. have been busy hosting top prep prospects from around the country over the past few weeks, but Florida’s recruiting efforts aren’t limited to Gainesville’s city limits. Among the many young student-athletes the Gators have eyed is four-star quarterback Ryan Montgomery of Findlay (Ohio)…”
4
The No. 12 ranked DL in Georgia has committed to Tennessee
Photo: Jeremias Heard
The 6-foot-9, 285-pound linebacker is from Model High School in Rome, Georgia. Hurd is the No. 986 overall prospect and No. 95 defensive end in the class of 2024. He ranks as the No. 100 player and No. 12 defensive end in the state of Georgia, according to the On3 Sports industry rankings.”
5
Iconic Son of Miami commits to Nebraska
Andrew Ivins, 247 Sports
“Nebraska’s spring game got off to a hot start on Saturday, securing the commitment of a 4-star quarterback from Miami, Florida. Willis McGahee IV announced his commitment to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday morning, and if your name sounds familiar, there’s a reason.”
6
The 4-star safety puts Ohio State in the top 5
Andrew Ivins, 247 Sports
“The Buckeyes are trying to find top prospects that fit the scheme and 2024 Florida safety Zaquan Patterson is doing just that. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive end narrowed his list to five schools: Florida State, Miami, Auburn, Michigan and Ohio State.
7
Lovers make top 10 of 4-star ATH Brauntae Johnson
Tom Loy, 247 Sports
“The Buffs landed a top-10 pick on Braunty Johnson, a four-star athlete in the class of 2024 from North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Johnson, who projects as a wide receiver, is ranked as the No. 127 player, No. 8 athlete and No. 3 player in Indiana, according to 247Sports.”
8
Oklahoma in the top 25 after the commitment of Zion Kearney
Jordan Scruggs, 247 Sports
“Oklahoma is off to a faster start in the cycle than it was a year ago when they only had four players and one blue-chip prospect committed in early June. If last year was any indication, there will be a number of commitments for the Oklahoma Sooners over the next few months. They are in a great spot for a few top 100 prospects in the cycle…”
9
4-star TE Dylan Mesman puts Auburn in the top 5
Steven Brooks, 247 Sports
“He’s the No. 390 player and No. 19 tight end in the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is also the No. 8 player out of Michigan in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Tigers have already landed one tight end in three-star Martavious Collins, but are expected to try to land several high school tight ends in the 2024 recruiting cycle .”
10
Wisconsin QB committed to Madison this week
Brian Peroni, 247 Sports
“Metauer is 6-foot-5 and one of the talents with dynamic hands in the class of 2024. He is the only quarterback committed this early in the class and played his high school football at The Woodlands in Texas. He had a number of major offers, including from Baylor, Colorado and Arkansas.
11
The most stellar spring game in Oregon history?
Sean Sherer, 247 Sports
“There were certain weekends this past year, whether it was a regular season game, an annual spring game or a big offseason recruiting weekend, when we saw a full complement of players flock to Eugene, with a handful of 5-stars and a slew of 4-stars of high class coming to check on the ducks.’
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Where every recruiting service ranks LSU
Dale Zanin-USA TODAY Sports
“On3 values the average ranking of the leads more than the total. That’s why LSU is ranked 13th, despite having a higher overall score than several peers. LSU’s commitment average is 91,168, but its 13 commitments are more than any team sitting ahead of them. That could line up over time with several five-stars considering LSU.”
13
Why did 4-star Josiah Brown put Rutgers in the top 7?
Brian Don, 247 Sports
“Josiah Brown included Rutgers football in his top seven schools cut that happened this week. A four-star recruit from Holy Trinity (Hicksville, N.Y.), Brown is one of the top recruits in the nation. According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Brown is the No. 219 recruit in the nation, the ninth-ranked athlete and the best player in New York.”