College Football Recruiting

The University of Oklahoma lost a commitment from elite wideout prospect Luther Burden on Tuesday. Burden announced his decision to reopen his recruitment, calling the choice a "business decision."

The East St. Louis, Illinois, native is the No. 5 recruit in the nation, according to 247Sports, and the top-ranked receiver in the class of 2022. Both Missouri and Georgia are considered top possible landing spots for Burden. 

Yet expect every major program in the country to try luring Burden to campus.

According to 247 national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu, Burden possesses the type of talent that could make him a first-round NFL draft pick and compares favorably to Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Chris Godwin:

Above-average size and build. Very good athlete who is also a standout basketball player. Has been productive in two varsity seasons. Shows the ability to make plays from all over the field. Can take screens and break long gains and can be a downfield receiver who wins contested passes. Long strider, very smooth and has excellent body control. Has not been verified as far as speed. Can still get more explosive in and out of his breaks. Still on the raw side as far as craft, but has great upside with his natural athleticism and competitiveness. Should be an early impact college player and have a chance to be an early NFL pick.

While Oklahoma remains in the mix, Burden also still has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Michigan, LSU, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas. 

He didn't give a timeline for his next decision. 

Antonio Gates Jr. announced his commitment Monday to Michigan State on Twitter:

The Michigan native is the son of Antonio Gates, who spent 16 years in the NFL with the Chargers while earning eight Pro Bowl selections. The 41-year-old leads all tight ends and ranks seventh in NFL history with 116 career touchdown receptions.

The younger Gates plays wide receiver but is considered a 4-star recruit and the No. 293 overall player in the class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The 6'1", 185-pound prospect had more than 20 scholarship offers, including from Florida, Penn State and Tennessee, but he liked what Michigan State has shown with young receivers.

"They utilize their receivers right, they had one of the top freshman receivers in the country last year and they're just a good program overall," he said of Michigan State in April, per Allen Trieu of 247Sports.

Spartans wideout Ricky White averaged 22.3 yards per catch as a freshman last year.

Gates will already have a head start on his father, who did not play football in college and instead played basketball at Kent State before reaching the NFL as an undrafted free agent. The future Hall of Famer initially signed with Michigan State to play football for then-coach Nick Saban, but he transferred to Eastern Michigan for the opportunity to play basketball before moving on to Kent.

Oklahoma has turned into a quarterback powerhouse program, and it landed a future signal-caller Sunday.

Malachi Nelson—who is a 5-star prospect and the No. 5 overall player and No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings—chose the Sooners over Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC.

He also wasted no time endearing himself to Oklahoma fans with a horns-down shot at archrival Texas:

One look at that list of finalists should indicate what type of player Nelson can be considering it is largely a list of the national championship contenders almost every single season in college football.

Greg Biggins of 247Sports noted that "Nelson has all the physical tools you could want in a next-level signal-caller" and pointed to his ability to hit receivers at all three levels, including on deep balls. He also is a "plus-athlete for a quarterback as well and shows the ability to extend plays and get out and pick up yards in the running game."

That he chose to play for head coach Lincoln Riley should come as no surprise given the coach's track record with quarterbacks.

Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray took home back-to-back Heisman Trophies for the Sooners during the 2017 and 2018 campaigns, and Jalen Hurts was the runner-up in 2019. Spencer Rattler could add to that list of Heisman winners if he lives up to expectations during the 2021 season.

Nelson has the opportunity to be the next in a long line of successful quarterbacks who thrive at Oklahoma and then make it to the next level.

He may also have the chance to do something none of those quarterbacks did and Oklahoma hasn't done since the 2000 season: win a national championship.

Jeremiah Alexander, a 5-star edge-rusher from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama, announced on Instagram that he has chosen to stay home and play college ball at Alabama.

Alexander, a class of 2022 prospect, is ranked 16th overall on 247Sports' composite rankings and first overall among edge-rushers.

As The Athletic noted, Alexander committed to Alabama in March 2020 but reopened his recruitment in the fall. The 6'2", 235-pound player ultimately received 19 offers, including ones from Clemson, Georgia and USC.

Charles Power, a national writer for 247Sports, provided a glowing scouting report in March 2020, pegging Alexander as a future first-round NFL draft pick and comparing him to Tennessee Titans edge-rusher Harold Landry III.

Alexander destroyed his competition in 2020, racking up 116 tackles (71 solo), nine sacks and three forced fumbles for a 14-0 Thompson High team that won the state 7A title, per MaxPreps.

Now he'll be playing for Alabama, who will assuredly benefit from his game-wrecking abilities. He joins a Crimson Tide class that also includes fellow 5-star prospects in quarterback Ty Simpson and running back Emmanuel Henderson.