College Football Recruiting

After Brent Venables left Clemson to become the head coach at Oklahoma, one of the Tigers' top 2022 recruits has decommitted from the program. 

Cornerback Daylen Everette issued a statement to Hayes Fawcett of On3.com about his decision to reopen his recruiting: 

I want to thank the whole Clemson staff for everything they’ve done for my family and I. I am very grateful for Coach Swinney, Coach Reed and the rest of the Clemson staff for believing in my talents and providing me with an opportunity to play football at the next level. After a long talk with my family, I have decided that it is in my best interest to decommit from Clemson University. So as of now, I will be opening my recruitment back up. I wish nothing but the best for Clemson University.

Everette, who attends IMG Academy, is a 5-star recruit, the No. 6 cornerback and 29th-ranked overall player in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

Clemson got a verbal commitment from Everette in July. 

"It's a national championship team," Everette said of picking the Tigers during an appearance on CBS Sports HQ (h/t David Cobb and Ben Kercheval of CBS Sports). "It's a very prestigious school athletically and academically."  

Everette has become the third high-profile recruit from IMG Academy to decommit from Clemson since Venables was hired by the Sooners on Dec. 5. 

Defensive end Jihaad Campbell and safety Keon Sabb announced earlier this week they were reopening their recruiting. 

Venables was widely regarded as one of the best recruiters for Dabo Swinney on Clemson's staff. He was responsible for getting players like Christian Wilkins (2015), Isaiah Simmons (2016), Trayvon Mullen (2016) and Bryan Bresee (2020), per Adam Friedman of Rivals.com.

The 50-year-old joined the Tigers coaching staff in 2012. He won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach in 2016. 

Prior to giving Clemson a verbal commitment, Everette also made official visits to Georgia, Florida State and North Carolina.    

Highly touted safety Xavier Nwankpa committed to Iowa on Wednesday.

The Iowa native is 45th nationally and fifth at his position in 247Sports' composite rankings. He's also the best player from his home state.

247Sports' Chris Singletary had high praise for Nwankpa, comparing him to two-time All-ACC and 2018 All-Pro safety Derwin James:

The burst and closing speed that he has makes for a player that displays great range whether it’s getting off the hash in 2 deep or in the deep third to make plays on the ball or receiver. The ability to read, react and close on plays are something that makes him a game-changer. His tackling and physicalness is top-notch, he coils and strikes the ball-carrier along with doing a good job wrapping. Makes plays on all three levels, does a good job when blitzing being physical and running through blockers or attacking their edge while making plays on the QB.

The transformation of the safety position has been happening for a number of years, and merely identifying a defender as a safety does little to describe his on-field duties. With James, for example, The Athletic's Daniel Popper wrote how he occupied five different roles within the Los Angeles Chargers defense.

At 6'2" and 190 pounds, Nwankpa has the frame to guard wide receivers or tight ends in pass coverage or move closer to the line of scrimmage to defend against the run. 

Brad Zelenovich, Nwankpa's coach at Southeast Polk High School, recounted to 247Sports' Kevin Sinclair how the rangy defensive back was ready to join the varsity squad as a freshman.

"It's hard to physically be ready to play at that level as a 14-year-old kid," Zelenovich said. "... We brought him up probably Week 3 or Week 4 of his freshman year, and he's never left."

James was Florida State's second-leading tackler (94 tackles) and had 4.5 sacks as a true freshman. The Hawkeyes would obviously be thrilled if Nwankpa can make that kind of impact right away, but that's a high standard to meet.

More likely, Nwankpa will have a more gradual transition into Iowa's defense. His versatility could be valuable in allowing him to be used situationally early on.

With a year or two under his belt, he has all of the tools to become the kind of defensive star who requires a near-constant level of attention from opposing teams.

Nwankpa's hometown (Altoona) is only a few hours away from Iowa City, so the Hawkeyes were always a logical landing spot.

Beyond the emotional pull, the program has been a consistent winner under head coach Kirk Ferentz and typically builds its success on a stingy defense. Suiting up for Iowa should be a great way for Nwankpa to develop his game and showcase his skills.

Five-star running back Raleek Brown has committed to USC, the class of 2022 recruit announced Thursday.

Brown was previously committed to Oklahoma but decommitted following the announcement that Lincoln Riley had left Norman and become the head coach at USC. 

Brown had been committed to the Sooners since February but announced his decision to decommit from the program on Wednesday. It's assumed that was related to Riley's departure. 

Before Riley was hired as head coach of the Trojans on Sunday, Brown told ESPN later that day that the coach's decision would impact his recruitment.

"That changes everything," he said. "I had a good relationship with all [the Oklahoma coaches], so that will really change everything."

The 5'8", 185-pound running back is the 34th-ranked prospect in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rating. He's also the second-ranked running back behind Emmanuel Henderson, an Alabama commit, and the second-ranked player out of California behind uncommitted cornerback Domani Jackson. 

Brown is the second 5-star to commit to the Trojans this week, joining 2023 quarterback Malachi Nelson, who was also previously committed to Oklahoma. The California resident announced his decommitment from the Sooners on Sunday. 

In addition to Brown and Nelson, Oklahoma has also lost commitments from 2023 5-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss (No. 10 in 247Sports' composite rating) and 2023 4-star running back Treyaun Webb (No. 109 in 247Sports' composite rating) over the last week. 

Riley had been head coach of the Sooners since 2017 and compiled a 55-10 record in his five seasons. Oklahoma won the Big 12 in his first four seasons as head coach, and he also led the team to three College Football Playoff appearances.

During his introductory USC press conference on Monday, Riley told everyone that the school "is going to be the mecca of college football." With commitments from several 5-star players, he is well on his way to making that statement a reality.  

Lincoln Riley leaving Oklahoma to become head coach at USC is starting to have ramifications on the Sooners' recruiting.

Makai Lemon, a 5-star athlete who's ranked as the No. 2 athlete nationally in the class of 2023 by 247Sports, announced that he has decommitted from Oklahoma and will not be reopening his recruitment.

Lemon, a native of Southern California, told 247Sports that he made his decision to de-commit from Oklahoma when he found out receivers coach Dennis Simmons was joining Riley at USC. He said the coaching staff has expressed interest in him becoming a Trojan.

"I didn't want to de-commit right away until I knew what coach Simmons was doing,” Lemon said. "He was a big reason why I committed to Oklahoma in the first place. ... I got a call from coach Simmons this week too and he's excited about the opportunity. He knows they can do big things at USC and he wants me to be a part of that."

Lemon added that he plans on visiting USC and expects to make a decision "in the next week or two." He admitted that the situation is intriguing because he grew up as a fan of the Trojans and he also has a strong desire to play for Riley and his staff.

"It was tough to make the decision to leave home," he said. "I'm a SoCal guy and love it out here, but I wanted to play for those coaches in that offense.

"Now the coaches that I love are right here at USC, the school I always thought I would be going to. Me and Malachi [Nelson] are planning to go up there tomorrow for a visit and I think I could be ready to make my decision pretty soon here."

Lemon is a versatile player who has impressed on both sides of the ball. 247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins describes him as "a twitchy two-way athlete who shows elite upside as a receiver or a cornerback. ... He works hard off the field and has all the tools to project as a Power Five starter and future high-round NFL draft pick."

After decommitting from Ohio State, Jaheim Singletary has decided he is going to play college football at Georgia.

In January, Singletary announced he was going to play in Columbus for the Buckeyes.

"Just the culture, the realness, the opportunity," Singletary told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports about why he chose Ohio State. "The way they do their guys and put them in the league."

Seven months later, Singletary decided to reopen his recruitment by decommitting from Ohio State:

Singletary is widely regarded as one of the best players, regardless of position, in the 2022 recruiting class. The Jacksonville native is a 5-star prospect, No. 5 cornerback and 18th-ranked player overall, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports praised Singletary's size and ability to shut down one side of the field in his scouting report:

Has gotten more and more aggressive in press coverage over the years and is more than capable of getting a wide receiver off schedule. Relatively fluid hips allow him to mirror those same wideouts as they try to work their way down the field. Does a nice job of anticipating throws and timing his breaks. Will fight through hands at the catch point in hopes of making a play. Willing tackler that lunges at ball carriers and strikes them before wrapping up.

Singletary is already listed at 6'2" and 170 pounds. He recorded seven interceptions and six pass breakups in 10 games as a freshman at Riverside High School.

A cornerback with that size and athleticism is among the most valuable players in football at any level. Singletary has the potential to completely transform the Bulldogs defense as soon as he steps on campus.

Head coach Kirby Smart has had an excellent run with Georgia since 2016, including winning an SEC championship and reaching the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017.

The biggest problem for Georgia under Smart's watch has been trying to figure out how to slow down Alabama. The Crimson Tide have won three straight games against their SEC rivals since 2017.

There's no shame in losing to Alabama—most teams do—but it is an indication that Smart and his staff still have work to do if they want to get the Bulldogs over the hump in the SEC.

Adding a dynamic talent to the secondary like Singletary, who can shut down the best receiver on the opposing team, will go a long way toward making Georgia a title contender.