College Football Recruiting

Zach Rice, a 5-star offensive tackle from the Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Virginia, committed to North Carolina on Thursday.

Rice chose North Carolina over Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Virginia.

The 6'6", 282-pound Rice is considered the No. 9 prospect in the country, the top offensive tackle and the top player from the state of Virginia, per 247Sports.

Brian Dohn of the recruiting website offered the following scouting report on Rice:

"Agile and high-level athlete. Moves well in space. Plays with attitude and nastiness. Strong at point of attack and uses his lower body strength well. Initial punch is forceful and plays with heavy hands. Once engaged remains locked on and drives legs. Finishes blocks well. ... Is patient in pass pro and does not lunge often. Consistency with hand placement needed. Has to continue to work on bend to be more consistent with sinking hips and winning leverage battle. Has to refine kick step. Multi-year starter at top 10 program. NFL first-round potential."

Rice has obvious physical tools, but it's his intangibles that he takes the most pride in as a player.

"My humility and my mindset," he said when talking about what distinguishes him from other offensive line prospects around the country, per Ahmed Ghafir of SI.com. "I come out and compete. Everyone gets beat, but I'm always the one that bounces back in games and camps."

Say what you want about Mack Brown, but the man can recruit. Rice will join 5-star defensive lineman Travis Shaw in what has become one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. Everybody may be looking up to Clemson in the ACC, but Brown and the Tar Heels have landed some potential future stars.

Georgia's hot start to the 2021 season is paying dividends for next year's recruiting class. 

Defensive lineman Mykel Williams told Chad Simmons of On3.com he has flipped his commitment from USC to the Bulldogs:

Georgia has had my attention from the beginning, and nothing ever changed, but my love for Georgia now is stronger than ever. Even when I was committed to USC, Georgia never fully left my mind. I loved USC, and I liked them a lot, but Georgia was always there. They never went away. ... My love for Georgia is stronger now. I am locked in with Georgia.

The native of Columbus, Georgia, is a 5-star prospect and the No. 5 defensive lineman in the 2022 class, per 247Sports.

Williams committed to USC in June, with Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson among many schools that presented him with a scholarship offer. 

"I have a great connection with the whole coaching staff," he told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports about picking the Trojans. "Two, the players on the team, they want to be great and want to win and do something big. Three, the fans and the atmosphere, it’s electric. Every time I talk about USC on Twitter and Instagram, it just feels great."

The strong-side defensive end recorded 69 tackles and 17 sacks in 11 games for Hardaway High School as a junior in 2020. 

Andrew Ivins, the Southeast recruiting analyst for 247Sports, wrote in his scouting report that Williams is a "scheme-versatile big man with a projectable frame and one of the longest verified reaches out of any blue-chip prospect in the class of 2022."

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and his staff are pushing all the right buttons. The Bulldogs are the unanimous No. 1 team in both the AFCA Coaches Poll and Associated Press Top 25 with a 7-0 record.

The addition of Williams moved Georgia up to No. 2 in 247Sports' recruiting rankings for 2022. He is the program's second 5-star commit after linebacker Malaki Starks.     

Gentry Williams, a 4-star class of 2022 football prospect who has played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back for Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, committed to play for the Oklahoma Sooners on Monday.

Per 247Sports' composite, the 6'0", 170-pound Williams ranks 37th overall in the class of 2022 and first among Oklahomans.

He received a glowing scouting report from Gabe Brooks, 247Sports' Midlands region recruiting analyst, on June 24, 2020.

"Lean, athletic build that could translate to multiple spots at the college level. Owns some frame space to continue adding bulk. Versatile athlete. High school QB and DB whose ceiling is likely highest in the secondary. Primarily plays QB but put some good snaps on tape at corner as a sophomore. Flashes impressive burst coupled with track-verified top-end speed.

"Oklahoma 6A state champion in 400 meters (47.70) and runner-up in 200 meters (21.14) as a freshman. Displays plus agility to make the first defender miss. Fluidity also shows at corner. Shows impressive turn-and-run ability. Good ball skills for a long-term DB prospect thanks to offensive experience. Adding bulk/strength and continued coverage technique development keys moving forward. Dynamic athlete with a high developmental ceiling at corner. High-major recruit with multi-year starter capability who could develop into an early-round NFL Draft prospect."

Brooks compared Williams to Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson.

He received 18 offers, including ones from Oklahoma, LSU, Georgia and Florida. In the end, he chose to become a Sooner.

Williams suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during a game in September 2020 and missed the remainder of the season. He relayed the news to Bill Haisten of Tulsa World, who was told that the star athlete suffered the injury after catching a pass against Del City.

He'll join an Oklahoma recruiting class, which is headlined by 5-star DL recruit Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, that ranks seventh in the nation

Alabama may be the leaders in the clubhouse to highly touted quarterback Arch Manning.

Dan Patrick reported Wednesday on his radio show the Crimson Tide are the "frontrunners" for the Louisiana native. Patrick said Clemson and Texas are in the hunt as well.

Intrigue always follows the top signal-callers in a given recruiting cycle. Manning is the No. 1 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2023 class. 

His family lineage provides another layer to make him one of the most hyped football recruits in recent memory. He started as a freshman at Isidore Newman School, and he was on national television by his sophomore year.

Manning's on-campus visits are being treated like stops on a band's tour schedule.

Most recently, the 16-year-old was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to watch the Crimson Tide roll to a 42-21 victory over No. 12 Ole Miss.

Isidore Newman head coach Nelson Stewart told 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong that Manning sat in on a meeting with Alabama head coach Nick Saban and defensive coordinator Pete Golding.

Stewart went on to say that Golding established a strong rapport with Manning and was "one of the first coaches on him."

The allure of Alabama is obvious for a recruit in Manning's position since the program is the most successful in modern college football.

Thanks to the Crimson Tide's offensive evolution, they can also easily sell a blue-chip quarterback on their offense being the best showcase for NFL scouts. Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa were first-round draft picks in successive years.

Clemson seemed to be in a similar position after having won two national titles under Dabo Swinney. Swinney can also point to Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson as examples of what a talented quarterback can achieve with the Tigers.

However, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman and Grace Raynor reported the team's 3-2 record may be emblematic of issues that go deeper than simply having a down year. In particular, Swinney and his staff may be falling behind the competition in terms of offensive creativity.

Problems like that may not go unnoticed by Manning.

Because of his talent and star level, Manning has the opportunity to almost single-handedly reshape the landscape for a few years. Texas, for example, may see its fortunes improve drastically by securing his commitment.

Beyond the success the Longhorns would potentially have with Manning at quarterback, he could be a tone-setter in recruiting to bring other top-ranked players to Austin.

Elite football prospect Evan Stewart will sit out the remainder of his senior season at Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas, in order to prepare for his college career.

"I will be foregoing the rest of my senior year and mentally and physically preparing myself for the next level of my football career and a huge step in life," he wrote on social media.

The uncommitted player is considered the top receiver in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 3 overall prospect in the country, per 247Sports' composite ranking. The 5-star initially committed to Texas before reopening his recruitment in March.

Stewart had 19 receptions for 414 yards and three touchdowns in three games this season, but missed two of his team's last three games.

As Ari Wasserman of The Athletic noted, the receiver could be following in the path of quarterback Quinn Ewers, who skipped his senior year to enroll early at Ohio State. Ewers left to take advantage of the NCAA's new name, image and likeness rules and has already reportedly earned nearly $1.5 million in NIL deals.

Stewart can now also start earning money as he looks to monetize his social media presence with 2.1 million followers on TikTok. He would have been ineligible to profit off his likeness under Texas high school rules.

The 6'0", 175-pound wideout will also focus on the opportunity to finalize his recruitment. He took official visits to Texas and Florida in June as well as unofficial visits to Texas A&M, Alabama and LSU.

The Oklahoma Sooners are known for their aerial attack, and Friday they added a talented player who may help them maintain that passing game in the future.

Hayes Fawcett of On3 reported wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. joined Oklahoma's 2023 class over Oregon, Florida State, USC and Alabama.

Moore is a 5-star prospect and the No. 33 player, No. 3 wide receiver and No. 4 player from California in the class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

"Oklahoma has really been on my mind since eighth grade, which a lot of people don't know," Moore said, per Fawcett. "They offered me Feb. 3 of my freshman year, and since then we've been able to build a really strong connection. That's the place I feel the most comfortable with, and I could see myself there for years to come."

Fawcett noted two of Moore's teammates at Los Alamitos High School (Malachi Nelson and Makai Lemon) are also committed to Oklahoma.

This is an example of the rich getting richer on the recruiting trail, as the Sooners have the No. 1 class in the country for 2023, per 247Sports' composite rankings. Players in that class will likely have a chance to compete in the SEC with the program set to switch conferences from the Big 12 in 2025.

Moore also plays safety, and Greg Biggins of 247Sports pointed to his physicality and tendency to be around the ball.

Still, the Sooners are an offensive powerhouse under head coach Lincoln Riley and can use Moore's fluidity and strong hands.

His experience as a defender also figures to help him on underneath routes and in jump-ball situations. If he lives up to expectations, he could be part of the wide receiver rotation as soon as his freshman season.