Weekly Recruiting Recap (Apr. 5th-11th)
It was a very quiet week of recruiting in the state of Tennessee but these weeks happen, especially during the spring season when most college programs are going through their spring football activities.
There was still enough action to recap it all here!
Lead Story
– Haywood (TN) defensive back Jaylen Lewis Jaylen Lewis 6'1" | 175 lbs | DB Haywood | 2022 State TN is in the process of going through the final stages of his recruitment and the pathway towards the end starts with taking official visits. Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Lewis announced he will be taking an official visit to Oklahoma on the weekend of June 18th thru the 20th and it will be the first time on the Sooners campus for this Tomcats stud defender.
Lewis has a bevy of offers to sort through but Oklahoma has remained at the top of his list since they offered several months ago and sit as a possible favorite to land his commitment. If all goes well on his trip to Norman in a few months, I would not be surprised to see Lewis become a future Sooner.
Offer King of the Week
‘22 (DB) LaMarion Pierce LaMarion Pierce 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Marshall Co. | 2022 State TN – Marshall Co.: Offers – Akron, Austin Peay & Ball St.
– It has been a busy two weeks for this Middle Tennessee defensive back. Pierce has gone from an underrated talent to a now offered prospect that has several other programs hot on his trail. A long and athletic cover guy that can play a variety of positions in the secondary, Pierce has strong upside for the next level and with offers now in hand, expect many others to arrive over the coming weeks.
Underclassmen Notes
– This was a very lite seven days of recruiting for the 2023 class as just Independence (TE) Ty Lockwood Ty Lockwood 6'5" | 225 lbs | TE Independence | 2023 State TN (Ga Tech) and White Station (QB) Braylen Ragland Braylen Ragland 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Bartlett | 2023 State TN (Jackson St.) received offers this week.
It was a solid offer received for Ragland. The Spartans rising junior has already positioned himself as a Top 10 in-state quarterback for the 2023 class and has the upside to eventually be placed even higher. Camp season will be big for Ragland and his development for big time college football.
Etc ….
– It might have been just one offer but it was a semi breakout week for Beech (TN) TE Jackson Long Jackson Long 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE Beech | 2022 State TN as he picked up a huge offer from the Florida St. Seminoles. The 6’5 220 pound pass catcher that can seriously run added this big offer from Noles and it will be one that busts open the door for a bevy of offers to come his way, especially from Division 1, Power Five programs.
Long has tremendous upside as a pass catcher and someone that can line up in a variety of spots of offense. He can put his hand in the dirt or line out wide. Long provides versatility and big play abilities that Florida St. coaches clearly saw and many others might will too very soon.
– Another Middle Tennessee product that could see a sudden spike with his recruitment is Page (TN) quarterback Jake McNamara. The Patriots star signal caller added his 1st college offer last week from Colorado St. and with it being a Division 1 offer, it could open the door to other high caliber programs.
McNamara is a poised, accurate passer that works the pocket well and shows the moxy to run the show on offense in the collegiate game. Those traits could be what Colorado St. saw and several will begin to as well. It will be interesting to see where McNamara’s recruitment goes now having this D1 offer in hand.
– PWO offers have begun to go out as last week Summit (TN) teammates Brady Pierce Brady Pierce 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Summit | 2022 State TN (S) and Mason Richardson (OG/C) added preferred walk-on spots from Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
This could be a new trend that you see by Power Five programs as they extend PWO’s to guys they really like but are not at the very top of their recruiting boards, however this is good business to extend these kinds of offers early while maintaining the relationship. This could be an interesting factor to follow as the 2022 cycle continues to roll along.