#PRZTN Recruiting Insider (January Edition)

It's a brand new year and soon there will be a new recruiting cycle for the 2024 class but before we officially jump ahead, we still have plenty of talented seniors remaining with some of them set to take official visits sometime this month.    Plenty of recruiting action lies ahead with the second signing day coming in early February along with several Junior Day events set for the 2024 class. Here we provide you an inside look at the recruitment for some of the top players from the great state of Tennessee and how things sit at the beginning of the new year.      CPA Linebacker Has Plans for Power Five Visits   - After building a strong profile for himself last offseason, CPA junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='228694' first='Crews' last='Law'] pushed that stock even further during the football year and now he is positioning himself as one of the prospects at his position for the in-state 2024 class. As we head into the new year, Law is already looking into taking unofficial visits or attending Junior Days, beginning later this month.    Talking with the Lions stud defender, he did not distinguish when exactly he would be taking these visits but Law did say that he has his eyes on hitting the road to see Duke and North Carolina later this month while also looking into visits as well with Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. One school who could be added to that list is Wake Forest, who recently offered and would be on that same Carolina route when he visits out that way in a few weeks.    More and more schools are beginning to get involved with this Nashville based linebacker and I could easily see new offers come his way over the next three months as we get deeper into the 2024 recruiting cycle, including some possible national powers.    It will be interesting to see where Law's recruitment goes as some may see the hometown Commodores as the team to beat as his brother is already on campus, as a member of the Vanderbilt baseball team. That could be the case but Law will have tons of options to choose in the end from and an opportunity to look around to find the best fit for him and his future on the football field.      Star Running Back Sets Two Official Visits   - The state's leading rusher in [player_tooltip player_id='102219' first='Malaki' last='Dowell'] could soon find his college destination as the White Co. running back has two official visits set later this month along with a due date of January 23rd for his college commitment.    Dowell's first stop looks to be Austin Peay on the 16th for an official visit with the Governors and then the next weekend, the Warriors running back plans to check out Gardner Webb. The Govs and the Runnin Bulldogs might be the teams in the driver's seat for Dowell but according to him, he also continues to receive interest from Eastern Ky, Tennessee Tech and UT-Martin as well.    Other programs could still get themselves in the mix for Dowell too but they are running out of time as this 3,000 yard rusher is inching closer to his final decision. Whoever lands this Mid-Tennessee product will be getting a steal as I believe Dowell is a D1 back that will begin his career on the FCS level.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/mdowell.jpg?w=581" alt="" class="wp-image-386471" width="338" height="337" /></figure>     Stock is Soaring for Nicholson    - One of the best defensive back prospects from the #TN2024 recruiting class could very well be MUS junior [player_tooltip player_id='258805' first='Brandon' last='Nicholson'] and I think his stock will soar even further over the next few months, even after already picking up offers from schools in the ACC, Big Ten, SEC and others. That process of adding more offers begins this month when the Memphis area defender plans to hit the road and take some college visits.    Holding current offers from the likes of Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Texas A&M, Tennessee and others, Nicholson has his eyes on five particular offers and schools that he wants to check out very soon with a few of them being out of his southern footprint. According to the Owls star cornerback, Nicholson has been in talks with Duke, Florida St., Northwestern, Stanford and Vanderbilt the most and has intentions to visit each school somewhere in the near future.    Nicholson is a budding star that will continue to see more and more schools extend offers but one factor that will play a big role in his recruitment will be academics, so you can see why the West Tennessee product has plans to see those five schools listed above.    This guy is one talent that could see his stock reach a national status at some point due to his athleticism and speed but also because of his tremendous upside to play the island at cover corner as well. No matter who offers Nicholson throughout his recruitment, I could one of those five academic schools remain at the top of his board and eventually receive his commitment.      Top Names in Pursuit For LeBlanc    - Over the latter half of the Fall football season, 2024 Baylor tight end [player_tooltip player_id='305883' first='Max' last='LeBlanc'] broke out into one of the top receiving threats from the D2-Class AAA ranks and has now become one of the top recruits for our #TN2024 recruiting class. Sporting great size at 6'5 220 pounds, this native Canadian is about to embark on a busy offseason ahead as LeBlanc will hit the road to take visits this month along with setting up several others in the weeks ahead.    According to the Red Raiders junior pass catcher, he will take unofficial visits to Duke on the 21st of this month then the next week travel to Pennsylvania to see Penn St. on the 28th. The Blue Devils have already offered but the Nittany Lions have not but very well could when this East Tennessee product visits at the end of the month.    LeBlanc has become a popular recruit of late who will no doubt add several other visits to his slate, especially with some power programs taking interest. Besides the twelve offers already in hand, LeBlanc is also receiving interest from the likes of Auburn, Michigan, Michigan St., Ohio St., Stanford and Wake Forest and I'm sure many others will gain intrigue very soon. (Stanford offered on Tuesday)   Look for this Baylor tight end to place himself among the best nationally at his best by summer time and continue to rack up the offers along the way.   Current Offers: Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri, N.C. State, Purdue, UNLV, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MaxenceLeblanc5/status/1600497819617755136?s=20&t=a6r-Q2BuMjNMA3CORPfMDA </div></figure>   ---------------   Other Recruiting News …….   - Junior Elizabethton defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='149385' first='Mason' last='Ball'] will be an intriguing prospect to follow over the coming cycle as he sports the size and physical traits that translate to the next level and college programs are taking notice. According to the Cyclones' big man, later this month he plans to attend Junior Day events with both Austin Peay and Liberty while also looking to set up visits with MTSU and Virginia Tech in the near future. All four of those schools have shown solid interest with Ball and could increase that interest after looking over this East Tennessee product in person.    - The top ranked quarterback left on the recruiting board for the #TN2023 class is Blackman senior [player_tooltip player_id='150308' first='Jack' last='Risner'] and he is still searching for a home. This Blaze signal caller has already graduated, so he is completely available for the taking and one school who has been knocking on his door pretty loudly is the Green Wave of Tulane. According to the Murfreesboro based quarterback, Tulane is interested in bringing Risner on campus now and working him into the mix but only on a partial scholarship.    That could change come summer time, so this might be a good move for Risner as he sports the physical traits and upside to play on the D1 level. Expect some other D1, FCS schools to try and do the same with this 6 '4 passer over the next two months as teams look to bring in quarterback depth.    - After showing extensive work on the defensive side of the ball this season, CPA junior two-way talent [player_tooltip player_id='149166' first='Ondre' last='Evans'] has become one of the most wanted prospects from our state and someone that is close to reaching national status. Talking with the Lions talented playmaker, Evans is looking into setting up some visits soon but doesn't have anything set as of now, however he does have a group of schools that are in pursuit harder than others.    According to Evans, as of the start of January, he is actively hearing the most right now from Arkansas, N.C. State, South Florida, Tennessee, UNLV, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech. Other programs that have offered remain in the mix and make contact with Evans but those are the seven schools to seem to be after this Middle Tennessee product the most. Look for this CPA junior to hit up some Junior Days at the end of this month as well as take in other visits over the coming months.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/01/onevans.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-589891" /></figure>

It's a brand new year and soon there will be a new recruiting cycle for the 2024 class but before we officially jump ahead, we still have plenty of talented seniors remaining with some of them set to take official visits sometime this month.