Friday Recruiting Rundown: Jan. 16 Update

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 season ended about a month ago, and after a relatively quiet time over the holidays and the college transfer portal window, recruiting is ramping back up. One of my favorite pieces (and one of the most-read features on the site) is my weekly recruiting rundown article. A lot is going on for every class. Here are some recruiting tidbits from across the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">January 16 Recruiting Rundown</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While we never spoil an athlete's commitment, we do pick up nuggets here and there. At this time of year, there's a lot of movement in the college coaching rankings, leading to shifts in recruiting. Between the early and late signing periods, FCS and Division II/III schools are the busiest, but FBS schools are gearing up for a huge high school push after the transfer portal closes, especially for the younger classes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2027s Planning January Visits</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Late January has become a key time in the recruiting calendar for juniors, especially those with FBS interest. The early signing period runs in early December, followed by a dead period and the chaotic early-January transfer portal window. Often, the last 2-3 weekends in January mark the first opportunities colleges get to prioritize the junior class. Accordingly, several players are taking visits.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clayton athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='561878' first='Terris' last='Hobbs']</strong> is one of our favorite gadget guys in the class of 2027, and he's getting interest from some bigger schools. He's scheduled to be in Wake Forest for a junior day later this month.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of the Demon Deacons, they've been active in the Tar Heel State. Garner's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1397877' first='AJ' last='Randle']</strong>, Shelby's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687752' first='Tyson' last='Williams']</strong>, and Fairmont's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1685581' first='Tariq' last='Leggett']</strong> have recently earned offers from Wake Forest. Randle's comes amongst a flurry of offers, including offers from both South Florida and Florida, about 10 minutes before this writing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Charlotte's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='378926' first='Davion' last='Jones']</strong> is becoming a popular player on the recruiting trail, especially as more teams recruit him primarily on the defensive side of the ball. Jones has a few visits set to Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia, Clemson, and Auburn.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Gamecocks are set to be active in North Carolina this cycle, with players like St. Pauls defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1656785' first='Antwan' last='McKoy']</strong> and the newly transferred Hough star <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422524' first='Josh' last='Dobson']</strong> set to visit. Lincolnton's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678635' first='Jalaythan' last='Mayfield']</strong>, Millbrook's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1553113' first='Rashad' last='Streets']</strong>, and Providence Day's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1610603' first='Tre' last='Geathers']</strong> remain high on the Gamecocks and should visit soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fast-rising Cape Fear running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1675598' first='Tai' last='Phillips']</strong> locked in two ACC visits, one to NC State on the 24th and one to Virginia Tech a week later.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, Southeast Alamance two-way player <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='668611' first='Drew' last='Easter']</strong> finally earned his first FBS offer, with a Jan. 15 offer from Charlotte. He's a guy we expect to garner plenty of attention this offseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Recruiting Heating Up For Key 2026 Recruits</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This time of year can be busy for Division II/III and FCS schools, as they finalize recruiting boards and push hard before the spring signing period opens.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NAIA power Indiana Wesleyan won a heated recruiting battle for Franklinton DB/LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854270' first='Jonathan' last='Manson']</strong> on Friday when the standout defender pledged to the Wildcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/JonathanManso12/status/2012218502287950198?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JonathanManso12/status/2012218502287950198?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pair of Cleveland County playmakers earned their first FCS offers from Gardner-Webb on Jan. 8, as Shelby's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2103492' first='Lorenzo' last='Roseboro']</strong> and Crest's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1671903' first='Michael' last='Edwards']</strong> were each offered.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Iredell offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1732522' first='Demarion' last='Davidson']</strong> also earned his first offer, a Division II offer from Fairmont State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Other News and Notes</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>As previously mentioned, former Catawba Ridge (S.C.) standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422524' first='Josh' last='Dobson']</strong> transferred to Hough. From what we've heard, he's probably not the last highly-ranked 2027 prospect to change schools this offseason.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2028 athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1060044' first='Kingston' last='Curry']</strong> received an offer from Boston College, as the Eagles continue to be busy in the Tar Heel state.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>The Eagles also offered Providence Day IDL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='496368' first='Charles' last='Ibe']</strong>, one of the top defensive linemen in the class after re-classifying to the 2028 class.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>This state is big, and it's easy to miss something. Want to keep us updated on your recruitment? Tag and/or DM me on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>) to make sure I know what's going on.</em><br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->