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2017 Football Recruiting

He just started following some Wake players on twitter. With that said i bet he picks Clemson.
 
THE QB SPOT

A lot of interest in the early part of this cycle will be on the QB position, and rightfully so. It’s an important position and fascinating dynamic with each school typically taking only one QB per class. A couple of general thoughts:

#1: After posting in another thread that we could see a QB commitment at Wake in the next 60 days, I now think that’s a little aggressive. I think sometime in April looks like the better bet. Recruits are still finalizing visit plans and most have plenty of options still on the table. While the QB spots at the SEC schools have filled, Clemson is the only ACC school that has filled their QB spot. In addition, area schools like Vandy, West Virginia and Maryland have open spots as well. So there is still a lot of sorting out that still needs to happen over the next 2-3 months.

#2: After being very cautious about offering QBs in the 2015 class, and the much more aggressive with offers in 2016, the approach to the 2017 cycle looks more like last year. Lots of offers to lots of interesting prospects. While the staff might have a strict pecking order, my guess is that this will be more of a first-come first-served scenario among a handful of QB targets.

NEW OFFER

The first order of business is to add a new QB offer to my list:

Johnathan Lewis (St. Peter’s Prep / Jersey City, NJ)
Rivals Rating: 3-stars (5.6), Rivals #25 Dual-Threat QB in the country
QB Hit List Ranking: #19 Dual-Threat QB in the country
Other P5 Offers: Boston College (May 2015), Iowa, Rutgers and Georgia (previous staff)
Notes: A true dual-threat. Unofficial measurements are 6’3 / 205. He titled his junior year highlights “Ballin Like Cam”. Completed 118 of 189 passes for 1,669 yards and 19 TD against only 3 INTs in his junior season. Rushed for 501 yards and 8 TDs. Lewis hasn’t planned his upcoming visits yet. There is surprisingly little info about him available on the internet.
HUDL Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3792363/johnathan-lewis

THE CONTENDERS

I’m mainly focused on 4 QBs right now: Johnathan Lewis, and 3 QBs that already have write-ups in the OP (Daulton Hyatt, Myles Brennan and Taylor Powell). Here is a quick update on the other three since I last posted on the QB situation:

Daulton Hyatt (Arab, AL) picked up offers from Maryland, Louisville and Mizzou in the past three weeks. He’s now up to seven P5 offers. I’m eager to get an update on Hyatt’s visit plans, and with his recent offers there should be plenty of info available soon. None of the other six P5 schools that have offered have taken a QB commitment.

Myles Brennan
(Bay Saint Louis, MS) added offers from Wisconsin and Indiana. That takes his P5 offer list up to six. In addition, Tennessee and UCLA might be close to offering. I still think Brennan is leaning towards Cal. He will make a West Coast trip soon to see Cal and UCLA. It will be later in the spring before he takes a second trip to see West Virginia, Wake Forest and Tennessee. Of his five other P5 offers, four schools do not have a QB committed for 2017: Cal, Indiana, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Taylor Powell (Fayetteville, AR) added offers from Maryland and Illinois (also notably non-P5 Memphis). He’s up to 3 P5 offers now. I believe that Wake Forest will be his next visit. He’s set to travel to Winston-Salem later this month. Later this spring he’ll make visits to Maryland, North Carolina (no offer) and Oklahoma State (no offer). (One additional note on Powell: Alabama’s recruiting staff reportedly made initial contact with him during the National Championship game. That’s an interesting touch)

OTHER QB NOTES

There was a single tweet recently that Wake has offered dual-threat QB Kadarius Toney (Eight Mile, AL). It’s a little confusing because Toney doesn’t tweet his offers himself. It’s also confusing because Toney would be a P5-level recruit as an ATH. So I’m trying to dig up whatever additional info I can. My guess is that the offer is legit, it’s a QB offer, and he will be recruited alongside the 4 QBs mentioned above. That would give Wake an interesting mix of pro-style and dual-threat options on the board.

The only reason that I haven’t included Hendon Hooker (Greensboro, NC) in the group above was his comment last month that he is favoring N.C. State and West Virginia. He also went onto the national scene with his performance at the U.S. Army All-America combine last month. However, his list of other P5 offers (NCSU, Clemson, Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia) doesn’t look any more intimidating than Hyatt’s or Brennan’s – especially when you consider that Clemson isn’t in the market for a QB anymore. It’s also not lost on me that Wake’s QB commit in each of the last two classes have been in-state QBs that at one point looked like they might be out of Wake’s reach.
 
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We can't tell the character of these kids by reading press clippings and watching hudl clips. I love the guys who get off the bus showing who they'll be at 30 yrs old, and not what they were as HS kids. The fact that every recruit in the '16 class was a team captain bodes well for the Deacs.
 
We can't tell the character of these kids by reading press clippings and watching hudl clips. I love the guys who get off the bus showing who they'll be at 30 yrs old, and not what they were as HS kids. The fact that every recruit in the '16 class was a team captain bodes well for the Deacs.

+1
Pretty impressive. Bet there's not another team that can say that about their incoming class.
 
The first of what will be many 2017 visitors from out of state over the next 6 or so weeks was TE Aaron Hackett from Florida (Venice, FL, which is between Tampa and Fort Myers). Visited today. Versatile TE has offers from Iowa State, UConn and Toledo, but could be getting close to a number of P5 offers.

He was offered by Wake today. Hudl highlights are here: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3925998/aaron-hackett
 
Aaron Hackett is an excellent run blocker.

He did not spell Wake Forest correctly on his twitter account.
 
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Aaron Hackett is an excellent run blocker.

He did not spell Wake Forest correctly on his twitter account.

Sigh. Sadly enough, if we disqualified everyone who claimed an offer from "Wake Forrest" or "The University of Wake Forest" we would reduce our options dramatically. I share your pain though.
 
The first of what will be many 2017 visitors from out of state over the next 6 or so weeks was TE Aaron Hackett from Florida (Venice, FL, which is between Tampa and Fort Myers). Visited today. Versatile TE has offers from Iowa State, UConn and Toledo, but could be getting close to a number of P5 offers.

He was offered by Wake today. Hudl highlights are here: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3925998/aaron-hackett

Venice HS is very nice. Kind of a ritzy school. I visited there to recruit them for a project. Their DC played WR at ECU and teaches in their engineering program. Real good guy. Kids love him.
 
Today's visitors:

Brady Scott (Mount Paran Christian School / Kennesaw, GA) is currently committed to South Carolina to play baseball, but Wake gave him a football offer today. Very likely offered as an OL. His HUDL highlights are here: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/6085727/brady-scott

OL Brian Anderson (Montgomery Catholic HS / Montgomery, AL) has 12 non-p5 offers. He added Cincinnati just this morning. I'm waiting to see whether or not he tweets news of an offer. His HUDL highlights are here:http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3357057/brian-anderson
 
Today's visitors:

Brady Scott (Mount Paran Christian School / Kennesaw, GA) is currently committed to South Carolina to play baseball, but Wake gave him a football offer today. Very likely offered as an OL. His HUDL highlights are here: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/6085727/brady-scott

OL Brian Anderson (Montgomery Catholic HS / Montgomery, AL) has 12 non-p5 offers. He added Cincinnati just this morning. I'm waiting to see whether or not he tweets news of an offer. His HUDL highlights are here:http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3357057/brian-anderson

Anderson was just offered!
 
Six new additions to the list in the OP, including the three recruits who received offers during their visits to Wake this week. I believe that all six recruits were offered sometime in the last 2 weeks. Also note that most of the offer lists in the OP have been updated this week.

LB Tre Allen (Woodland HS / Stockbridge, GA)
Rating: no Rivals profile yet
Other P5 Offers: none
Notes: Quick, athletic LB. Still very under-the-radar as a recruit. His only other offer is from Presbyterian. Very pro-Wake on Twitter. Visited Purdue in October. Plans to visit Wake on 2/20.
Hudl Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/4171196/tre-allen
Twitter: @RA3sWorld


ATH/QB Kadarius Toney (Blount HS / Mobile, AL)
Rating: 2-star
Other P5 Offers: Georgia Tech
Notes: A dual-threat QB who I think will end up at a P5 program as an ATH, but QB is certainly not out of the question. South Alabama offered him as a QB. Second team all-state QB in the 6A classification. First team Coastal Alabama. Passed for 3,604 yards and 36 TDs (against just 11 INTs), while also rushing for 896 yards and 16 TDs. Unofficially 6’0 / 180. Scout’s John Garcia had high praise for Toney’s natural instincts and compared him to current Alabama WR ArDarius Stewart. Toney visited Alabama in October and Auburn in November. Has shared some video clips from workouts that are awe-inspiring (throwing the ball 75 yards, making a leaping one-handed catch). I could see a lot more offers coming his way.
Hudl Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3493266/kadarius-toney
Twitter: @kadariustoney


OL Brady Scott (Mount Paran Christian School / Kennesaw, GA)
Rating: no Rivals profile yet
Other P5 Offers: none
Notes: More well-known as a baseball recruit, where Scott’s 6’6 / 260 frame makes him an imposing RHP. Currently committed to South Carolina for baseball. Was shut down for part of last year with elbow soreness. Very little info on him as a football recruit. Wake offered him for football, it is unclear if he would also play baseball at Wake.
Wake Visit Date: February 12
Hudl Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/6085727/brady-scott
Twitter: @Bmscott21


OL Cordavien Suggs (Fletcher HS / Neptune Beach, FL)
Rating: not yet rated
Other P5 Offers: Louisville and South Carolina
Notes: Louisville was his first P5 offer (January 29). Wake was his second (February 3), and South Carolina followed the next day. Also has a Memphis offer. Attended South Carolina’s Junior Day on February 13.
Hudl Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/5314728/cordavien-suggs
Twitter: @_73era


TE Aaron Hackett (Venice HS / Venice, FL)
Rating: not yet rated
Other P5 Offers: Iowa State
Notes: Also holds non-P5 offers from Toledo and UConn. Unofficially 6’4 / 230. Caught only 27 passes 328 yards and 5 TDs last season. Attended Junior Day at Florida.
Wake Visit Date: February 11
Hudl Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3925998/aaron-hackett
Twitter: @Aaronhackett27


OL Brian Anderson (Montgomery Catholic HS / Montgomery, AL)
Rating: 3-star (5.5)
Other P5 Offers: none
Measurables: 6’2 / 257 at Nike-Charlotte in May 2015. Overall SPARQ score of 56.
Notes: Wake was Anderson’s first P5 offer. Has 12 non-P5 offers, including Cincinnati, Toledo and Georgia Southern. Profiles as an OG or OC at the college level. Visited UNC, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech this fall. Also received an invite to attend a game at Notre Dame. Wants a great degree. Lists an ACT of 24 and a GPA of 3.3 on his Twitter banner.
Wake Visit Date: February 12
Hudl Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3357057/brian-anderson
Twitter: @AndersonBrian98
 
Some updates and general thoughts on 2017 recruiting.

THE QB SPOT

Lots of info, but little clarity from a Wake Forest perspective.

I believe that Hendon Hooker (Greenboro, NC) visited Wake last weekend, but I’m trying to find some additional confirmation on that. Hooker is one of the main priorities for N.C. State, but there was also word this week that Notre Dame is believed to be close to offering.

Surprisingly, Daulton Hyatt (Arab, AL) has not mentioned Wake Forest at all in his most recent interviews. Wake Forest was considered the leader at one point. Now he says that Vanderbilt is recruiting him the hardest, and also mentioned Maryland and Mizzou as schools that have been in the most frequent contact. I get the sense that things have cooled off somewhat between Hyatt and Wake, but that is based solely on two brief articles.

Taylor Powell (Fayetteville, AR) is picking up momentum on the recruiting trail. He’s reportedly moving up the boards of Alabama, Auburn and Arkansas, although none of those three have offered yet. He’ll visit Wake Forest this weekend.

There was a report that Wisconsin feels confident about their chances with Myles Brennan (Bay Saint Louis, MS) who I still consider a Cal-lean. I think Brennan’s Wake visit is still several weeks away.

Note that the further QB recruiting stretches this year, the more info coaches will have from the Elite 11 regionals that start this weekend. For example, if the staff holds off on taking a commitment until the end of April, they will have info from nine Elite 11 Regionals including places like Orlando, Miami, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, Washington and Charlotte. As a reminder, Wake now has 4 QBs that were Elite 11 regional finalists: Kyle Kearns, Kendall Hinton, Jamie Newman and preferred walk-on Hayden Kingston. Kearns, Newman and Kingston each competed multiple times and made the regional finals more than once, with Newman making the newly-created semifinal round.


RECRUITING TERRITORY

I’m always on the lookout for news about how schools might be adjusting their recruiting territories. I find this strategic element fascinating, and it seems like every school makes adjustments at the start of each class. The biggest news this month is that Duke is making a serious commitment to the state of Texas. I’m interested to see how that works out for them. I’ve written before about how Wake’s efforts in Texas at the beginning of 2015 were largely a waste of time and money. I applauded Clawson for reacting quickly mid-cycle and pulling out of that state. On the other hand, maybe Duke can replicate Stanford’s national recruiting model and make it work for them. In 2016, Stanford signed six recruits from Texas and six recruits from the East Coast. I think Duke is trying to follow the same approach. To do so, they will have to get kids to travel to Durham on their own dime. We’ll see.

There was also news that N.C. State will redouble their efforts in Florida and Georgia. Almost all of their coaches will have some responsibility for part of one or both of those states.

Wake is a little more difficult to read, but appears to be solidifying their “six-hour radius” approach by looking at some areas that might not have received as much attention previously (i.e. Alabama). It’s also clear that there is more attention on the greater Atlanta-area, where the talent pool runs very deep. Here is the most recent breakdown of my Board by state: Georgia (18 recruits), North Carolina (7 recruits), Florida (6 recruits), Alabama (5 recruits), Virginia (4 recruits) and Other (9 recruits).


IN-STATE RECRUITING

I know that the most interest seems to be on the in-state recruits. There are some key targets and early battles developing. Here’s a brief update on the in-state recruits already on my Board (with their Rivals in-state ranking):

#13 DB/WR Germane Crowell (Winston-Salem, NC) – Duke and N.C. State lead.

#14 CB Aapri Washington (Huntersville, NC) – No real update. His recruitment is still developing.

#16 QB Hendon Hooker (Greensboro, NC) – See brief update above.

#17 OL Dmitri Emmanuel (Waxhaw, NC) – I think this will ultimately develop into a battle between UNC and Wake, but it’s too early to tell for sure.

#25 CB Madison Cone (Kernersville, NC) – I’m still trying to figure out who the serious players are for Cone. This could very well come down to Duke versus Wake. Virginia Tech is also a strong possibility.

#35 LB Chase Monroe (Davidson, NC) – Wake had been the odds-on favorite for Cade Carney’s teammate, but Kentucky offered recently and reportedly made him their #1 priority at LB. My sense is that Wake may be trailing right now.

NR TE Drake Deluliis (Charlotte, NC) – Seems wide open, but doesn’t seem to mention Wake very often. Added offers from Virginia Tech (January 25) and South Carolina (this past weekend), so his options are still increasing.


BIG NAME VISITORS

I tend to focus my write-ups on recruits with the most reasonable offers sheets, however for those of you that like to think big, I thought I would provide a summary of bigger 2017 names with big offer sheets that I expect to visit Wake over the next few weeks:

DE Jordan Williams (Frank Cox HS / Virginia Beach, VA) - Rivals 4-star and the #11 overall strongside DE in the country. 14 P5 offers, including USC (yes, that USC), Georgia, Tennessee, UNC, Clemson and Penn State. On the bright side, he attended a game at Wake last season, is friends with LaRonde Liverpool, and tweets some pro-Wake staff. He’s on my list in the OP.

WR OrTre Smith (Wando HS / Mount Pleasant, SC) – Rivals 4-star and the #9 overall WR in the country. 9 P5 offers, including Clemson, Florida State and Tennessee. Same HS as Johnny Ray.

TE Jake Marwede (Loyola Academy / Wilmette, IL) – Rivals 3-star (5.6) and the #18 tight end in the country. 13 P5 offers, including Duke, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State and Tennessee. I believe Marwede actually visited Wake this past weekend.

DE Tyree Johnson (St. John’s College HS / Washington, D.C.) – Rivals 3-star (5.7). Johnson actually made my list in the OP before he blew up. Wake was his 4th P5 offer on January 28. He is now up to 9 P5 offers after picking up offers from schools like Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Naturally, Rivals upgraded him from a 5.6 to a 5.7 after he received the SEC offers. From the same HS as Scotty Washington.

CB Yusuf Corker (Woodland HS / Stockbridge, GA) – Rivals 3-star (5.7) and the #35 overall cornerback in the country. His exact offer sheet is a mystery because he has only recently started tweeting about his recruitment. Rivals has Corker with 13 P5 offers, which is almost certainly overstated. Scout has him with 4 P5 offers - Clemson, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. 247 has him with 9 P5 offers – Duke, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Clemson, Georgia Tech, UNC, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Wake has also offered his teammate, Tre Allen. If you are going to watch only one recruit on this list it should be Corker who has named Wake Forest one of his two early leaders (with South Carolina). His Twitter account is @YCorker.

DE Jonathon MacCollister (Bishop Moore HS / Orlando, FL) – Rivals 3-star (5.6). 14 P5 offers, including Auburn, Clemson, Miami, and UNC. Zander Zimmer’s teammate. Can Wake pull another surprise from Bishop Moore?

OLB Tyshon Fogg (Calvert Hall HS / Baltimore, MD) – Rivals 4-star and the #244 overall recruit in the country. 12 P5 offers, including Clemson, Michigan State, UNC and Stanford. From Dionte Austin’s high school.
 
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A quick update to my post this morning: Hendon Hooker added an offer from Notre Dame.
 
DE Mike Allen (Lanier, GA) tweeted his top 5 schools this afternoon: Wake Forest, Alabama, UNC, Georgia and Tennessee. Interestingly, he said that Wake continues to be his leader. Another example of a recruit who has visited multiple times developing a strong connection to the school and coaching staff. How long we stay the leader remains to be seen, but it just emphasizes again the importance of getting these guys on campus multiple times - and why Clawson is focused on the "six-hour radius" approach.
 
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