It’s another week of the Recruiting Roundup.
The calendar has now turned to April, and teams are hosting many recruits for Junior Days and other unofficial visits. There are also a ton of official visits being scheduled for June, so expect that to be a huge recruiting month for all teams, including those in the Mountain West and Pac-12.
The potential eligibility rule changes were the talk of the internet last week and figure to continue into the spring and summer. One of those that seems to have a lot
of support is the idea of five years of eligibility for college athletes. People are hopeful it would solve a litany of issues currently plaguing college sports. But how would it impact football recruiting?
The short answer is that it remains to be seen. But there are a few different possibilities.
It is likely that one class gets a bit screwed in the transition phase. If a large number of college players suddenly have extra eligibility, teams will have fewer roster spots available at season’s end. Now, many teams may opt to take fewer transfer players rather than fewer high school recruits. But for teams that may need a quick turnaround, keeping a veteran player and adding more would likely mean they don’t take high school players at a position for a cycle. However, if a school is already planning to take a transfer player and can just retain their existing player who now has an extra year to play, they will probably continue to recruit high school talent.
It will be different for every team, but some teams will opt for fewer high school recruits. We already saw this happen a few years ago when the NCAA gave everyone college athletes an extra year of eligibility due to COVID.
On the other hand, classes are already on more of a five-year cycle due to redshirt rules. A significant number of college players have already used a redshirt year, so this wouldn’t impact a majority of players like it did during the COVID pandemic. And the best players who haven’t utilized a reshirt year are likely testing the NFL waters. And like the COVID year, teams aren’t obligated to keep players, so those with an extra year may enter the portal or look to play at a lower level if they are attempting to hold on for one more year.
Regardless, the possibility of another recruiting logjam isn’t a reason not to go through with this change, but it will likely create an issue for a class. It won’t hurt the top recruits, but it may hurt some fringe players.
In the current class, teams were once again active. Twelve teams are handing out at least one offer below. San Diego State led the way with five offers. Commitment-wise, three teams totaled six commits, with Air Force, Northern Illinois, and Wyoming all adding 2 players to their classes. The cover photo could have gone to any of them, but the nod went to the Huskies.
Class of 2027 Cover Photo Total:
- Air Force: 1
- Fresno State: 1
- North Dakota State: 1
- NIU: 1
- Oregon State: 1
- San Jose State: 1
- UNLV: 1
- UTEP: 1
Recruiting Calendar:
Starting today and going through mid-April, we are in a quiet period. On-campus contact is permitted, while off-campus contact is limited to text, calls, and DMs.
Next College Student Athlete says:
The NCAA defines the quiet period as a time when “a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents off the college campus and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high school.” To break it down, the NCAA Quiet Period is a time you can talk to college coaches in-person on their college campus. However, the coach is not allowed to watch athletes compete in-person, visit their school, talk to them at their home—or talk to them anywhere outside of the college campus. Coaches can still text, call, email or direct message coaches during this time.
Commitment Spotlight:
DL Cornell Bass (NIU)
“I committed to NIU because of the great environment, culture, and energy they had. love the coaches, and I really believe in what they’re doing with the program and the future for the program. NIU really felt like home to me, and it was a no-brainer for me to commit there.”
QB Tucker Ingersoll (Wyoming)
“I chose Wyoming because they made it clear that they wanted me to go there. They didn’t treat me as just a simple recruit; they treated me like I was family and like I was already a cowboy! It’s also close enough to home for my family to be able to come to all my games. I love what Coach Sawvel is building, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Visit Recap:
Recruiting Updates:
Offers:
- Air Force: 1
- Boise State: 3
- Colorado State: 2
- Fresno State: 3
- Hawaii: 3
- Nevada:
- New Mexico:
- NIU:
- North Dakota State: 1
- Oregon State: 2
- San Diego State: 5
- San Jose State: 1
- Texas State:
- UNLV: 2
- Utah State:
- UTEP: 1
- Washington State: 2
- Wyoming:
Visits
Commits:
- P Jakob Madden: Air Force
- DL Ja’Micquel Solomon: Air Force
- DL Cornell Bass: NIU
- OL Maddox Dwyer: NIU
- QB Tucker Ingersoll: Wyoming
- LB Drew Benassi: Wyoming
Decommits
Follow @Mike_SBN on Twitter for all the latest recruiting news and updates.
