Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman has thoughts on potential flip candidates in the East, Syracuse seeing some momentum on the recruiting trail and the 2024 quarterback dominoes in the East.
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1. Flip candidates in the East.
We're closing in on the Early Signing Period and the pressure on coaches and recruits is rising. We just saw one player from the East flip when Kaleb Spencer opted for Miami instead of Oklahoma, where he had been committed since May.
Here are four other players from the East to watch.
Kaveion Keys: Keys has been committed to North Carolina since late August, but he's been open about wanting to explore all his options even as he committed to the Tar Heels. The Virginia native was at Penn State for the White Out win over Minnesota. There is still work to be done by the Nittany Lions, but Keys is also looking at a few other schools. He mentioned Texas A&M was one school he wanted to look at when it offered in August.
Sam Greene: There are a couple teams pursuing the USC commit, but the big one to watch for is Maryland. The local program is working on prying the talented defensive lineman away from the Trojans. The Terps have some very strong connections to Greene's Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy program and they are leaning on those relationships as they try to change Greene's mind.
Dante Lovett: Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech recently offered Lovett, and they could be working on getting him to visit. The Maryland native committed to Virginia Tech in May, but other teams have been keeping in touch with him. There are a number of connections between the Pittsburgh coaches and players to Lovett's high school, and those could become more of a factor as the Early Signing Period approaches.
LaNorris Sellers: Trying to hold on to its quarterback commit while on a two-game losing streak could be a tall task for Syracuse. Sellers didn't make the trip to Syracuse for the Notre Dame game, and the talk of a potential visit to South Carolina continues to circulate. The Gamecocks are pushing for the in-state quarterback who has thrown for more than 1,800 yards and 26 touchdowns on top of rushing for almost 800 yards and 12 additional touchdowns.
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2. Syracuse looking for help in the secondary.
Speaking of Syracuse, the Orange have some momentum with a couple of prospects who could help solidify their secondary. Four-star Rahmir Stewart was at Syracuse for the Notre Dame game this weekend. While the result of the game wasn't impressive, the coaches and players left a positive impression on the talented prospect out of Philadelphia. Texas A&M was his leader at one point, but now the field appears to also include the Orange, Kentucky, Maryland, Rutgers and Jackson State.
The Orange are also in good position with former Boston College commit Kahlil Ali. The southern New Jersey native opened up his recruitment on Halloween and is strongly considering Syracuse. He'll take a couple visits before the Early Signing Period, but Syracuse will definitely be one of them. Virginia and Louisville are a couple other schools that have been in touch with him as well.
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3. 2024 QB dominoes in the East.
There are a few high-end quarterbacks in the East's 2024 class and two of them are already committed. Rivals250 quarterback Dante Reno committed to South Carolina in July. Most recently, Georgia picked up a commitment from four-star Ryan Puglisi. When is the next domino going to fall - and who will it be? Here's a look at which 2024 quarterbacks to watch going forward.
Jadyn Davis: The five-star quarterback returned to Michigan for another visit this past weekend. He took in the Michigan State game and got to spend more time getting to know the coaches. The Wolverines have been the FutureCast favorite since June and Michigan fans are getting antsy for him to announce his commitment. That probably won't be happening before the end of his junior season, but before the end of the calendar year is a good bet.
Michael Van Buren: Penn State is becoming the big team to watch in Van Buren's recruitment. He was just at a game there and it was a very positive experience. Oregon is a major contender as well. He visited there earlier this season and got a good feel for the program, the coaches and the environment. A decision from Van Buren isn't expected until at least the spring, but things could move quickly once the calendar turns to 2023.
Next up: Philadelphia St. Joseph's Samaj Jones, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel's Frankie Weaver, Lawrenceville (N.J.) Notre Dame's AJ Surace and Khristian Martin out of Highland Springs, Va., are four names that could rise up the recruiting boards as other quarterbacks announce their commitments.
