The Recruiting Six Pack
Welcome to this week's edition of The Recruiting Six Pack. Spring practice is in full effect, with recruits on hand to watch and visit. So, let's see what is happening with Texas Tech recruiting, the Big 12 conference and with Texas High School Football recruits.
Texas Tech Targets
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Cheta Ofili. He is rated as a 5.7, three-star outside linebacker from Sachse (TX) and committed to the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Wednesday afternoon. He chose the Red Raiders over offers that included California, Mississippi, Purdue, SMU, Tulane, and Vanderbilt. Ofili becomes the ninth commit for head coach Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders, whose class is now ranked #11 in the nation. The Red Raiders class is looking strong, and they will hope to continue the momentum on the recruiting trail. Their spring game is set for April 22.
Nigel Smith. He is rated as a 5.9 four-star strongside defensive end from Melissa (TX). He is the #75 national prospect, the #9 strongside defensive end, and the #10 player in Texas with 37 offers. Those offers include Texas Tech, Alabama, LSU, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, TCU, Texas, and Texas A&M. Smith is one of the most sought-after prospects and has been busy the past month or so, as he has visited the Red Raiders, Longhorns, and Aggies. This weekend he will be in Happy Valley to visit the Nittany Lions. Keep an eye on the Buckeyes here, as new Buckeye recruit Payton Pierce is already trying to recruit him to Columbus.
Vosky Howard. He is rated as a 5.8 four-star athlete from Timpson (TX). He is ranked as the #22 athlete nationally and is the #49 player in Texas. Howard holds six offers, including Texas Tech, Auburn, Duke, Houston, Texas State, and Vanderbilt. However, the Commodores and Blue Devils are the teams in the lead for him at the moment, especially since he has said that programs with high academics are a priority. The Red Raiders are also a team to watch here, as they were the first school to offer him.
Big 12 Targets
Corian Gipson. He is rated as a 5.9 four-star safety from Lancaster (TX). He is the #88 national prospect, the #6 safety, and the #13 player in Texas, holding 33 offers. He announced his top five schools on Wednesday afternoon. Those schools are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, TCU, and Texas. Gipson has already announced that he will take official visits in June with the Tigers on June 2, followed by the Crimson Tide on June 9. and finish up with the Longhorns on June 23. He has yet to schedule official visits with the Buckeyes and Horned Frogs. I like Clemson here.
Texas High School Recruits
Payton Pierce. Pierce committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Wednesday afternoon. He is rated as a 5.9 four-star inside linebacker from Lucas (TX) Lovejoy HS. He is the #77 national player, the #4 inside linebacker, and the #11 player in Texas. He chose Ohio State over offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, SMU, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin. Pierce becomes the tenth commitment for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, who now have the second-ranked class, only trailing the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
Xavier Filsaime committed to the Florida Gators last night before their spring game at The Swamp. Rated as a 5.9 four-star athlete from McKinney (TX), he is the #82 national prospect, the #5 athlete, and the #12 player in Texas. He had named his top five schools on March 29, which had an SEC and Pac-12 flavor, as those schools were Georgia, Florida, LSU, Oregon, and USC. Filsaime becomes the seventh commit for Billy Napier and the Gators, whose class now ranks sixth overall.