Tuesdays with Gorney: Wild weekend of commits, flips and decommits
From commitments to flips to decommitments, it was another wild weekend on the recruiting trail. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney offers his thoughts on all of it in today’s Tuesdays With Gorney.
JOHNSON COMMITS TO NORTH CAROLINA
Once North Carolina offered O’Mari Johnson, the Tar Heels moved right to the top and then he committed over the weekend.
The connections are uncanny as Johnson said it was a dream come true to get an offer from coach Bill Belichick because of his history but also because Johnson’s father is a massive New England Patriots fan. The Wesson, Miss., four-star defensive back has even been to Gillette Stadium to see the Patriots in action.
Louisville, Tulane and others were involved but North Carolina surged to the top and once Belichick got in the mix for Johnson it was going to be tough to beat the Tar Heels.
WYMAN FLIPS FROM GEORGIA TO MIAMI
When Jontavius Wyman committed to Georgia last summer, the four-star defensive back from Jonesboro, Ga., laid out why the Bulldogs made so much sense: He’s from Georgia, he grew up watching the Dawgs, he loves the coaches and the culture and so much more.
But in recent months, there were rumors that maybe Georgia was slowing down a little bit on him and Miami was stepping it up majorly and over the weekend, he flipped to the Hurricanes.
Wyman is an athletic and talented defensive back who can make incredible plays, pick off passes and run with any receiver. Georgia’s loss is Miami’s big gain here.
DID NOTRE DAME LAND A FUTURE STAR?
Ebenezer Ewetade has only been playing football for two years and already he is one of the more impressive-looking defensive end prospects in this class. Notre Dame landed his commitment over the weekend and it could be a major steal for the Irish as he gets coached up over the next few years.
The Garner (N.C.) South Garner four-star edge rusher is now 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, long, rangy and athletic, and over the last few days Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman saw Ewetade in person and loved his frame.
On film, Ewetade has a phenomenal get-off and he can also beat offensive tackles inside and outside. As he develops more physically – and in Notre Dame’s vaunted defense – those physical tools could make him really special in this class.
USC ADDS MORE SPEED IN THE BACKFIELD
Deshonne Redeaux rushed for more than 1,200 yards with 17 touchdowns last season and was basically Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian’s entire rushing attack so his commitment to USC over the weekend was big for the Trojans.
Not only because Redeaux put up big numbers in his junior year but because the four-star is incredibly fast and gives coach Lincoln Riley another weapon to use in the Trojans’ offense. And a few months ago, it looked like his recruitment was trending in a different direction.
At that time, UCLA was the team to beat for Redeaux but USC got more involved, convinced him it was the right place and the Trojans continued to load up with their No. 1 recruiting class.
EPPS PICKS TEXAS OVER CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS
A few days ago, Taven Epps said that Texas, USC and UCLA were his three front-runners as the 2027 four-star linebacker from Tustin, Calif., was taking visits but it still felt early in his recruitment.
But over the weekend, and shortly after a visit to see the Longhorns again, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Epps made his pledge to Texas and it’s a big one especially since he’s originally from Boyd, Texas, just outside the DFW area, and this looks like it will stick.
Epps started out as a safety but grew so quickly that he’s moved down to being a linebacker and maybe even an edge rusher over time. He’s long and getting bigger by the week but can still move. He has great athleticism so this is another big win for the Longhorns early on.
OTHER THOUGHTS
… Auburn landed a good one in four-star offensive tackle Parker Pritchett, who can dominate at the line of scrimmage but is also used a lot blocking at the second level, pulling and using his power to win.
… Javari Barnett only played in three games last season because of a knee injury but when the four-star running back was on the field it was very impressive. Illinois took his pledge over the weekend and the Illini could have a speedster and a workhouse in their backfield.
… Two months after committing to SMU, Yahya Gaad has backed off that pledge. The three-star defensive end from Medina (Tenn.) South Gibson is going to be a hot commodity on the trail as Florida, Florida State, Georgia and others were among the front-runners before his surprising pledge to the Mustangs.
