Rivals Five-Star: ACC storylines in the spotlight
The Rivals Five-Star, the marquee football event of the offseason, is less than a week away. We continue a conference-by-conference look at which programs should be paying the closest attention to the results from Indianapolis next week.
Next up is the ACC.
ALL EYES ON DERREK COOPER
The top-ranked prospect in the state of Florida is considering multiple ACC programs near the top of his recruitment, with most of the attention centered on Miami. Derrek Cooper is fresh off of a visit to Florida State, too, following up his Georgia official visit last weekend.
Ohio State gets the next and final summer official visit out of the five-star running back, who has hinted at a potential verbal commitment sooner rather than later. Cooper is the most coveted recruit in South Florida, often its own storyline heading into any workout. He is also among the most tracked recruits in camp settings, having been a standout at the 2024 Rivals Five-Star after an MVP run at the Rivals Camp Series in Miami event last spring.
CLEMSON’S COMMITMENT PARTY
Excluding several top undecided targets such as Samari Matthews, Blake Stewart and others, the prospects already on board with Clemson command their own attention heading into the event. There are six Tiger verbal commitments expected to compete, matched only by the half-dozen Texas A&M pledges set to work out in Indianapolis.
The Clemson group is spread out, too, from quarterback Tait Reynolds to wide receiver Naeem Burroughs and a trio of big blockers up front in Floridians Grant Wise and Chancellor Barclay as well as recent commitment Carter Scruggs.
Defensive prospects include many Tiger targets, but at least one pledge will look to make plays on the football in defensive back Shavar Young.
MIAMI DEFENDERS ON DISPLAY
Miami is another program with various targets set to work out, but the commitment group is also strong coming into the event with the second most within the ACC at three pledges.
Linebacker Jordan Campbell is a veteran of the Rivals Camp Series and has flashed as much as any linebacker over the last two years. There is a chance we could see him line up as a pass rusher, traditional linebacker and even play some offense during 7-on-7.
The secondary group is big and talented overall, and the Hurricanes will have influence within as top-100 cornerback commit Jaelen Waters works out potentially alongside fellow blue-chipper Jontavius Wyman, who checks into the event as the nation’s No. 2 nickel projection.
MICHIGAN COMMIT ON FLIP WATCH
Four-star cornerback Brody Jennings, a longtime Michigan commitment, has been coveted by a bevy of other programs since he made his early decision, and two of the top flip contenders are Miami and Florida State.
What makes each flip case compelling, beyond official visits to Coral Gables and Tallahassee in the books, is the family connections to each contender. Brody’s late father, Bradley, was a star at Florida State while his older brother made plays for the Hurricanes.
May the latest Jennings wind up in ACC country as legacy suggests?
SUNSHINE STATE YOUNGSTERS SHOWING OUT
There are just three 2028 prospects expected to work out at the Rivals Five-Star, Jayden Wade, Eric McFarland and Wonderful Monds, each hailing from the state of Florida.
West Coast natives Wade and McFarland prep at IMG Academy and already sport national offer lists, including 10 combined ACC offers from the likes of Miami, Florida State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and others.
Monds is an Orlando-area standout at the quarterback position with eight ACC offers of his own, with SMU, North Carolina, Pitt, Georgia Tech and all of the in-state programs already to his name.
