Message Board Geniuses

Who doesn’t love the smell of coffee in the morning? It’s hot and today so is the recruiting activity. The dead period starts on Monday which means this is the last week for coaches to hit the road and make phone calls. One last shot before early signing period and one more week of hope at landing that next campus legend.

We’ve got all the news about who committed and decommitted and the best of what our favorite Message Board Geniuses have to say. Pour another cup and let’s talk Closers.

Spencer Fano Commits to the Utes (2023 4 Star – #142 overall, #14 Offensive Tackle)

It’s always nice to get a local product and Spencer Fano is the number two overall recruit out of Utah. He’s a big kid at 6’5, 270 and will likely see his frame get a little bigger with proper conditioning.

Spencer not only has Utah fans excited about his commitment, but it has them feeling pretty good about grabbing Logan Fano, recent entrant in the Transfer Portal out of BYU.

BYU, any comment?

They’re not too worried over in Provo though.

Here’s to many, many more battles.

Florida Grabs QB of the Future D.J. Lagway (2024 5 Star – #24 overall, #4 Quarterback)

It’s officially a party down in the Swamp and Billy Napier is bringing some extra party favors.

After flipping 2023 recruit Jaden Rashada earlier in the year, Florida was able to grab one of the top QBs in the 2024 class. Lagway is from Willis, Texas and chose Florida over Clemson, Alabama, and USC.

Ryan O’Hara led the way on this recruitment and the Rashada commitment earlier in the season.

What getting a couple five stars does to a person.

Christopher Johnson Joins The U (2023 4 Star – #286 overall, #18 Running Back)

The Gators aren’t the only school in Florida closing on top prospects. Miami grabs another top playmaker and Mario Cristobal has the Hurricane faithful plenty happy.

Johnson has speed to burn, clocking the fastest 200m in the state of Florida and 3th fastest in the US for all juniors in 2022.

Though some naysayers still don’t believe Miami has the right coaching staff to utilize that talent.

Third Time’s the Charm for Rueben Owens and Texas A&M (2023 5 Star – #23 Overall, #2 Running Back)

Speaking of naysayers and disappointing coaching staffs, let’s go down to College Station and talk about Texas A&M. Owens has had quite the recruiting journey. First he was committed to Texas, then decommitted and called Louisville home for a bit. He even got a tattoo when he committed to the Cardinals.

After decommitting last week, Owens has finally settled on the Aggies and Jimbo Fisher.

Some are saying Owens decommitted because of recent coaching changes, but these Aggie fans have a different idea.

Louisville is going to a bowl game but hey, we love the smack talk.

Baby steps, Ags, baby steps.

Alabama Gets More Edge Help in Keon Keeley(2023 5 Star – #10 overall, #1 Edge)

Here’s a fun game. Who signed the number one Edge player in 2022? What about 2021? That’s right y’all, Alabama has now signed the top edge player for the third year in a row. Keeley is from Tampa, Florida and will step in nicely for departing Will Anderson, Jr.

With yet another 5 star joining the Bama class, the Crimson Tide jumped back into the number one spot over Georgia.

Now they just need some better coaching in Tuscaloosa.

Penn State Gets Committment from Joseph Mupoyi (2023 3 Star – #520 overall, #45 Edge)

Another Edge prospect committed this past week, this one for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Mupoyi is lower rated but projects high at the next level due to his size and speed. He’s 6’5, 230 and just started playing football in the last few years. Originally from the Congo, Joseph came to the States to give basketball a try before being convinced that hitting people is a lot more fun.

Penn State is glad to have him aboard.

James Franklin has done a solid job the last few years bringing in talent to Penn State and this could be another diamond in the rough find.

Of course, there’s still a few message board geniuses out there who always demand better.

Colton Hood Flips from Michigan State to Auburn (2023 3 Star – #606 Overall, #60 Cornerback)

Colton decommitted from the Spartans on Saturday and the very next day announced he’d be going to Auburn instead. Just like that Hugh Freeze gets his first win.

Hood is from McDonough, GA and is an all around athlete at 6’0, 170. He played baseball and basketball in high school before focusing on football.

Spartan fans are in a bit of a panic as losing Hood as them down to just 11 commits from the high school ranks.

Out of the 11 commits, nine are 4* or above so there is some talent, but Michigan State will likely be hitting the transfer portal to round out Mel Tucker’s roster.

Notre Dame Gains One, Loses Two

Brandyn Hillman (2023 4 Star – #373 Overall, #19 Athlete)

The Fighting Irish were able to grab Hillman out of Portsmouth, Virginia for the 2023 class. Brandyn is 6’1, 190 and posted the highest testing score at the Elite 11 Washington D.C. Regional in May 2022. He did a little bit of everything in high school as he eclipsed the 1,000-yard passing, 1,000-yard rushing, and 30-touchdown thresholds while playing both ways (QB, DB).