As it does every Monday at 5 pm ET, the College Football Recruiting Show was on the 247Sports YouTube channel. Led by host Emily Proud and National Analyst Blair Angulo, along with multiple insiders at 247Sports, they shared the latest in football recruiting with fans across the country.
247Sports National Analyst Tom Loy joined the show to talk about a variety of topics.
Latest on five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. and his visit to Ohio State…
“The buzz around Ohio State is real. My Crystal Ball prediction has been on Clemson since March 27, and I still feel good about it, but if I’m picking a school that is the biggest threat to potentially make me change that pick down the road, it’s the Buckeyes. And these stealth, behind the scenes, under the radar visits that don’t leak until a player arrives on campus, those are worth keeping an eye on. That’s essentially what occurred here with Sanders and Ohio State. Not to mention that he came with just about everyone in his family. This visit was a very big deal. Ryan Day, Chip Kelly, Justin Frye, they are all doing excellent work here. I think people need to take Ohio State very seriously when it comes to the pursuit of David Sanders.”
New Crystal Ball prediction for Texas to land four-star running back James Simon
“I initially had my crystal ball pick on LSU. That was the team I saw eventually securing his commitment and everone around him made it clear that the Tigers had the edge. But as time went on, and following an outstanding visit to Austin, I believe Texas is now the team to beat. I spoke with multiple sources on Sunday and there is a lot of confidence coming from the Longhorns program, and not all that much coming from those around LSU. At this point, unless there is clear misdirection, there is just too much noise and buzz around Texas to ignore. Head coach Steve Sarkisian, running backs coach Tashard Choice, area recruiter Terry Joseph, they are all doing an outstanding job of connecting with Simon and his family. I like the Longhorns to get this one done in the not-so-distant future.”
Florida State in the best spot for Top247 offensive lineman Peyton Joseph
“For a while, even when Joseph was still committed to Florida, I was told to keep a very close eye on the Florida State Seminoles. They were pushing all of the right buttons and doing a great job of catching his eye and grabbing his attention. Then he heads to Tallahassee for what I look at as a game-changer of a visit. Joseph then decommits from the Gators, and myself, as well as my guys at 247Sports including Zach Blostein, Chris Nee and Blake Alderman, are all hearing positive buzz as it relates to the Seminoles chances at landing the Top 150 prospect from Georgia. The majority of us immediately predicted Florida State to land him on the Crystal Ball. But don’t rule out Memphis quite yet. He’s going to take an official visit and his interest in the Tigers is very real. In fact, not only is Memphis a legit threat to land Joseph, but they’re also a top contender for his friend and high school teammate, Top 100 quarterback Antwann Hill. Securing commitments from these two would be a massive win for Memphis. The Tigers believe they can get this one done and pull off the big upset. We’ll see how things go in June.”
May 7 commitment on deck for Top247 cornerback Trystan Haynes
“The recruitment of the Top 247 cornerback has gotten much more interesting than most people expected. Early on, the perception was that Haynes was all Oklahoma. The Sooners were the favorite publicly and privately, and the Crystal Ball had him ending up in Norman. Then Notre Dame offered and it shook things up a little. To take it a step further, Haynes visited South Bend in April and some felt like the Irish pulled ahead in that recruitment. There was a lot of buzz around the Irish. People kept asking me why I didn’t pick Notre Dame on the Crystal Ball and my reason was essentially that I didn’t know if there was going to be a spot for him. I was waiting for Top 100 cornerback Dallas Golden to commit to Notre Dame, and then that finally happened. The Irish now hold commitments from him and Cree Thomas at the cornerback position. Notre Dame is also in a great spot with Top100 corner Mark Zackery. So in the end, I expect Golden, Thomas and Zackery at Notre Dame, and I believe Oklahoma is going to land Haynes. And don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Haynes was picking Notre Dame and is “settling” on Oklahoma. That is not the case here. I believe Oklahoma has been on him the longest and absolutely set the bar for him since day one. He’s also been very interested in Miami and Texas A&M as well. He had a long list of official visits lined up. But in this day and age of recruiting, it’s about picking the programs when you are ready and not playing too many games. I think that is why Haynes decided to announce his commitment on May 7th. He’s ready to make a choice, he knows where he wants to be, and I expect him to be a Sooner.”
Washington making a move for Top247 safety Ladarian Clardy
“In my opinion, Washington went from a team to keep an eye on, to a top contender. That staff is excellent at recruiting and relationship building. That will give them a shot here. In talking with Clardy, he made it very clear that this visit was a game-changer in the sense that the Huskies are a much more real threat to land him than they were prior to him stepping foot on campus. The staff told him that he’s priority No. 1 for them on the defensive side of the ball, and that seemed to hit home. But big picture, keep an eye on Ole Miss. Some believe they have done a better job than anyone since day one of making him a priority. Vanderbilt is also a legit threat. That would be a huge win for Clark Lea and his staff. In-state, it was essentially just UCF for a long time but Florida finally jumped in with an offer, one he called a “curve ball” to 247Sports’ Blake Alderman. We’ll see what happens moving forward. He’s got multiple official visits still to take.”
New Crystal Ball prediction for Notre Dame to land Top247 class of 2026 quarterback Noah Grubbs
“For a while, much of the buzz regarding Notre Dame quarterback recruiting in the 2026 class was around Brady Hart, a fellow Top 247 talent from the Sunshine State. Notre Dame was doing a great job with him, got him on campus for a visit, one that couldn’t have gone better, and the Irish were absolutely the leader for him from what I had gathered. But as of late, things seem to be trending in a positive direction between Notre Dame and Noah Grubbs, one of the most productive passers in the country. My sources have indicated that Notre Dame also leads for him. Clearly Marcus Freeman, Mike Denbrock and Gino Guidugli are doing a terrific job with the position. The Irish flipped four-star quarterback Kenny Minchey from Pitt two years ago, landed Top 100 quarterback CJ Carr last cycle, have Top 150 quarterback Deuce Knight committed in 2025, and look to be in a great position to add one of the top arms in 2026 as well. This is the healthiest I’ve seen the room in as long as I can remember. We’ll see what happens with Grubbs, but I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if he was on the Notre Dame commit list before he takes a single snap during his junior season. The only thing I can see changing that or shaking things up is if Brady Hart completely changes his commitment timeline and does something sooner rather than later. He told me he wants to make a decision after his junior season, but that could change as more 2026 quarterback dominoes fall.”
