Three Predictions: CFB Playoff, Miami to land 2027 star, 2028 QB
Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garica, Jr. has three predictions on the College Football Playoff, Miami landing a top 2027 prospect and the next big thing in the 2028 class.
1. THE MARCUS FREEMAN BOWL WILL HAPPEN.
Let’s begin with the College Football Playoff final four, where Notre Dame and Penn State play on Thursday before Ohio State and Texas meet Friday for their potential spot in the finals. There’s little doubt about the two programs playing their best ball at this very moment and the collision course would create quite the slew of storylines not only from a football standpoint, but anywhere from branding to a good old-fashioned coach with ties to both Notre Dame and Ohio State.
The Irish and Buckeyes’ top units, ND’s defense and of course OSU’s offense, have been lights out thus far in the playoff and it would be strength versus strength if the two line up against each other. Does it mean the national title could come down to which undercard unit outplays the other if Notre Dame’s offense faces Ohio State’s defense?
Before we get there, it does feel like this is the matchup we’re going to see on Jan. 20. Texas somehow escaped the most epic playoff collapse since 28-3 and Penn State’s opponents haven’t allowed for us to believe they’ll get over the hump just yet – so game on for the Freeman bowl as the Irish coach will face the team he elected to play for as a blue-chipper back in the day.
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2. MIAMI WILL LAND EMERGING DB ZAYDEN GAMBLE
Back in the recruiting world, this time of year often allows us to begin to look ahead to the upcoming junior class – and beyond. The latter was the subject of the Miami Raw 7v7 workout on Saturday night, where the most polished cover prospect may have been one of the youngest on hand in Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas’ Zayden Gamble. The state champion, who led the team in interceptions along the way, is trending up recruiting boards and just added an Ohio State offer on Monday.
But the team to beat in this recruitment is the program that just trotted out an STA product among the top freshmen cornerbacks nationally in 2024, Miami. Gamble wants to see the field early and he has the mature type of game to follow in the footsteps of a recruit such as OJ Frederique did this fall, and the Hurricanes are doing the best job of prioritizing him despite how early it is in his recruitment. It means something to him and that early lead should help the Canes hold off bluebloods as the 2027 cycle eventually comes into more focus.
3. NEIMANN LAWRENCE WILL BE THE MOST TOUTED SOUTH FLORIDA QB PROSPECT OF ALL-TIME.
We hit the College Football Playoff and the 2027 class so we may as well roll the dice in 2028 to kick off the New Year. We’ve hinted at it over the last year or so, but when there is a talent that will draw his own gravitational pull and it’s clear from a very young age, it’s worth a reminder, especially when it’s a quarterback.
The potential No. 1 overall recruit from South Florida isn’t the next Jeremiah Smith or a two-way star like 2026 five-star Derrek Cooper – it’s QB Neimann Lawrence. Already a national recruit at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, he just totaled 35 total touchdowns in 10 games as a freshman playing varsity ball.
Georgia offered Lawrence on Monday, while Ohio State, Miami and more than a dozen others had previously. The 2028 talent has it all, from an effortless release to the big arm, quiet confidence and enough mobility to fit the modern mold in the spread era. The frenzy is far from hitting its apex, but when it does don’t say we didn’t tell you so.
