National Columnist Mike Farrell is here with the 3-Point Stance ranking the ACC top tier offensive lines for next season, the biggest targets for five Big Ten powers and the coaching debate — Mike Locksley vs. Greg Schiano.
Best ACC Offensive Lines
— We move on to the ACC for the ranking of the top-tier offensive lines.
1. Louisville
— Bryan Hudson will lead a strong group that has some key transfers, as Louisville should have the class of the ACC at OL.
2. Clemson
— Not a lot of elite OLs in the ACC, but Clemson is solid and led by Will Putnam. They should have a good season.
3. Florida State
— The OL can be up and down for the Seminoles, but Robert Scott and company should round into a strength by mid-season.
More Sports News
4. Duke
— People forget about Duke, but they shouldn’t, as Graham Barton could be the best in the conference and leads a steady group.
5. Miami
— Javion Cohen comes over and will help make an iffy unit a really good one under OL gurus Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal.
Remaining 2024 Recruiting Needs: Big Ten
— 2024 recruiting is in mid-swing and here are the top targets of five Big Ten powers.
Wisconsin: RB Darrion Dupree
Even in a new offensive system under Phil Longo, the Badgers are still going to need to be able to run the ball effectively. And after losing in-state four-star Corey Smith, Wisconsin has all of their eyes set on Dupree, a versatile back out of Chicago. Expect Luke Fickell to put the full-court press on him during his official visit in June.
Ohio State: Edge Marquise Lightfoot
The Illinois native has blown up in the past 12 months, becoming one of the most coveted edge rushers in the entire class. He would be the next in a long line of disruptive edge rushers in Columbus, following in the footsteps of the Bosa brothers, Chase Young, JT Tuimoleau, and more. Ryan Day and co. don’t have any committed defensive linemen or edge rushers at the moment either, so it’s definitely an acute need.
RNG video breakdown of top 10 2024 4-Star edge Marquise Lightfoot (@MarquiseL01) from Chicago, IL. Hunger, passion, and relentless drive with elite physical and mental traits! Very quick first step with impressive raw power at 6'5 220lbs. #RNG@RyanWrightRNG pic.twitter.com/EUB7Hbvxqw
— North Fresh RNG (@NorthFreshCane) May 11, 2023
Michigan: CB Aaron Scott
Jim Harbaugh has the Wolverines in great shape already for the 2024 class, currently sitting comfortably in the top five of the nation, but they don’t have any commits at corner yet. They’ll need to get Scott and at least one other top corner in this class if they’re going to keep up with the Buckeyes and their bevy of top-flight wide receivers.
Highly touted Ohio cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. with a pass breakup on a deep ball on his first rep in one-on-ones. pic.twitter.com/GZ3Ud4gwiw
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) May 7, 2023
Penn State: DL Benedict Umeh
A versatile defensive lineman, Umeh is the type of lineman the Nittany Lions are going to need to put them on the level of Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten East. He’s very raw, but the physically overpowering Umeh has the potential to be an all-conference player and early draft pick if everything goes right.
Paul Paqualoni is spending time working with the @AOF_Football team. One guy poised for a big senior season is highly recruited @benedict_umeh who is just scratching the surface of his potential @WTNH pic.twitter.com/hqdyDtimNW
— John Pierson (@JPPierson) May 17, 2023
Nebraska: WR Dae’Vonn Hall
It’s going to be essential to keep Hall home in-state for Matt Rhule in his first full cycle as head coach. The long, smooth four-star receiver has offers from all over the country, but the Huskers need a win here to keep up the in-state momentum and to secure a top pass catcher for the 2024 class.
The acceleration it takes off a juke with zero momentum to go untouched into the endzone is really impressive here by Dae'vonn Hall, 2024 WR prospect pic.twitter.com/CzxeQBenqQ
— C2CRecruiting (@C2CRecruiting) May 29, 2023
The Coach Debate: Schiano vs. Locksley
— And we continue the coaching debate with Greg Schiano vs. Mike Locksley.
The case for Schiano:
Schiano’s first stint in Piscataway was one of the most impressive coaching jobs of the 21st century, as he took the historically moribund Scarlet Knights to new heights. Rutgers had six winning seasons in seven years from 2005-2011, including a top-15 finish in 2006. He’s the winningest coach in program history, and he seems to get the culture of Rutgers better than anyone else who has ever coached there.
The case against Schiano:
The second go-around at the State University of New Jersey has not gone nearly as well as the first one, in large part due to the fact that they’re not playing in the Big Ten East, instead of just the Big East. The offense has not found any consistency in the past three seasons, and prized quarterback recruit Gavin Wimsatt has not produced at all. Recruiting is always tough at Rutgers, but that still doesn’t change the fact that they’re just not getting talent like they need to.
The case for Locksley:
Locksley continues to innovate on offense, and has done a great job getting big numbers out of guys like Taulia Tagovailoa. He’s made the most of their offense in a lot of ways, and they once again should be excellent this fall. Locksley has improved the recruiting for the Terps, and increased their presence in the DMV, one of the biggest hotbeds for talent on the East Coast.
The case against Locksley:
There are few teams as inconsistent effort-wise on a week-to-week basis than Locksley’s Terrapins. And while it’s been a few years, you still cannot forget just how awful his teams at New Mexico were (2-26 in just under three seasons). And they haven’t even remotely found a semblance of a defense yet in College Park since he arrived.
The verdict:
To me, even with the struggles they’ve had in his second tenure, I’ll still take Schiano over Locksley. I’m not sure if Maryland can get to the next level under Locksley, but I still am holding out hope that Schiano will be able to get Rutgers back to at least 7-5 annually. Neither one of these guys are world beaters, but Schiano is still the better choice.
