By Mike Lilly
The past weekend was a busy one across many campuses that were hosting Junior Days and recruiting visits. Here are some things that stood out looking at some of the most sought-after prospects on the recruiting trail over the weekend:
David Sanders Jr.
Charlotte, NC (Providence Day School)
#2 NAT, #1 OT, #1 NC
The 6’6″, 270-pound offensive tackle, one of the most sought-after players in the country, was on a visit to Clemson. Sanders was part of a star-studded weekend at Clemson that yielded two commitments on the offensive line from Brayden Jacobs and Jaylan Beckley. The Tigers also seemed to have hit a home run this weekend with Sanders, enjoying the family feel from coaches Dabo Swinney and Matt Luke.
I have said before I like Clemson early in this one, and this weekend has given them more of an advantage early on. It will be interesting to see how visits go with other contenders like Ohio State, Georgia, and Tennessee, as we get further into Sanders’ recruitment.
Just a Tiger roaming in Death Valley 🐅 pic.twitter.com/ppIwI8YPgs
— David Sanders Jr. (@DavidLSandersJr) January 28, 2024
Faheem Delane
Olney, MD (Our Lady Good Counsel HS)
#25 NAT, #1 S, #1 MD
A key visitor for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks was the top-25 prospect, Delane. At 6’2″ and 190 pounds, he joined other high-end prospects, including Oregon QB commit Akili Smith Jr., who was helping coach Dan Lanning in his recruiting efforts. After a recent visit to Virginia Tech and the weekend Delane spent at Oregon, he has made it clear that Ohio State and Oregon are currently the two favorites in his recruitment.
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Look for the relationship that Delane has built with other Ohio State commits, DB Devin Sanchez Jr. in particular, to play a factor as we go down the stretch in this one. I still like Ohio State and Ryan Day to secure Delane’s commitment.
Sco ducks ! @CoachDanLanning pic.twitter.com/a4HQ4R8ws2
— Faheem Delane (@faheemdelane) January 28, 2024
Andrew Babalola
Overland Park, KS (Blue Valley Northwest)
#26 NAT, #4 OT, #1 KS
The 6’6″, 275-pound offensive tackle spent his weekend at Oklahoma for their Junior Day with many other top talents in the 2025 recruiting cycle, including Oklahoma commits WR Elijah Thomas and OL Owen Hollenbeck.
On a weekend that had all players who said they were coming to Oklahoma show up, visitors raved about the family feeling felt while on the visit with Coach Brent Venables and staff. Babaloa’s recruitment is still wide open, but I would expect Oklahoma to be among the early favorites, along with USC, Nebraska, Miami, and Kansas.
Great to have USC Head Coach @LincolnRiley in the halls of Northwest this morning! #FightOn #PULLtheSLED pic.twitter.com/3DkvmbMCtu
— Husky Football (@BVNW_Football) January 25, 2024
Elijah Griffin
Savannah, GA (Savannah Christian Prep)
#3 NAT, #1 DL, #1 GA
The 6’5″, 285-pound defensive linemen, like David Sanders Jr., was on campus at Clemson for Junior Day this weekend. While this was a great visit for all mentioned, Griffin did not show too much after the visit on social media like other visitors did.
While Clemson may be a player in this recruitment, I would give an early nod to Kirby Smart and Georgia, with South Carolina making a strong push for the talented defensive lineman
Great time as usually in Athens! #Godawgs @KirbySmartUGA @JustusTerry80 pic.twitter.com/t7DcTEDZbj
— Elijah Griffin (@ElijahGriffin95) January 14, 2024
