Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith has predictions on a Rivals250 defensive tackle earning his fifth star, Ohio State landing a top offensive target and Alabama zeroing in on a Midwest quarterback.
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BRAYDEN PARKS BECOMES A FIVE-STAR
Even though Parks is already a top-150 prospect in the 2027 Rivals250 he is still on the rise. He just wrapped up a visit to Oregon where he camped and has the Ducks coaches impressed with him. He’ll visit Notre Dame and Ohio State next.
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His teammate, wide receiver Quentin Burrell, is also generating five-star buzz. It’s tough for an interior defensive lineman to reach that status but if someone can do it, it’ll be the 6-foot-3, 305-pounder out of Chicago. His blend of size, speed and power makes him a major force along the line. His recruitment is just heating up and will be hotly contested.
FAVOUR AKIH JOINS THE BUCKEYES’ CLASS AFTER HIS VISIT
The long-awaited official visit to Ohio State is happening this weekend for the four-star running back from Ohio. Akih’s recruitment has gotten quieter after a huge winter but he’s one of the best backs in the country this cycle. Once Ohio State turned up the heat it became very difficult for Miami and others to continue pushing for his pledge.
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After his visit back to Columbus this weekend, I’m predicting that he’ll officially join the Buckeyes’ 2026 class, which is in the hunt for the No. 1 ranking once again.
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ALABAMA SIGNS A QUARTERBACK FROM THE MIDWEST
One of the more underrated storylines of this recruiting cycle has been Alabama quarterback recruiting. Previously under coach Nick Saban there was never a question if they’d get a top prospect. Coach Kalen DeBoer kept that rolling by landing last cycle’s No. 1 player, Keelon Russell. It’s incredibly hard to follow that up with another top prospect so the Tide staff has taken its time with a deep evaluation.
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Now it looks like Alabama is strongly in the mix for a pair of signal-callers from the Midwest. Ohio’s Matt Ponatoski and Nebraska’s Jett Thomalla are both atop the board for Alabama’s staff. Thomalla took an unofficial visit the weekend of May 30 and Ponatoski will take an official visit the weekend of June 6.
I believe the Tide will either flip Thomalla from Iowa State or nab the dual-sport athlete Ponatoski, who also stars on the baseball diamond.
Both players have enormous potential with some coaching by a noted QB guru in DeBoer.
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