Major Commitment Weekend in College Football: 10 of the Best
Most in the college football world expected a busy month of June, as visits were back on and decisions were to be expected, and the weekend put an exclamation point on the proclamation.
More than four dozen FBS football commitments came in, most stemming from official and unofficial visits on college campuses, in what was easily the most tangibly active weekend of the year to date. Several programs, like Minnesota and Virginia Tech, bolstered their respective commitment list with several commitments while a dozen-plus entered Monday with multiple new additions from a public perspective.
In addition to the Gophers and Hokies, adding four prospects each, Florida, Miami, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Baylor, Iowa State, Boston College, Utah, South Carolina, Boise State and UCF were among those to celebrate at least two new commitments since Friday.
SI All-American digs into 10 of the biggest decisions made.
Minnesota
When you bring in four new commitments, each out of state, including multiple defensive backs -- it is hard to miss. Minnesota kicked off Sunday with a seemingly planned announcement binge of commitments from defensive backs Rhyland Kelly and Tariq Watson as well as Florida edge prospect Jack Pyburn and two-way skill talent Aidan Gousby. If the latter stays on defense, it would mean a trio of secondary prospects picked the program on the very same day, something worth tracking down the line. Kelly is the feel-good story of the bunch, earning his Minnesota offer at a satellite camp early in the month. The Canadian grew up wanting to play for the program in the footsteps of third-round NFL Draft pick Benjamin St-Juste and sealed the deal on his weekend visit.
Virginia Tech
The Hokies also had a monster weekend of commitments, locking in nearly half of their 2022 commitment haul over the last 48 hours. Regional linebacker Xavier Simmons came with the most fan fare but the Hokies also added a big offensive tackle from Boston College's backyard in Johnny Garrett, Pennsylvania tight end Matt Hoffman and a stout defensive back from one of the top programs in Georgia -- Malcolm Jones of Lee County High. Jones played both ways in 2020 and made an impact in the box on defense with punishing contact, profiling as a potential Swiss army knife in the ACC.
Khamauri Rogers - Miami
Miami picked up a pair of pledges coming off of their big official visit weekend in Coral Gables, but Rogers was most surprising given the competition for his commitment. Early ties to LSU, more recent ties to Notre Dame and even Ole Miss were seemingly more pronounced than the Hurricane angle but the decision tells us about the potential brewing at The U. The recruiting combination of Travaris Robinson and DeMarcus Van Dyke will prove to be a formidable team in the 2022 cycle and beyond, something needed as national programs continue to court secondary talent local to Miami. Rogers is about as good of a singular win as any program has on its commitment list given his ability to play the football and run at one of the game's most important positions.
Toriano Pride - Clemson
In what was a big weekend for secondary commitments, as this feature will also emphasize, the top cover corner to come off the board may have been Pride to Clemson. The Midwest prospect had long planned on a June decision, as he detailed with SI All-American, but again the competition in question reemphasizes how big the win was. Ohio State, Oregon and local Missouri were all in the conversation and hosted Pride for a visit prior to the pick. Whether as a nickel projection or on the outside, he offers the total package for a Brent Venables secondary of the future.
Shemar James - Florida
On the head-to-head recruiting front, Florida's win over in-state Alabama for Shemar James rings about as true as any recent commitment. Visiting Alabama officially to kick off the month, there was a true sense this race was and perhaps had long been Alabama's to lose -- until the Mobile native made it to Gainesville. The Gators have stacked official visit weekends as well as any program this month and it has paid off with big recruiting wins, few more important than the versatile James'. At UF he projects as a true hybrid defender, most likely destined for a modern inside linebacker spot. Christian Robinson and off-field recruiter Chase Clark get the coaching assist from the latest Gator from the Yellowhammer State.
Trevell Mullen - Indiana
Sure, the south Floridian is a legacy to IU and his older brother Tiawan just arrived on campus with a bang, but a win is a win on the recruiting trail and all of a sudden the Hoosiers are putting together one of America's top secondary classes. In what was another multiple-pledge weekend for IU, Mullen rings truest based on timing and competition. Several SEC programs were courting the rising-senior recruit and he spent the early parts of the month with in-state programs Florida State and Miami -- adding a little juice to Indiana's latest win in the Sunshine State.
Niuafe Tuihalamaka - Notre Dame
Speaking of adding a bit to the news beyond the obvious, Notre Dame fans continue to feel strongly about Brian Kelly's 2022 haul with another key addition. Tuihalamaka is not only a former USC verbal commitment, but he's a California native with national appeal, not to mention reportedly fresh off of an official visit to Texas. He can obviously play, too, furthering what has been one of the Irish's strongest positions on Saturdays. Notre Dame holds America's largest class to date and there is plenty of quality within it, especially at the position Tuihalamaka now headlines among those verbally committed.
Jaeden Gould - USC
The Trojans are never too far from the national recruiting news and the program is plenty used to going across America for talent, especially in New Jersey. The latest is the versatile Gould, a secondary prospect it added over regional power Penn State, adding to a defensive back haul that will contend for the nation's best should it hold with he, Domani Jackson and Fabian Ross on board. It's hard to find true cornerbacks at 6'2" but Gould offers the type of frame to contend against bigger pass catchers and range to combat smaller, shiftier types alike.
Oakie Salave'a - San Diego State
How about some G5 love? The Aztecs added one of the most interesting quarterback types in the class of 2022 not only in that Salave'a is a dynamic athlete at the position, but that he was getting recruited to play other positions by other colleges per Greg Biggins. As a passer, the first Aztec pledge in the class has a short, no-nonsense motion with plenty of power and his play-making at multiple positions has been a varsity staple since his freshman campaign out in American Samoa and Hawaii. At 6'4" there is a strong athletic floor for college football but the ceiling at the sports most important position is one to test at SDSU in the coming years.
Edwin Kolenge - Boston College
Call it a sleeper on the list, but Kolenge represents the turn-the-corner feel of the BC program from a recruiting perspective. Selecting from a host of ACC options, the Canada native elected to play for the Eagles because of the defensive reputation, recruiting consistency and fit with defensive coordinator Tem Lukabu -- almost an indication that it's an upper-echelon ACC program and becoming among those in the conversation beyond Clemson, North Carolina and Miami to current recruits. Kolenge wasn't the only defensive addition for BC this weekend, either.
Another big domino will come off the board at 3pm EST Monday, with quarterback Nicco Marchiol set to decide between Arizona State, Michigan State and West Virginia. The former Florida State commitment visited each program in recent weeks.
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