Swinney sways recruit by taking swipe at Meyer
Not only did lineman Jackson Carman, the nation’s No. 1 tackle prospect, of Fairfield opt to leave Ohio by signing with Clemson, he burned a bridge of sorts on the way out.
While speaking on the attractions of playing for the defending national champion, he indicated that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney directed a shot at Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.
“He also kind of mentioned that Urban was on the back half of his career, which he is, and that Dabo is just starting up, so I mean having the chance to be a part of something that’s upcoming and establish Clemson as a topthree figure is something,” Carman said, according to the Dayton Daily News.
Meyer, at 53, is just five years older than Swinney, but Meyer is in his 16th season as a head coach.
When asked if the age difference mattered in his decision, Carman said, “Not hugely, but it was an underlying factor.”
When reached by The Dispatch for a response, Meyer said he had none. At the moment, his recruiting class is ranked No. 1 in the country, even without Carman.
Florida gets its QB
New Florida coach Dan Mullen has his dual- threat quarterback of the future, maybe even the now.
Emory Jones, of Franklin, Georgia, chose the Gators after initially committing to Ohio State in July 2016. He is ranked fourth among dual- threat quarterbacks by 247Sports’ composite ratings.
“You have to find somebody that can handle the responsibilities of not just the quarterback position for the football team, but the quarterback at the University of Florida, which is something special,” Mullen said. “I think ... that he is somebody that can handle that, can handle that scrutiny, handle that pressure, handle those expectations and really not handle it, but thrive on it.
“And that’s what he was looking for is to be the quarterback at really the premier quarterback school in America.”
Michigan goes far, wide
Defensive back Myles Sims of Atlanta is part of the latest recruiting class at Michigan that includes players from all over the map.
The Wolverines announced 16 signees. Four are from Michigan, and there are three each from Texas and Florida. Michigan, which went on a much- publicized trip to Rome last offseason, even landed a player from Europe — defensive lineman Julius Welschof of Germany.
Michigan has signed one quarterback — Joe Milton of Orlando, Florida. The Wolverines have Brandon Peters and Dylan McCaffrey at that position, and recently added Mississippi transfer Shea Patterson.
Why wait?
The new early signing period runs through Friday. The vast majority of top recruits decided they didn’t want to wait until February during the regular period to pick their schools: Of the nation’s top 25 prospects as determined by a composite ranking from 247Sports, only a handful are delaying their decisions.
“I think most people know where they’re going to college before December, so I feel like people don’t feel like they have to wait until February now,” said Knoxville ( Tennessee) Catholic offensive tackle Cade Mays, one of three previously uncommitted five-star recruits to sign with Georgia on Wednesday.
Perhaps that means most prospects will finalize their recruiting process well before the traditional February signing day going forward.
“I think it’s probably going to be the wave of the future,” said Mike Farrell, the director of recruiting for Rivals. “I think kids copy kids. I think you’ll see this next year, where signing day in February will be devalued a bit.”