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Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff Writer
Fourteen college football recruits ranked in the 2024 ESPN 300 committed in May, and with Memorial Day having come and gone, one thing is certain: The recruiting trail is going to become more and more active over the next few months.
A quiet period, meaning the only contact recruits can have with college coaches can be via on-campus visits, lasts from June 1-25, followed by a month-long dead period in which no in-person contact is permissible.
For the top quarterbacks in the 2024 class, the Elite 11 finals are June 14-16 in Los Angeles. Twenty players will participate in a three-day showcase event that includes expert instruction, pro day-style throwing sessions and a team-oriented 7-on-7 tournament.
Six of the top seven quarterbacks, including five-stars Dylan Raiola, Julian Sayin and D.J. Lagway, plus the top remaining uncommitted quarterback (Elijah Brown, No. 170), are among those that will be in attendance.
We break down the impact commitments that happened over the past few weeks, the teams that are starting to fill out their recruiting classes and which prospects in the 2024 and 2025 classes are narrowing down their decisions.
coverage:
2024 recruiting class rankings
How first-year coaches are rebuilding
The ultimate recruit rankings
Georgia bolsters No. 1 class with No. 1 recruit
Quarterback Dylan Raiola became the first No. 1-ranked prospect to commit to Georgia since Justin Fields (2018) when he announced his commitment to Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs on May 15.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Raiola, the son of former NFL offensive lineman Dominic Raiola, who spent 14 years in the league, had previously committed to Ohio State in May 2022 before decommitting and reopening his recruitment in December.
Dylan threw for 2,435 yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions as a junior for Chandler High School (Arizona), but transferred to Pinnacle High School (Arizona) ahead of his senior season.
He is one of six top-50 prospects in Georgia’s 2024 recruiting class, which sits atop the 2024 class rankings. Georgia is seeking its eighth straight top-three recruiting class.
Oregon lands pair of ESPN 300 teammates
Dan Lanning and Oregon scored a pair of ESPN 300 commitments from one of the top high school programs in the country, St. Frances Academy (Maryland), in cornerback Ify Obidegwu and five-star quarterback Michael Van Buren.
Obidegwu, ranked No. 148 overall, committed on May 7, while Van Buren, No. 18, announced on May 20.
“Ify, my brother,” Van Buren told ESPN. “I mean, we [are] together every day at school. That’s one of the guys. So being able to go somewhere far with one of my brothers, it means a lot.”
The Ducks’ class currently sits ninth in ESPN’s rankings.
Four-star wide receiver picks USC
Xavier Jordan, a 6-2, 170-pound wide receiver from Sierra Canyon High School (California), committed to Lincoln Riley and the Trojans on May 1.
Jordan (No. 164 overall in 2024) became the second ESPN 300 prospect for USC, following Lakeridge High School (Oregon) tight end Joey Olsen (No. 192 overall in 2024), who committed in September 2022.
Jordan would be the fifth ESPN 300 wide receiver to sign with USC since 2020 and follows Riley signing the top two receivers from the 2023 class (Zachariah Branch and Makai Lemon).
Blountstown High School (Florida) safety Jordan Pride (No. 68 overall) became the highest member of Jimbo Fisher’s 2024 class when he committed on May 9.
The 6-2, 185-pound Pride, the third-best safety in the 2024 cycle, initially committed to Florida State in July 2021 before decommitting from the Seminoles on April 12.
Texas A&M finished with the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022 before finishing 13th in the 2023 cycle. Currently, the Aggies’ 2024 class ranks 20th.
Four-star QB reclassifies to 2024 and stays home
Kentucky scored a big win when in-state quarterback Cutter Boley committed to the Wildcats and announced he would reclassify from the 2025 class to 2024.
Boley, the No. 169 overall prospect in the 2025 ESPN Junior 300, picked Kentucky over Michigan, Penn State, Florida State and Tennessee on May 18. The 6-5, 210-pound Boley is the highest-ranked recruit in the Wildcats’ 2024 class and would be their first ESPN 300 quarterback since 2014.
“It’s where my heart was at and I like where Coach (Mark) Stoops has taken the program,” Boley, who plays for Lexington Christian Academy, told ESPN. “He has just completely turned it around and then (offensive coordinator) Coach (Liam) Coen and the whole offense. I feel like he can really develop me to be ready for the next level.”
Kentucky’s 2023 class finished 34th in ESPN’s rankings.
Notable recruits taking official visits
Mike Matthews, ATH
2024 ESPN 300 ranking: No. 3
Mike Matthews, the top athlete in the class, will visit USC, Georgia, Tennessee and Clemson in June, his father, Lee, told ESPN.
The 6-2, 190-pound five-star prospect hauled in 48 passes for 1,031 yards and 10 touchdowns while also recording 23 tackles and two interceptions on defense for Parkview High School (Georgia) in 2022.
Sammy Brown, LB
2024 ESPN 300 ranking: No. 17
Brown took an official visit to Tennessee last weekend and has visits to Clemson (June 2), Georgia (June 9), Oklahoma (June 16) and Ohio State (June 26) planned, according to his father, Mike.
His father added that his son is looking to announce sometime in early July.
The 6-2, 230-pound Brown, who plays both ways for Jefferson High School (Georgia), had a dynamic junior season. Brown recorded 113 tackles while also compiling 1,705 total yards (1,459 rushing) and 24 touchdowns (21 rushing) on offense.
Dylan Stewart, DE
2024 ESPN 300 ranking: No. 19
Stewart plans to take official visits to Georgia (June 2-4), Miami (June 9-11), Ohio State (June 16-18) and South Carolina (June 23-25).
The 6-6, 245-pound Stewart is the fourth-best defensive end in the class. He had 16 sacks as a junior for Friendship Collegiate Academy (Washington, D.C.) in 2022.
Dre’lon Miller, WR
2024 ESPN 300 ranking: No. 98
Miller, a wide receiver from Silsbee, Texas, is announcing his commitment on June 29 and will be taking official visits to both USC and Miami.
The 6-2, 205-pound Miller, who’s considering Georgia, Miami, LSU, USC, Texas A&M, Duke and Florida, caught 59 passes for 1,399 yards and 21 touchdowns last season for Silsbee High School.
Gideon Davidson, RB
2025 ESPN 300 ranking: No. 51
Davidson, the No. 5 running back in the 2025 class, is committing on June 14, his father, Brian, told ESPN.
His top 10 schools are Clemson, Michigan, Oregon, USC, Penn State, Ohio State, Colorado, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Iowa State.
The 6-foot, 195-pound Davidson ran 149 times for 1,392 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns for Liberty Christian Academy (Virginia) as a sophomore in 2022.