🏈 USDA: THE MAGAZINE
⭐ THE S1 FIVE-STAR REPORT
32 Five-Stars. 16 States. 21 Programs in the Hunt. One Verbal. And a National Recruiting War Already Beginning to Take Shape.
The first USDA Five-Star Report of the CFB27 era is here.
And before most of these players have made their decisions, the board is already telling us quite a bit about what S1 recruiting could become.
There are 32 five-star prospects spread across 16 states. Twenty-one different programs appear somewhere on their boards. Fourteen schools currently hold at least one lead.
Only one of the 32 — Georgia LB Carl Everett — is listed as a verbal commitment.
That means 96.9% of the five-star class remains uncommitted based on the current report.
So this isn’t a signing-day ranking.
It’s a snapshot of the battlefield.
And there are already distinct recruiting identities emerging.
Texas A&M has gone national.
Penn State appears to be constructing an entire defensive front.
Ohio State has concentrated an incredible amount of talent near the very top of the rankings.
USC is protecting California’s elite tier better than any other major home-state power.
Alabama has the only five-star verbal and is attacking two of America’s richest recruiting states.
Indiana is threatening to pair a Top-10 five-star quarterback with a Top-10 five-star receiver.
Oregon is seemingly everywhere — but now needs to turn extraordinary access into more first-place finishes.
And beneath the school-by-school battles is a national geography that may prove just as important.
Texas and California produce the most five-stars.
New Jersey has somehow become an elite defensive-line factory.
Louisiana’s two five-stars are split between LSU and an A&M raid.
Mississippi’s only two five-stars are both receivers.
And more than half of USDA’s five-star class comes from outside the four major blue-chip hubs of Texas, California, Georgia and Florida.
The names are important.
But the patterns behind them may tell us even more.
Welcome to the first USDA Five-Star Report.
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📊 THE FIVE-STAR BOARD — BY THE NUMBERS
Let’s establish the baseline.
32 Five-Star Prospects
16 States Represented
21 Programs Appearing on at Least One Five-Star Board
14 Programs Currently Leading at Least One
1 Verbal Commitment
That lone verbal belongs to:
#6 Carl Everett — LB — Georgia → Alabama
So just 3.1% of the five-star class has reached verbal status.
The other 31 prospects remain uncommitted according to the board supplied.
That distinction matters throughout this report.
A current leader is not a commitment.
A second-place program is not eliminated.
And with so little of the board actually settled, some of today’s biggest stories could look completely different by the next report.
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👑 CURRENT FIVE-STAR LEADERBOARD
If every five-star signed with his current leader today:
Texas A&M — 6
Penn State — 4
Ohio State — 3
Alabama — 3
USC — 3
Texas — 2
LSU — 2
Indiana — 2
Oklahoma — 2
Notre Dame — 1
Oregon — 1
Ole Miss — 1
Clemson — 1
Tennessee — 1
The first number that jumps off the page:
Texas A&M currently leads 6 of 32 five-stars — 18.75% of the entire class.
Penn State controls another 12.5%.
And the five programs currently leading at least three — A&M, Penn State, Ohio State, Alabama and USC — combine to lead:
19 of the 32 five-stars — 59.4%.
So while 14 programs currently have at least one leader, nearly 60% of the five-star board is presently concentrated among five programs.
But there’s another way to measure recruiting power.
Who is simply getting into the most elite battles?
That’s where things become even more interesting.
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🌐 FIVE-STAR ACCESS REPORT
Who keeps getting into the room?
Counting every appearance on a five-star contender list:
Texas A&M — 7
Alabama — 7
Oregon — 7
Texas — 7
USC — 6
Ohio State — 5
Penn State — 5
Notre Dame — 5
Georgia — 5
Washington — 4
LSU — 4
Indiana — 3
Ole Miss — 3
Miami — 3
Oklahoma — 3
Tennessee — 3
Iowa — 2
BYU — 1
Florida State — 1
Michigan — 1
Clemson — 1
That produces one of the most revealing comparisons in this entire report.
Four programs are tied with seven five-star appearances:
Texas A&M.
Alabama.
Oregon.
Texas.
But their current results are wildly different.
Texas A&M: 7 appearances, 6 leads
Alabama: 7 appearances, 3 leads
Texas: 7 appearances, 2 leads
Oregon: 7 appearances, 1 lead
That’s not a prediction of where they finish.
It’s simply the clearest illustration of the difference between access and current conversion.
All four are recruiting at the elite level.
Right now, one is turning almost every opportunity into first-place position.
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📈 THE CURRENT CONVERSION SNAPSHOT
Again, this isn’t an official efficiency metric. Different recruitments have different margins and circumstances.
But purely comparing current leads against total five-star appearances:
Texas A&M — 6 of 7
Penn State — 4 of 5
Indiana — 2 of 3
Oklahoma — 2 of 3
Ohio State — 3 of 5
LSU — 2 of 4
USC — 3 of 6
Alabama — 3 of 7
Texas — 2 of 7
Notre Dame — 1 of 5
Oregon — 1 of 7
Georgia — 0 of 5
Washington — 0 of 4
Miami — 0 of 3
This is why Oregon remains one of the most fascinating programs on the entire board.
The Ducks don’t have an access problem.
They have seven five-star opportunities.
Their next challenge is turning more of those opportunities into leads.
Meanwhile, A&M’s early conversion has been extraordinary.
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🧬 THE POSITIONAL DNA OF THE CLASS
USDA’s 32 five-stars break down like this:
QB — 6
DT — 5
WR — 5
CB — 3
EDGE — 3
RT — 2
LB — 2
FS — 2
RB — 1
LT — 1
ATH — 1
SS — 1
Quarterback is the deepest elite position.
Six of the 32 five-stars are QBs.
That’s 18.75% of the entire class.
Add five defensive tackles and five wide receivers, and those three positions account for:
16 of the 32 five-stars — exactly 50%.
Half of the entire five-star class is concentrated at quarterback, defensive tackle and wide receiver.
That’s good news for programs needing those positions.
Elsewhere?
Scarcity arrives quickly.
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💎 SCARCITY WATCH
There is no Plan B at five stars
Only one five-star exists at each of these positions:
RB — #8 Nick Cota
LT — #14 Brent Lemon
ATH — #22 Marco Smith
SS — #30 Chuck Landry
That adds another layer of importance to those recruitments.
Miss on a five-star QB?
There are five others.
Miss on Nick Cota?
There isn’t another five-star running back.
Miss on Brent Lemon?
There isn’t another five-star left tackle.
The ranking matters.
But scarcity matters too.
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🎯 THE SIX FIVE-STAR QUARTERBACKS
Quarterback is the headliner position of S1.
The six:
#9 Sherrod Angerer — Indiana → Indiana leads
#10 Tymon Kamara — California → USC leads
#13 Mike Downs — Louisiana → Texas A&M leads
#18 David Reeves — Alabama → Texas A&M leads
#29 Lorenzo Lockridge — North Carolina → Tennessee leads
#32 Hugh Morris — California → Texas leads
Five programs currently control the six leads.
Only one has two:
Texas A&M.
That’s another wrinkle in the Aggies’ recruiting story.
A&M isn’t merely leading six five-stars.
Two are quarterbacks.
And they’re coming from two different SEC recruiting territories:
Louisiana and Alabama.
If both eventually sign, the Aggies could have an embarrassment of riches at the most important position on the field.
But it also raises a future question worth monitoring:
Can you actually keep two five-star quarterbacks in the same recruiting class?
Does one recruitment eventually affect the other?
Does one become the clear priority?
We don’t have those answers yet.
But A&M’s current position creates the possibility.
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🧱 THE FIVE-STAR DEFENSIVE TACKLES
There are five:
#3 Brad Zimmerman — New Jersey → Ohio State
#17 Kane Shackelford — Georgia → Texas A&M
#19 Theo Hyde — New Jersey → Penn State
#23 Miguel Trapasso — Texas → Texas A&M
#26 Kion Willie — Kansas → LSU
A&M is the only program currently leading two.
That means the Aggies could potentially come out of this class with two of the five elite interior defenders while simultaneously leading two of the six five-star quarterbacks.
That’s a potentially enormous roster-building haul at two premium positions.
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🗺️ THE FIVE-STAR MAP
The state distribution:
Texas — 5
California — 5
Georgia — 4
New Jersey — 3
Louisiana — 2
New York — 2
Mississippi — 2
And one each from:
Oregon
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Florida
Indiana
Oklahoma
Alabama
Kansas
North Carolina
That’s 16 states.
And perhaps the most important geographic statistic:
The four major blue-chip hubs — Texas, California, Georgia and Florida — produce:
15 of the 32 five-stars — 46.9%.
Meaning:
17 of 32 — 53.1% — come from outside those four mega-hubs.
That’s an important distinction between overall blue-chip recruiting and five-star recruiting.
A program can build enormous depth in one of the superstates.
But if you want to dominate the very top of this class?
You have to travel.
Which brings us to the program sitting atop the board.
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👍 TEXAS A&M
“HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD… WELL, NATION… IN HIS HANDS.”
Coach Bone’s five-star map has almost no borders.
If the first USDA Five-Star Report needs a cover story, Coach Bone and Texas A&M are it.
Not because A&M has signed six five-stars.
It hasn’t.
Not because the race is over.
It absolutely isn’t.
But because no other current board combines volume, geographic reach and first-place positioning like Bone’s.
A&M appears in seven five-star recruitments.
It currently leads six.
That’s an 85.7% current lead rate among the five-star boards on which A&M appears.
And those six leaders come from:
Six different states.
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🌎 THE BONE MAP
Coach Bone’s current five-star leaders:
#1 Naz Tam — RT — Oregon
#8 Nick Cota — RB — Florida
#13 Mike Downs — QB — Louisiana
#17 Kane Shackelford — DT — Georgia
#18 David Reeves — QB — Alabama
#23 Miguel Trapasso — DT — Texas
Oregon.
Florida.
Louisiana.
Georgia.
Alabama.
Texas.
That is not a pipeline.
That’s a national network.
And the seventh A&M appearance is:
#14 Brent Lemon — LT — Texas
The only five-star LT in the class.
So every single five-star recruitment on Bone’s current board involves a premium player, and six of the seven currently have A&M sitting first.
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💰 BONE’S NIL FOOTPRINT
Different state. Same pitch.
This is what makes the A&M story so intriguing from an NIL-recruiting perspective.
Bone isn’t relying solely on Texas’ enormous talent base.
He’s using A&M’s resources and recruiting appeal to extend outward from it.
The current board says:
Go to Oregon for the nation’s No. 1 player.
Go to Florida for the country’s only five-star running back.
Go into LSU’s backyard for a five-star quarterback.
Go into Georgia for a five-star defensive tackle.
Go into Alabama for another five-star quarterback.
Then come home to Texas for another five-star DT.
That’s why the cover line works:
“He’s got the whole world… well, nation… in his hands.”
At least right now, Bone’s five-star recruiting strategy doesn’t appear to recognize regional boundaries.
But there’s a challenge embedded inside that strategy too.
National boards are expensive to defend.
Being first today means everyone else is chasing you tomorrow.
Oregon wants Tam back.
Miami wants Cota.
LSU wants Downs.
USC, Florida State and Tennessee are chasing Shackelford.
Georgia and Alabama want Reeves.
USC wants Trapasso.
And Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma are among the programs fighting around A&M’s Texas interests.
Bone has created an extraordinary board.
Now he has to defend it.
⸻
👑 #1 NAZ TAM
The recruitment that can validate the entire national strategy
Naz Tam is the No. 1 player in USDA.
RT — Oregon
Current board:
Texas A&M
Oregon
Washington
Iowa
There’s something almost too perfect about the country’s No. 1 recruit being the centerpiece of A&M’s national story.
Tam lives in Oregon.
Oregon wants him.
Washington wants him.
Yet Texas A&M currently sits first.
If Oregon closes, it’s the ultimate home-region defense.
If Washington wins, it’s an enormous Pacific Northwest raid.
If Iowa shocks everyone, it becomes one of the most unexpected elite victories of S1.
But if Bone closes Tam?
Then the No. 1 prospect in America becomes the most obvious evidence that A&M’s recruiting reach is genuinely national.
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🏃 #8 NICK COTA
THE RAREST SKILL PLAYER IN THE CLASS
Nick Cota carries two different forms of scarcity.
He’s:
Florida’s only five-star.
And:
USDA’s only five-star running back.
Current battle:
Texas A&M
Miami
That’s it.
A&M is trying to walk into Florida and take the state’s only five-star.
Miami is trying to make sure Florida’s one elite headliner actually stays in Florida.
And whoever loses cannot simply pivot to another five-star RB.
There isn’t one.
That makes Cota one of the highest-leverage recruitments on the entire board.
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🎯 #13 MIKE DOWNS
A&M VS. LSU FOR HALF OF LOUISIANA’S FIVE-STAR CLASS
Louisiana has two five-stars:
#5 Jaylen Pinner — WR
#13 Mike Downs — QB
LSU leads Pinner.
A&M leads Downs.
So the state’s five-star board is currently split exactly in half.
If LSU flips Downs?
The Tigers sweep Louisiana’s elite tier.
If A&M holds?
Coach Bone takes the five-star quarterback out of LSU’s backyard.
That’s not just a national recruiting win.
That’s a territorial one.
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🎯 #18 DAVID REEVES
ALABAMA IS RAIDING EVERYBODY — WHILE A&M RAIDS ALABAMA
One of the great ironies of this board:
Alabama currently leads five-stars out of Georgia and Texas.
Yet the lone five-star produced by Alabama itself is currently led by Texas A&M.
David Reeves:
QB — Alabama
Board:
Texas A&M
Georgia
Alabama
That’s recruiting in a nutshell.
Nobody gets to raid without also defending.
While Alabama attempts to pull elite talent from neighboring states, Bone is standing in Alabama’s own backyard trying to leave with its five-star quarterback.
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🦁 PENN STATE
BUILD THE FRONT FIRST
Penn State currently leads four:
#12 Sam Willy — EDGE — California
#19 Theo Hyde — DT — New Jersey
#27 Mitch Lovelace — EDGE — New York
#31 Sam Tonga — EDGE — New Jersey
Four five-stars.
Four defensive-front players.
Three EDGE defenders.
One DT.
Three from New York/New Jersey.
If those four eventually sign, Penn State isn’t simply adding four stars to a recruiting ranking.
It’s potentially constructing the core of an entire future defensive front in one class.
That’s arguably the strongest positional identity anywhere on the board.
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🗽 NEW JERSEY
THE FIVE-STAR DEFENSIVE LINE FACTORY
New Jersey produces three five-stars.
All three play up front:
#3 Brad Zimmerman — DT
#19 Theo Hyde — DT
#31 Sam Tonga — EDGE
That’s one of the strangest and most interesting geographic concentrations in the class.
Penn State currently leads Hyde and Tonga.
Ohio State leads Zimmerman.
Notre Dame is involved with Zimmerman and Hyde.
So New Jersey has effectively become a three-player defensive-line battleground between major northern powers.
And Penn State currently controls two-thirds of it.
⸻
🌰 OHIO STATE
QUALITY AT THE VERY TOP
Ohio State leads:
#3 Brad Zimmerman
#4 Ced Gainwell
#11 AZ Igninoghene
Their average national ranking:
6.0.
That’s the best average ranking among programs currently leading multiple five-stars.
Three leaders.
Two inside the Top 4.
All three inside the Top 11.
Texas A&M has more volume.
Penn State has more volume.
But Ohio State’s current trio is concentrated extremely close to the top of the class.
⸻
🧭 THE OHIO STATE EASTERN CORRIDOR
There’s also a clear geographic identity.
Zimmerman — New Jersey.
Gainwell — Virginia.
Igninoghene — New York.
Ohio State is also involved with:
#9 Sherrod Angerer — Indiana
#27 Mitch Lovelace — New York
Every five-star on Ohio State’s board comes from Indiana or somewhere east of Ohio.
No California.
No Texas.
No Florida.
The Buckeyes have built a focused eastern board.
And right now, they’re winning some of its best players.
⸻
🔥 #3 BRAD ZIMMERMAN
THE NORTHEASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT
Zimmerman:
DT.
New Jersey.
No. 3 nationally.
Ohio State
Penn State
Notre Dame
The stakes extend beyond one player.
Ohio State landing him gives the Buckeyes a Top-3 defensive anchor.
Penn State landing him would make its potential five-star defensive front even more absurd.
Notre Dame taking him would simultaneously deny two major northern competitors.
Some recruiting victories are worth one player.
Others are worth one player plus the loss inflicted on everybody else.
Zimmerman feels like the latter.
⸻
🔒 #4 CED GAINWELL
THREE REGIONS COLLIDE IN VIRGINIA
Gainwell’s board:
Ohio State
Alabama
Oregon
Big Ten.
SEC.
West Coast.
One of only three five-star corners.
And the No. 4 overall prospect.
There may not be a cleaner example of a truly national recruitment.
⸻
✌️ USC
CALIFORNIA FIRST
USC currently leads:
#10 Tymon Kamara — QB — California
#21 Frank Duvall — FS — California
#22 Marco Smith — ATH — California
All three are home-state prospects.
USC is also involved with:
#12 Sam Willy — EDGE — California
#17 Kane Shackelford — DT — Georgia
#23 Miguel Trapasso — DT — Texas
That’s six total five-star appearances.
Four are Californians.
So USC’s strategy is easy to see:
Build the five-star foundation at home.
Then selectively hunt outside it.
⸻
🌴 USC CURRENTLY CONTROLS 60% OF CALIFORNIA’S FIVE-STARS
California’s five:
#10 Kamara → USC
#12 Willy → Penn State
#21 Duvall → USC
#22 Smith → USC
#32 Morris → Texas
USC leads three.
And appears on a fourth.
That’s the strongest five-star home-state defense among USDA’s major talent hubs.
California currently has a gatekeeper.
And it’s USC.
⸻
🦆 THE NORTHERN THREAT
But look at who’s repeatedly attacking USC’s backyard.
Kamara includes Washington.
Willy includes Oregon.
Duvall includes Oregon.
Smith includes both Oregon and Washington.
That’s not random.
Oregon and Washington are trying to turn California into shared Western recruiting territory.
So USC’s challenge isn’t simply closing three players.
It’s maintaining a structural advantage.
If USC keeps the elite Californians home, California remains the Trojans’ greatest recruiting weapon.
If Oregon and Washington begin taking them consistently?
The entire Western balance changes.
⸻
🐘 ALABAMA
SEVEN BATTLES. THREE LEADS. ONE ACTUAL VERBAL.
Alabama appears for:
#4 Ced Gainwell — Virginia
#6 Carl Everett — Georgia
#7 Mac York — Pennsylvania
#14 Brent Lemon — Texas
#18 David Reeves — Alabama
#24 Chuck Faulk — Texas
#30 Chuck Landry — Texas
Seven five-star recruitments.
Current leaders:
Everett.
Faulk.
Landry.
And Everett is the only verbal commitment among all 32 five-stars.
Alabama’s current elite class is entirely defensive.
And its leaders come from:
Georgia.
Texas.
Texas.
The Tide are targeting America’s richest talent states rather than relying solely on home.
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🤠 ALABAMA’S TEXAS SAFETY HEIST?
This deserves its own storyline.
Texas produces two five-star safeties:
#24 Chuck Faulk — FS
#30 Chuck Landry — SS
Alabama currently leads both.
Texas is second for both.
If Alabama closes them?
It could import an entire five-star safety pairing from Texas in one class.
If Texas flips them?
The Longhorns immediately transform their home-state five-star retention story.
These two recruitments are going to be worth watching together.
⸻
🔐 #6 CARL EVERETT
THE FIRST FIVE-STAR TO SAY YES
No. 6 nationally.
LB.
Georgia.
Alabama — verbal
Indiana.
Ole Miss.
Thirty-one five-stars remain uncommitted.
Everett is the exception.
So while A&M currently owns the most first-place positions, Alabama owns something nobody else does:
An actual five-star verbal.
And it came out of Georgia.
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🌽 INDIANA
THE SURPRISE THAT IS STARTING TO LOOK SERIOUS
Indiana currently leads:
#7 Mac York — WR — Pennsylvania
#9 Sherrod Angerer — QB — Indiana
Average ranking:
8.0
Only Ohio State has a better average among programs leading multiple five-stars.
And Indiana’s two players fit together perfectly.
Quarterback.
Receiver.
Both Top 10.
If Indiana closes them, it could be recruiting the future centerpiece of an entire offense in one shot.
And Indiana is also listed on #6 Carl Everett’s board.
Three five-star appearances.
Two current leads.
This isn’t a giant national board.
It’s a highly efficient one.
⸻
🐯 LSU
DEFEND LOUISIANA — THEN GO HUNTING
LSU currently leads:
#5 Jaylen Pinner — WR — Louisiana
#26 Kion Willie — DT — Kansas
And appears for:
#10 Tymon Kamara — QB — California
#13 Mike Downs — QB — Louisiana
That gives LSU two very different jobs.
First:
Protect Louisiana.
Second:
Find elite talent elsewhere.
Pinner currently stays home.
Downs currently does not.
Meanwhile, LSU’s second current five-star leader isn’t from Louisiana at all.
He’s from Kansas.
⸻
🌾 #26 KION WILLIE
KANSAS BECOMES A NATIONAL BATTLEGROUND
Kion Willie:
DT.
Kansas.
Board:
LSU
Oklahoma
Texas
Georgia
That’s one of the more geographically interesting recruitments in the class.
Four major programs converging on a Kansas defensive tackle.
LSU currently leads.
If the Tigers can close Willie while keeping Pinner and eventually flipping Downs?
Then LSU’s five-star class would combine strong home-state defense with a legitimate national raid.
⸻
🤘 TEXAS
THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE
Texas appears on seven five-star boards:
#2 Vernon Troyer
#7 Mac York
#14 Brent Lemon
#24 Chuck Faulk
#26 Kion Willie
#30 Chuck Landry
#32 Hugh Morris
Current leaders:
#2 Troyer
#32 Morris
So Texas does not have an access problem.
It has plenty of live opportunities.
But right now only two of those seven have the Longhorns first.
That makes Texas another program with substantial upward mobility.
⸻
🤘 #2 VERNON TROYER
THE ONE TEXAS REALLY NEEDS TO KEEP HOME
Troyer is:
No. 2 nationally.
CB.
Texas.
Board:
Texas
Oregon
BYU
He’s the highest-ranked player produced by the state.
And he’s one of only three five-star corners nationally.
Given the other elite players currently being led away from Texas, Troyer carries extra symbolic importance.
He’s not simply a Top-2 player.
He’s the current centerpiece of Texas’ elite home-state defense.
⸻
🌴 #32 HUGH MORRIS
THE LONGHORNS RAID CALIFORNIA
Texas’ other current five-star leader comes from California.
QB Hugh Morris:
Texas
Notre Dame
That’s an important counterweight to the home-state story.
Texas may be fighting outsiders in Texas.
But the Longhorns are also trying to do exactly the same thing to USC out West.
Recruiting borders work both ways.
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🅾️ OKLAHOMA
DEFEND HOME. CROSS THE RED RIVER.
Oklahoma currently leads:
#16 Tyler Coffey — LB — Oklahoma
#14 Brent Lemon — LT — Texas
Coffey lists only Oklahoma.
Lemon lists:
Oklahoma.
Alabama.
Texas A&M.
Texas.
So Oklahoma’s two current five-star leaders tell two completely different stories.
One is a clean home-state defense.
The other is a heavyweight raid for the only five-star LT nationally.
That’s a very efficient two-player board.
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☘️ NOTRE DAME
A NATIONAL BOARD LOOKING FOR MORE CONVERSIONS
Notre Dame appears for:
#3 Brad Zimmerman — New Jersey
#15 Lee Nwaneri — Georgia
#19 Theo Hyde — New Jersey
#21 Frank Duvall — California
#32 Hugh Morris — California
Current leader:
#15 Lee Nwaneri
The Irish are recruiting three separate regions.
Northeast.
Deep South.
West Coast.
They have access.
Now the question becomes whether Nwaneri is the first of several eventual wins.
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🐶 GEORGIA
FIVE BATTLES. ZERO CURRENT LEADS.
Georgia appears for:
#15 Lee Nwaneri — Georgia
#18 David Reeves — Alabama
#26 Kion Willie — Kansas
#28 Thad Summers — Georgia
#29 Lorenzo Lockridge — North Carolina
That’s five.
Current leaders:
Zero.
And two of the five — Nwaneri and Summers — are from Georgia itself.
This does not mean Georgia is finished in those recruitments.
Quite the opposite.
It means Georgia has perhaps the largest opportunity for upward movement.
But it also means the Bulldogs enter the next phase with pressure.
Georgia produced four five-stars.
At the moment, none is led by Georgia.
That’s a storyline until Georgia changes it.
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🦆 OREGON
THE MOST FASCINATING 1 ON THE BOARD
Oregon currently leads one five-star:
#20 Amani Spann — WR — Mississippi
But Oregon appears for seven:
Naz Tam.
Vernon Troyer.
Ced Gainwell.
Sam Willy.
Amani Spann.
Frank Duvall.
Marco Smith.
That’s tied for the most appearances in USDA.
So Oregon’s “one” needs context.
The Ducks aren’t absent.
They’re everywhere.
Oregon is currently fighting in:
Oregon.
Texas.
Virginia.
California.
Mississippi.
That’s massive national access.
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🦆 THE OREGON PARADOX
Suppose Oregon flips Naz Tam.
Now the Ducks have the No. 1 player.
Suppose they also flip Sam Willy or Frank Duvall.
Suddenly one becomes three.
And the entire conversation changes.
That’s why Oregon may be the most volatile program on this report.
Its current leader count is small.
Its opportunity set is enormous.
The next report will tell us whether that access was the beginning of a great class — or simply a lot of battles Oregon couldn’t finish.
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🦈 OLE MISS
TWO MISSISSIPPI RECEIVERS, ONE MAJOR OPPORTUNITY
Mississippi produces two five-stars.
Both are WRs:
#20 Amani Spann
#25 Josh Pili
Oregon leads Spann.
Ole Miss leads Pili.
So the state’s elite tier is split.
If Ole Miss flips Spann?
The Rebels could sweep both five-star players produced by Mississippi — and both would enter the same receiver room.
That’s an intriguing potential position-group haul.
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🍊 TENNESSEE
THE REGIONAL BOARD
Tennessee appears for:
#15 Lee Nwaneri — Georgia
#17 Kane Shackelford — Georgia
#29 Lorenzo Lockridge — North Carolina
Current leader:
Lockridge
Every Tennessee five-star target comes from a neighboring state.
That’s a clear regional footprint.
And Tennessee’s Georgia presence becomes much more significant when we eventually expand into the full Blue-Chip Talent Hub Report.
The Vols aren’t just visiting Georgia for five-stars.
They’re all over the larger board.
⸻
🐅 CLEMSON
ONE APPEARANCE. ONE LEAD.
Clemson’s only five-star appearance:
#28 Thad Summers — RT — Georgia
Board:
Clemson.
Georgia.
Miami.
Clemson currently leads.
So while Clemson doesn’t have the breadth of an A&M, Alabama or Oregon, it currently has exactly what matters most:
First place for the one five-star it is pursuing on this report.
And Summers comes from neighboring Georgia.
⸻
🌴 MIAMI
ONE WIN COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING
Miami appears for:
#8 Nick Cota
#11 AZ Igninoghene
#28 Thad Summers
No current leaders.
But those three opportunities aren’t equal.
Cota is:
Florida’s only five-star.
The nation’s only five-star RB.
And currently an A&M lead.
Flip Cota and Miami’s five-star story changes immediately.
Sometimes one recruitment carries the weight of several.
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🏔️ WASHINGTON
TRYING TO DISRUPT THE WEST
Washington appears for:
#1 Naz Tam — Oregon
#10 Tymon Kamara — California
#22 Marco Smith — California
#30 Chuck Landry — Texas
No current leads.
But look at the ambition.
The No. 1 player in neighboring Oregon.
Two California five-stars USC currently leads.
A Texas five-star safety.
Washington is not recruiting conservatively.
The Huskies are attempting to disrupt the Western hierarchy and selectively travel nationally.
Now they need the breakthrough.
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⚔️ THE RECRUITING WARS INSIDE THE RECRUITING WAR
Certain programs keep running into each other.
That’s when individual battles start becoming rivalries.
USC vs Oregon
Sam Willy.
Frank Duvall.
Marco Smith.
Three California five-stars.
USC currently leads two of those three; Penn State leads Willy.
But Oregon is present in all three.
Texas vs Alabama
Brent Lemon.
Chuck Faulk.
Chuck Landry.
Three five-stars from Texas.
Alabama currently leads both safeties.
Oklahoma leads Lemon.
Texas is fighting in all three.
Ohio State vs Penn State
Brad Zimmerman.
Mitch Lovelace.
Two elite Northeast defenders.
Ohio State currently leads Zimmerman.
Penn State currently leads Lovelace.
Penn State vs Notre Dame
Brad Zimmerman.
Theo Hyde.
Both New Jersey DTs.
Georgia vs Tennessee
Lee Nwaneri.
Kane Shackelford.
Lorenzo Lockridge.
Three regional battles.
A&M vs LSU
Mike Downs is the direct head-to-head.
But the larger significance is A&M attempting to penetrate Louisiana while LSU tries to keep its elite quarterback home.
These aren’t isolated recruiting contests anymore.
They’re developing recruiting relationships.
And those matter because every coach has finite resources.
If the same rival forces you to defend three prospects simultaneously, that rival can affect your class without winning all three.
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🔝 WHO CURRENTLY OWNS THE TOP 10?
The Top 10:
#1 Naz Tam → Texas A&M
#2 Vernon Troyer → Texas
#3 Brad Zimmerman → Ohio State
#4 Ced Gainwell → Ohio State
#5 Jaylen Pinner → LSU
#6 Carl Everett → Alabama — verbal
#7 Mac York → Indiana
#8 Nick Cota → Texas A&M
#9 Sherrod Angerer → Indiana
#10 Tymon Kamara → USC
Distribution:
Texas A&M — 2
Ohio State — 2
Indiana — 2
Texas — 1
LSU — 1
Alabama — 1
USC — 1
This is where Indiana’s story becomes especially impressive.
Penn State leads four total five-stars but none inside the Top 10.
Indiana leads only two — but both are Top 10.
Different kinds of elite classes.
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📐 AVERAGE RANK OF CURRENT LEADERS
Among programs leading multiple five-stars:
Ohio State — 6.0
Indiana — 8.0
Texas A&M — 13.3
Oklahoma — 15.0
LSU — 15.5
Texas — 17.0
USC — 17.7
Alabama — 20.0
Penn State — 22.3
This is not a recruiting ranking.
Quantity matters.
Six five-stars obviously provide more total elite talent than two.
But it shows where each program’s current wins sit.
Ohio State and Indiana own exceptionally high-ranked small groups.
Penn State owns a larger group concentrated later in the five-star rankings.
A&M is the only program combining huge volume with multiple Top-10 leaders.
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🏠 FIVE-STAR HOME-STATE DEFENSE
The state-by-state picture adds another layer.
CALIFORNIA — 5 FIVE-STARS
USC leads 3.
Penn State leads 1.
Texas leads 1.
USC currently controls 60% of California’s five-star tier.
TEXAS — 5
Texas leads 1.
Texas A&M leads 1.
Oklahoma leads 1.
Alabama leads 2.
Texas-based programs collectively lead 2 of 5.
GEORGIA — 4
Alabama leads 1.
Notre Dame leads 1.
Texas A&M leads 1.
Clemson leads 1.
Georgia leads 0 of 4.
LOUISIANA — 2
LSU leads 1.
Texas A&M leads 1.
MISSISSIPPI — 2
Ole Miss leads 1.
Oregon leads 1.
NEW JERSEY — 3
Ohio State leads 1.
Penn State leads 2.
The Northeast powers are dividing a uniquely defensive five-star state.
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🧳 THE BIGGEST CURRENT NATIONAL RAIDS
Some current leads stand out specifically because of geography:
Texas A&M → Oregon: #1 Naz Tam
Texas A&M → Florida: #8 Nick Cota
Texas A&M → Louisiana: #13 Mike Downs
Texas A&M → Georgia: #17 Kane Shackelford
Texas A&M → Alabama: #18 David Reeves
Penn State → California: #12 Sam Willy
Ohio State → Virginia: #4 Ced Gainwell
Indiana → Pennsylvania: #7 Mac York
Notre Dame → Georgia: #15 Lee Nwaneri
Oregon → Mississippi: #20 Amani Spann
LSU → Kansas: #26 Kion Willie
Clemson → Georgia: #28 Thad Summers
Texas → California: #32 Hugh Morris
Those are the recruitments that expand a program beyond its natural footprint.
Do it once and you’ve won a national recruitment.
Do it repeatedly and you’ve built a national recruiting identity.
That’s the threshold Coach Bone and A&M are currently threatening to cross.
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📈 STOCK UP
TEXAS A&M
Six leads on seven appearances.
Six different states.
Two Top-10 players.
No program currently combines volume, reach and conversion better.
OHIO STATE
Three leads.
Average ranking: 6.0.
Three Top-11 players.
Elite quality.
PENN STATE
Four five-star defensive-front leaders.
This class already has an identity.
USC
Three of California’s five five-stars currently favor the Trojans.
Home-state defense matters.
INDIANA
Two Top-10 leaders.
Potential five-star QB-WR pairing.
A small board producing enormous results.
ALABAMA
Seven appearances.
Three leads.
The only five-star verbal.
And potentially two five-star Texas safeties.
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👀 PRESSURE WATCH
This is not a “stock down” declaration. It’s far too early.
These are simply programs whose current opportunities make their next moves particularly important.
OREGON
Seven appearances.
One lead.
Nobody has more room to change the perception of their five-star class quickly.
TEXAS
Seven appearances.
Two leads.
The Longhorns have plenty of opportunity but are fighting several important home-state battles.
GEORGIA
Five appearances.
Zero current leads.
Four five-stars from Georgia.
None currently led by Georgia.
The Bulldogs have enormous upside because several battles remain alive.
NOTRE DAME
Five appearances.
One lead.
A national board with multiple paths to expansion.
WASHINGTON
Four appearances.
Zero current leads.
But the Huskies are in several high-impact Western battles.
MIAMI
Three appearances.
Zero leads.
But one is Nick Cota — and one Cota victory changes the entire headline.
⸻
⭐ THE COMPLETE USDA S1 FIVE-STAR BOARD
1. Naz Tam — RT — Oregon
Texas A&M, Oregon, Washington, Iowa
The nation’s No. 1 player and the centerpiece of A&M’s national recruiting story.
2. Vernon Troyer — CB — Texas
Texas, Oregon, BYU
The highest-ranked Texas prospect and a critical home-state hold for the Longhorns.
3. Brad Zimmerman — DT — New Jersey
Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame
Top-3 talent sitting at the center of the Northeast defensive-line war.
4. Ced Gainwell — CB — Virginia
Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon
Three regions collide for one of the country’s three five-star corners.
5. Jaylen Pinner — WR — Louisiana
LSU
One of Louisiana’s two five-stars and currently LSU’s cleanest elite board.
6. Carl Everett — LB — Georgia
Alabama — VERBAL, Indiana, Ole Miss
The only five-star verbal commitment in USDA.
7. Mac York — WR — Pennsylvania
Indiana, Alabama, Texas
Half of Indiana’s potential Top-10 QB-WR pairing.
8. Nick Cota — RB — Florida
Texas A&M, Miami
Florida’s only five-star and the nation’s only five-star RB.
9. Sherrod Angerer — QB — Indiana
Indiana, Ohio State
The elite in-state quarterback around whom Indiana could build its future.
10. Tymon Kamara — QB — California
USC, LSU, Washington
USC’s highest-ranked current five-star leader and a major test of Western territorial control.
11. AZ Igninoghene — WR — New York
Ohio State, Miami, Iowa
The third member of Ohio State’s current Top-11 trio.
12. Sam Willy — EDGE — California
Penn State, USC, Oregon
Penn State is attempting to take a five-star pass-rusher directly out of California.
13. Mike Downs — QB — Louisiana
Texas A&M, LSU
A&M’s national reach meets LSU’s home-state defense.
14. Brent Lemon — LT — Texas
Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas
The only five-star LT and one of the deepest heavyweight battles in S1.
15. Lee Nwaneri — CB — Georgia
Notre Dame, Georgia, Tennessee
A major test of whether Georgia can reclaim one of its own elite prospects.
16. Tyler Coffey — LB — Oklahoma
Oklahoma
One school listed. One of the cleanest five-star boards in the report.
17. Kane Shackelford — DT — Georgia
Texas A&M, USC, Florida State, Tennessee
Another major A&M national raid with three serious challengers.
18. David Reeves — QB — Alabama
Texas A&M, Georgia, Alabama
The only Alabama five-star currently has A&M sitting first.
19. Theo Hyde — DT — New Jersey
Penn State, Notre Dame
A key interior piece of Penn State’s potential five-star defensive front.
20. Amani Spann — WR — Mississippi
Oregon, Ole Miss
Oregon’s only current five-star leader — and one of Mississippi’s two elite receivers.
21. Frank Duvall — FS — California
USC, Notre Dame, Oregon
USC currently protects another elite California defender.
22. Marco Smith — ATH — California
USC, Oregon, Washington
The only five-star ATH and another USC-vs-Pacific-Northwest battle.
23. Miguel Trapasso — DT — Texas
Texas A&M, USC
A&M’s lone current Texas five-star leader.
24. Chuck Faulk — FS — Texas
Alabama, Texas
Half of Alabama’s potential five-star Texas safety haul.
25. Josh Pili — WR — Mississippi
Ole Miss
Ole Miss currently keeps one of Mississippi’s two five-stars home.
26. Kion Willie — DT — Kansas
LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia
Four national programs converge on Kansas for one of the country’s five elite DTs.
27. Mitch Lovelace — EDGE — New York
Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State
A perfect fit for Penn State’s developing defensive-front identity.
28. Thad Summers — RT — Georgia
Clemson, Georgia, Miami
Clemson currently leads the only five-star recruitment on which it appears.
29. Lorenzo Lockridge — QB — North Carolina
Tennessee, Georgia
Tennessee’s current five-star centerpiece.
30. Chuck Landry — SS — Texas
Alabama, Texas, Washington
The only five-star SS in the country and the second elite Texas safety currently favoring Alabama.
31. Sam Tonga — EDGE — New Jersey
Penn State
One school listed — and another potential piece of Penn State’s five-star defensive front.
32. Hugh Morris — QB — California
Texas, Notre Dame
Texas goes west and currently leads a five-star California quarterback.
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🏁 THE FIRST USDA FIVE-STAR POWER MAP
Thirty-two players later, the first recruiting picture is much clearer.
Texas A&M owns the strongest current board.
Six leads.
Six states.
Seven appearances.
The No. 1 player.
The only five-star RB.
Two five-star quarterbacks.
Two five-star defensive tackles.
Coach Bone has built a board that is less about owning one pipeline and more about testing just how national A&M’s NIL recruiting reach can become.
Ohio State owns extraordinary top-end quality.
Three current leaders.
All Top 11.
Two Top 4.
Average ranking: 6.0.
Penn State owns the clearest positional identity.
Four leaders.
Three EDGE.
One DT.
An entire five-star defensive front potentially arriving from one class.
USC owns the strongest current elite home-state defense.
Three of California’s five five-stars currently point toward USC.
The Trojans remain involved with a fourth.
Indiana owns perhaps the most surprising pairing.
A Top-10 five-star QB.
A Top-10 five-star WR.
If both sign, those two recruitments could alter the trajectory of the program together.
Alabama owns the only five-star verbal.
And it could potentially pair two five-star safeties from Texas.
Oregon owns perhaps the greatest upside.
Seven five-star appearances.
Only one current lead.
That sounds disappointing until you realize how many enormous recruitments remain available to flip.
Georgia owns the most immediate pressure.
Five appearances.
No current leaders.
Four in-state five-stars.
Four current outside leaders.
Nothing is settled — but the Bulldogs have work to do.
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🔮 WHAT THE NEXT FIVE-STAR REPORT WILL TELL US
This first report establishes the baseline.
The next one tells us who moved.
Did Coach Bone actually defend A&M’s enormous six-state board?
Did Naz Tam remain the symbol of A&M’s national reach — or did Oregon reclaim the country’s No. 1 player?
Did Miami save Florida’s lone five-star?
Did LSU flip Mike Downs and sweep Louisiana?
Did Penn State keep its five-star defensive front intact?
Did Ohio State close its Top-4 pair?
Did Indiana finish the dream QB-WR combination?
Did USC maintain control of California?
Did Alabama really leave Texas with two five-star safeties?
Did Texas fight back?
Did Georgia reclaim one of its four home-state five-stars?
Did Oregon finally turn seven opportunities into multiple victories?
Those are the questions now.
Because 31 of these 32 recruitments are still uncommitted.
The board hasn’t been decided.
It’s only been revealed.
And right now, one coach has placed A&M logos on more corners of that map than anyone else.
Coach Bone has Oregon.
Florida.
Louisiana.
Georgia.
Alabama.
Texas.
Whether he can keep all of them is the next story.
For now?
“HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD…
…WELL, NATION…
IN HIS HANDS.”
32 FIVE-STARS. 16 STATES. 21 PROGRAMS IN THE HUNT.
THE USDA S1 FIVE-STAR WAR HAS BEGUN.
