Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman, Richie Schnyderite of HappyValleyInsider.com, Paul Strelow of TigerIllustrated.com and Scott Greene of TerrapinSportsReport.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
1. This weekend’s visit will put Penn State over the top for Anthony Sacca.
Friedman’s take: FICTION. A legacy prospect for Penn State, Anthony Sacca is one of the Nittany Lions’ top priorities in the 2025 class. James Franklin and company have been all over Sacca for years but it’s a really tight race for his commitment. Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan are right there at the top with Penn State as he begins a series of visits. Sacca is scheduled to make the trip up to State College this weekend and will be at Michigan next weekend. A trip to Wisconsin for this past weekend was canceled due to the weather but look for him to make his way to Madison, Ohio State and Notre Dame at some point this spring.
With how many visits Sacca seems to have in the works, it would be surprising to see Penn State come out of this weekend as the outright leader in his recruitment. Expect the Nittany Lions to try to get him back on campus again later in the spring before he commits in the late spring or early summer.
Schnyderite’s take: FICTION. This visit will definitely help Penn State a bit with legacy recruit Anthony Sacca, but I have a hard time seeing this one putting the Nittany Lions over the top in his recruitment.
Sacca hasn’t been to State College for a little over a year now, meanwhile he’s made two trips each to both Notre Dame and Ohio State in 2023 and, according to sources, the belief is those two appear to be the teams to beat. Now that being said, Penn State could play some catch up this upcoming weekend when Sacca comes in for a visit. It will be interesting to see where things stand following this upcoming visit.
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2. Matt Luke will hit the ground running during Clemson’s first junior day next weekend.
Friedman’s take: FICTION. Clemson‘s first major visit weekend of the year takes place next weekend and it will be the first time recruits and their families really get a feel for new offensive line coach Matt Luke. Dabo Swinney adding Luke to his staff could end up being one of the most impactful assistant coach hirings of this cycle. Luke’s track record for recruiting high level offensive linemen and developing them is excellent and he’s got his work cut out for him at Clemson. The offensive line hasn’t been the strongest position group at Clemson but Luke has a real chance to change that and will start next weekend.
Will Luke hit ground running with a commitment? Probably not right away but don’t be surprised when you hear recruits and their families give Luke positive reviews.
Strelow’s take: FACT. Now, if you’re talking about racking up mass commitments in altar call fashion — no, that’s neither Clemson’s style nor Luke’s task. But this will account for Luke’s first time in front of most of the junior linemen in attendance at the junior day, and he’s believing it will illuminate the difference Dabo Swinney was trying to achieve in recruiting disposition and charisma in making the position coach change. To think the Tigers are going to net a bunch of pledges this early in Luke’s courtships sort of runs counter to their process.
Our bet, though, is Luke moves the needle with several whom Clemson has already been deeply involved — Addison (Texas) Trinity Christian Academy four-star Jaylen Beckley and Buford (Ga.) four-star Brayden Jacobs in particular..
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3. Bringing back Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will pay immediate dividends on the recruiting trail for Maryland.
Friedman’s take: FACT. Getting Aazaar Abdul-Rahim back on the coaching staff will be a very big deal for Maryland. When he was an assistant coach for the Terps for three seasons beginning in 2016, he proved he was able to capitalize on his deep roots and strong relationships in the Washington D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. In the 2017 recruiting class, Abdul-Rahim was one of the top-25 recruiters in the nation and had a major hand in landing the commitments of at least 10 of the 28 players Maryland signed that year.
The DMV area where Abdul-Rahim would be most effective as a recruiter isn’t nearly as fertile as it was last year or the year before but there are some big-time 2025 prospects like Faheem Delane, Blake Woodby, Malik Washington and Trent Wilson that Maryland should see more interest from.
Greene’s take: FACT. Abdul-Rahim has deep ties in the DMV as a Washington, D.C. native that started the football program at Friendship Collegiate, turning it into a local powerhouse and helping dozens of kids earn Division I scholarships.
During his first stint at Maryland, he helped recruit and develop guys like Darnell Savage Jr., JC Jackson and Tino Ellis.
Individually, Mike Locksley and Abdul-Rahim are considered two of the best recruiters in the DMV and they should be an even bigger force locally now that they will be working together.
And the timing couldn’t be better from a recruiting standpoint, as the No. 1 player in DC for 2025 attends Friendship Collegiate while the rest of the top four are all defensive backs. In Maryland, the top three prospects for 2025 are all defensive backs. So keep an eye on the Terps with the top local talent during the next cycle.
