Premier recruits in the 2024 class and all those that follow might have received some excellent news Thursday about a proposal that, if passed, will surely enhance their recruiting experience.
The NCAA Division I Council introduced a measure that would no longer limit the number of official visits a recruit is allowed to take. If the proposal is passed when the council votes in January, the change would take effect in July 2023.
Under the current rules, a prospect is limited to five official visits in their recruitment with only one allowed per school. While the new proposal would let a recruit take as many official visits as they choose, the limit of one per school would still be enforced, unless that school has a coaching change, then it would be allowed to use one more official visit.
Now, if I happened to be a high school kid that also was very good at football, I’d probably be setting up my official visit schedule my senior year loosely based on the top games of the college football season on a week-to-week basis. Plus, you’d have to try and get one all-expense paid trip to see a Hawaii game.
While a few recruits may use the proposed change for a few vacations like yours truly surely would have, it’s more likely in the overall scheme of things this will help benefit senior athletes that truly love more than five schools and need an official at each to help make their decision before National Signing Day.
In other recruiting news, a brief change to the recruiting calendar was approved Thursday, initiating a four-day recruiting dead period the Monday after Thanksgiving. The change was made with the intention of letting college coaches focus on conversations with current players on their roster before the NCAA Transfer Portal window officially opens in December.
McDonald to commit Monday
One of Ohio State’s remaining priority targets in the 2023 class will announce his college decision on Monday. Four-star Georgia defensive tackle Kayden McDonald will announce his commitment to one of Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Florida or Michigan after he finishes his practice on Monday evening.
Thank you God
— Kayden (@KMac_DT) October 6, 2022
@Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/LCL1j1GK7N
McDonald’s recruitment has been one that’s hard to read, considering no Crystal Balls have been placed since the summer, and the 6-foot-3, 310-pound prospect always speaks glowingly of each program in his top five. But there is some cautious optimism from Ohio State that the Buckeyes will be the pick in the end.
Should McDonald commit to OSU, it would be the Buckeyes’ 21st commitment of the 2023 cycle and the third defensive lineman, as he’d join Will Smith Jr. and Jason Moore. He took his official visit to OSU on Sept. 24, then Ryan Day visited McDonald personally in Georgia during Ohio State’s off week. The Buckeyes’ coaching staff has made a daily push for McDonald since he made his official visit in September.
“We’re heavily talking almost every day with the staff,” McDonald told Eleven Warriors in October of his relationships with Ohio State. “They keep saying Columbus is home.”
Raiola to play on nationally televised stage
Five-star 2024 quarterback Dylan Raiola and Chandler High School (Chandler, Arizona) will be in the national spotlight on Friday with a nationally televised game against Basha High School (Chandler, Arizona) at 10 p.m. on ESPNU. The OSU commit took the opportunity of playing on national television to tweet a graphic supporting both his current team and his future one.
GO TIME #ohana @SCNext pic.twitter.com/XsW32DTLH0
— Dylan Raiola (@RaiolaDylan) October 28, 2022
Chandler enters the contest undefeated at 7-0, while Basha is 6-1 to this point. In seven games for Chandler, Raiola has completed 91 of 131 passes (a 69% completion rate) for 1,465 yards with 17 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He’s also scored two rushing touchdowns on the year.
