Several SEC coaches could say Father's Day was a great one at their job. The Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers got big wins, particularly, Lane Kiffin, George McDonald, Kane Wommack, and Maurice Languist. The Oklahoma Sooners were not so lucky.
With a 2029 commit coming from the UCLA Bruins out of the conference -- a commitment that will surely stand the test of time over three years -- it was not the quietest Sunday in the Power 4 by any stretch.
Here were the headlines from around the SEC on Father's Day:
LSU flips 3-star WR from Houston
Kiffin's Bayou Bengals kept an in-state receiver in-state with the flip of 3-star Parkway receiver Gary Burney Jr. Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars had Burney's recruitment for three weeks before Kiffin brought him home. That's the key here: Kiffin's making sure Louisiana kids don't commit out of state.
LSU legend Andrew Whitworth recently told me that Kiffin has brought the feeling back with in-state recruits. Whitworth believes Kiffin will be able to transform the Tigers into a powerhouse that has in-state kids proud to wear the purple and gold.
"Yes, we live in a world with the portal and the NIL and all this. But there's still a lot of pride in that state; that Southern Louisiana is a very unique place. Louisiana in general is, and kids, the pride that they would take to have the opportunity to run out in Death Valley and win for the LSU Tigers...it still exists even in this portal world," Whitworth said.
Kiffin has captured the magic. Now he just needs to keep growing it by continuing to embrace a unique culture in southern Louisiana.
Alabama lands 3-star over FSU, Georgia, and Cincinnati
Alabama went into Georgia and took 3-star Creekside corner Darrius White from the Dawgs, Florida State Seminoles, and Cincinnati Bearcats. White credited CB coach Maurice Linguist for his decision to join the Tide.
At six-foot-three, White has great size for a corner. Alabama is historically a strong WR school and have several notable offensive minds on staff, so maybe Kalen DeBoer, Ryan Grubb, and Derrick Nix could develop him on that side of the ball, too. Six-foot-three is WR size.
Penn State steals 4-star Oklahoma LB from the Sooners
A loss that is frankly unacceptable on Sunday was the Sooners losing a Washington, Oklahoma, product to the Penn State Nittany Lions; specifically, 4-star Washington High linebacker Case Alexander. Matt Campbell's Nittany Lions definitely needed the win more, but Brent Venables, Nate Dreiling, and Co. could've used the depth with 5-star Argyle product Cooper Witten and 4-star Tustin (CA) product Taven Epps already in the middle.
Penn State shouldn't get comfortable in the region, but the Sooners need to start feeling more urgency as their 2027 class continues to fade from the top. The Texas A&M Aggies and Miami Hurricanes have surpassed them, and the Florida Gators, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and Texas Tech Red Raiders are not far behind.
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