The SEC saw recruiting wins across the conference on Monday, with several expensive football programs scoring wins for the 2027 class. With an unclear future regarding how many transfers will be allowed in the future, these recruiting wins represent more stable commitments than in years past.
There's still time for flips, as the Penn State Nittany Lions learned with the Georgia Bulldogs poaching a receiver from State College, but the LSU Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers, plus, as mentioned, UGA, got wins on the trail this week.
Here are the latest gridiron headlines from the "It Just Means More" conference:
Georgia flips 4-star Volunteer State WR from Penn State
Few recruit better regionally than the Dawgs, and it was Kirby Smart's squad, led by lead recruiter James Coley, Georgia's WR coach, that flipped 4-star Alcoa receiver Jamir Dean from the Nittany Lions. A wideout or a slot, depending on the package, Dean is a versatile athlete who also plays basketball and runs track.
Dean admitted he committed prematurely to Penn State, and he seems to have corrected his choice by staying in SEC country. Despite playing ball just 15 miles from the University of Tennessee, Dean is ditching Big Orange for their blood rivals across state lines. UGA's coaching staff outworked UT's for this one, even with the proximity.
Texas recruiting tear continues with 4-star EDGE, James Franklin flexes Vanderbilt
LSU lands 4-star IOL from Pennsylvania
Lane Kiffin is continuing a tradition of making LSU a national enterprise that only started with Nick Saban in the early aughts. No longer do the Tigers just recruit from the state of Louisiana. Talent comes to the Bayou from all over the country.
That was the case on Monday, when LSU landed 4-star Lansdale Catholic IOL Terrance Smith. While Smith figures to get looks at guard early in Baton Rouge, he has the profile to develop into a tackle over time. We'll see if he does. Smith chose the Tigers over Tennessee, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the Florida Gators, and Auburn.
Brian Kelly hired, Texas beats Ohio State for 4-star recruit
Tennessee lands ATH Dayon Cooper after FSU de-commitment
It wasn't all bad for the Vols on Monday. While they didn't land the blue-chip local receiver or the blue-chip Yankee lineman, Tennessee did get 3-star ATH Dayon Cooper, a two-way player who is projected to play in the slot on Rocky Top. The Vols broke into the top 30 in 247Sports' recruiting rankings with the win. It's been a slow build in Knoxville for the 2027 class, to say the least.
Cooper's speed is his meal ticket, and he has too good of hands to stick solely to defense. Cooper has big-play YAC potential. Josh Heupel's historic offensive pace is a glove fit for Cooper's abilities. That was why the Florida State Seminoles lost Cooper's commitment. Tony White was hoping to deploy Cooper as a DB, while Heupel offered him the chance to play the position he really wanted. We'll see if Cooper's gamble on himself pays off.
Add us as a preferred source on Google