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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Tim Weaver

Friday Night Notes: National Signing Day watch, the latest commitments and more

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

National Signing Day comes on Wednesday, February 1 – a major landmark for recruits in the class of 2023 to sign with their intended schools.

That means there are some big names that we will be watching over the next several days to see where they land. Here are the top-five remaining unsigned players in this recruiting cycle and where they might end up.

Archbishop Carroll (DC) Athlete Nyckoles Harbor

The best player who has yet to make a college decision is Harbor, who may be the most versatile prospect in the entire class. Harbor (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) plays edge and wide receiver and returns kickoffs, as well. He’s a hot candidate with 42 offers overall. Maryland, Michigan, Oregon and South Carolina are in the lead to get him to sign.

Pinnacle (Ariz.) Tight end Duce Robinson

Robinson (6-foot-6, 225 pounds) is the No. 1 tight end in the country and ranks No. 17 overall. 28 teams have made Robinson an offer. His most recent official visit was to Texas and Oregon is getting some late buzz, but right now Georgia appears to be the clear favorite.

Pittsburg (Calif.) Quarterback Jaden Rashada

After flipping from Miami to Florida and then getting released from his letter of intent, Rashada (6-foot-4, 175 pounds) is the biggest wild card left in the deck. He’s ranked No. 7 among quarterbacks in his class and is getting a ton of attention – including from several new schools. According to On3, TCU, Arizona State, Washington, California, South Carolina, Utah and Nebraska are now also in the mix for Rashada.

Junipero Serra (Calif.) Cornerback Rodrick Pleasant

Pleasant (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) is one of the top-10 cornerbacks in his class and is ranked No. 7 overall in California. 30 programs have extended offers to Pleasant, with Boston College, California, Oregon, UCLA and USC in the lead, per 247Sports.

Folsom (Calif.) Tight end Walker Lyons

Lyons (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) is the fifth-best tight end in the class of 2023, according to the composite rankings. He has offers from 33 schools; Georgia, BYU, USC, Utah and Stanford are all considered to be in the running.

The latest recruiting news

247Sports

While we wait for those stars to make their decisions, the recruiting grind keeps going. Here are all the latest notable football commitments, per On3.

Dunbar (Fla.) WR Tawaski Abrams: Florida State (2024)

Abrams (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) has picked Florida State over 20 other offers, including Coach Prime at Colorado. A four-star recruit, he is ranked No. 44 among wide receivers and No. 46 overall in the state of Florida.

Kenwood Academy (Ill.) LB K’Vion Thunderwood: Arizona State (2023)

A three-star prospect from Chicago, Thunderwood (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) had offers from 19 other schools, including Auburn, Michigan State and Iowa. He is ranked No. 77 at his position and No. 19 in the state.

Northwestern (SC) WR Elijah Caldwell: South Carolina (2023)

It’s been a busy week for the Gamecocks, who also got commitments from the top-ranked ’24 OT Kam Pringle and four-star TE Michael Smith. Caldwell (6-foot-0, 190 pounds) makes 22 commits for South Carolina’s 2023 class, which ranks No. 19 in the country.

Taylor County (Kent.) OT Hayes Johnson: Kentucky (2024)

Kentucky kept the No. 1 player in the state by getting the commitment of Johnson (6-foot-5, 295 pounds). He is the fifth addition to the Wildcats’ recruiting class of 2024 and the highest-ranked so far.

Ruston (La.) EDGE Ahmad Breaux: Duke (2024)

The Blue Devils also picked up their fifth commit of the ’24 cycle in Breaux (6-foot-3, 240 pounds). He is ranked No. 38 at his position and No. 11 overall in Louisiana. Six other schools made offers, including Ole Miss.

Offers pour in for Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher's son

Blair Angulo, 247Sports

While young prospects try to make a name for themselves, it never hurts to share one with a Pro Football Hall of Famer – just ask Arch Manning.

That’s definitely the case for Kennedy Urlacher, son of former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. At his peak, Urlacher played the position as well as anyone not named Ray Lewis, earning eight Pro Bowl nominations, making four All-Pro teams and winning Defensive Player of the Year once.  His son will try to make his way at a different position, though.

Kennedy plays safety for Chandler (Ariz.) and has been a hot commodity on the recruiting trail lately, picking up offers from Wisconsin and Notre Dame this week alone. In all, he has 14 offers so far, including Arizona and Arizona State. He is ranked No. 20 in the state and No. 62 at his position.

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