Travis Rudolph

Alright, so one more top five update for today. West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman wide receiver Travis Rudolph has narrowed his list to five, according to Rivals ($): Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State and Vanderbilt.

The Gators have long been considered the top dog in the race for Rudolph (6-0½, 188.) However, Alabama and Florida State have been making up ground with the Gators. I wouldn't count out Vanderbilt, and their pitch of immediate playing time for the Under Armour All-American, either. It seems like the opportunity to come in and contribute immediately could be a driving influence on his decision. Ultimately, I don't see the Buckeyes as a major player for his services.



Rudolph has accounted for more than 3,100 all-purpose yards and 43 touchdowns in three seasons at Cardinal Newman. A phenomenal athlete as well, there has been considerable debate as to whether or not Rudolph could develop into a top-flight cornerback at the next level . In fact, Rudolph withdrew his original commitment to Miami as a result of the fact the 'Canes coaching staff seemed to prefer him as a defensive player.

To date, Will Muschamp has done an excellent job loading up his 2014 class with skill athletes who are true football players. At least two – J.C. Jackson (Immokalee) and Chris Lammons (Plantation) – could project on either side of the ball at next level, along with targets Rudolph, Adoree' Jackson (Gardena, Calif.) and Artavis Scott (Tarpon Springs/East Lake), among others. The Gators probably need at least two more skill guys in this class, and Rudolph is clearly one of the prospects for whom they sit prettiest with at the moment.

However, Florida State is making a move following a July summer camp visit to Tallahassee by Rudolph. The Seminoles presently have five receivers committed, but at least two of those prospects are believed to be wavering behind closed doors. Jimbo Fisher is clearly in the market for some more talent at the position. With Ermon Lane's commitment to Florida, Alabama may make Rudolph more of a priority as well, giving the Crimson Tide a chance to dip into the South Florida talent pool for a speedy and athletic receiver once again.

Regardless, the real race for the signature of Travis Rudolph appears to have only begun.

Deandre Goolsby

Another big-time prospect cut his list down this week. On Sunday, Deandre Goolsby (6-4, 225, Derby, Kan./Derby) announced his top five with an Instagram picture he uploaded to Twitter.

🙈Take a peek 👀 #Top5 pic.twitter.com/p95MSeuHCf
— DeAndre Goolsby (@thebasedone30) August 25, 2013

Unlike some prospects at this time of year, this list probably shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt. Goolsby has visited all of his favorites, and seems to have a pretty good handle on the recruiting process. His first official visit is set to Oklahoma for September 7, as the Sooners play host to West Virginia.

Two of the programs on his list – Kansas State and Ohio State – have yet to take a tight end in this class. Arkansas (Jack Kraus), Florida (C'yontai Lewis) and Oklahoma (Carson Meier) all have a commit pegged to play the position in their respective groups.

 The Razorbacks are currently pegged as the favorite according to the 247Sports' Crystal Ball feature. Arkansas also reportedly leads for Plantation (Fla.) tight end Ravian Pierce, the top tight end prospect in Florida, in what has to be considered a down year at the position here in the Sunshine State. Bret Bielema comes from Wisconsin, where the Badgers obviously had a great deal of success with the tight end position (Travis Beckham, Owen Daniels, Garrett Graham, Lance Kendricks) during his stay in Madison. I'm sure this fact is not lost on Goolsby.

From the Florida perspective, the Gators have to improve on the tight end position. It is arguably the weakest position group heading into the 2013 season, although there are a pair of promising young players in Kent Taylor and Colin Thompson for which there are high expectations for the future. Even with C'yontai Lewis in the fold already, I expect the Gators to continue looking at their options. Generally speaking, this isn't the strongest crop at the tight end position in recent years. Goolsby represents one of the best available options left on the board. Considering he did make a summer visit to Gainesville, he figures to be one of the top priorities at tight end moving forward for UF.

Highlights:

The Big 10 is falling even further behind Ohio State

Do you happen to remember that challenge which Urban Meyer issued to the other member institutions of the Big Ten back in February?

It went something like ... "quit making us look bad compared to the SEC, and let's start recruiting better as a conference."

Well, the other coaches around the Midwest don't seem to have gotten the memo, quite yet.

After looking over the roster of prospects who attended Nike's elite prospect camp – "The Opening" – it's clear that Ohio State has lapped the field on the recruiting trail in the Big Ten. They've also put together one of the more impressive classes in the country for 2014.

11 players who headed out to the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Ore. last month can count themselves as pledges to the Buckeyes. That's MORE THAN THE REST OF THE ENTIRE BIG TEN COMBINED. At the time this post goes live, there will be a grand total of eight prospects* from The Opening which are committed to the other 11 schools in the conference. Incredible.

Of course, Ohio State has surged out to a very strong start. They are only in on a handful of other prospects at this point. Other Big Ten programs will very likely close out with strong classes and land a few more top prospects to make those numbers look a little less lopsided. It should also be noted that not every top blue-chip prospect from around the country attends The Opening (five-star Michigan pledge Jabrill Peppers being a prime example). Many elect not to, and more than a few players get bids by impressing on stopwatches at regional Nike SPARQ combines across the country. This is not the end-all, be-all measure of how good a recruiting class (or particular) is.

However, the fact that Ohio State has already landed 11 prospects for 2014 who attended The Opening is impressive, nonetheless. Meyer and his staff are going out and getting big, strong, fast and skilled athletes to fill out their roster, without a doubt. The Buckeyes should be a formidable program under Urban Meyer as long as he stays in Columbus.

And for those wondering, the school with the second-most commitments to at this point to have attended The Opening? That would be Florida, of course, with seven.

*Breaking that down by team: Michigan and Penn State both had two commitments who attended The Opening. Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Purdue all had one representative each.