Rivals National Recruiting Director and Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Marshall Levenson, Jason Higdon 1stand10Florida.com and Jefferson Powell The members of DeathValleyInsider.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is fact or fiction.
1. Texas A&M is becoming the team to beat five-star Jonah Williams.
Gorney’s take: Facts. For months, Jonah Williams appeared to be a lock at Oklahoma State, playing safety but potentially switching to linebacker in college. Rumors of an impending commitment circulated several times, but never materialized. The Sooners are still in contention with Ohio State, Texas State and others, but now it feels like Texas A&M has the lead in his recruitment. From the beginning, the five-star star talked about having his family watch his games and come visit him closer to home, and Texas A&M was the closest.That coach now Mike Elko and his staff appealed to him after disappointing experience Jimbo Fisher For years, it felt like the Aggies had momentum.
Levenson’s take: Fact. When Williams began recruiting a year ago, Texas A&M was considered a potential top choice because it was less than 2.5 hours away and he had strong ties to the Houston area. With College Station’s future uncertain after the Aggies’ poor season and Jimbo Fisher’s firing, other programs were able to make some noise about him. But over the past few months, Mike Elko has built a culture and put things in place that have Texas A&M recruiting buzzing and already has several blue-chip prospects. . The Aggies will have a defense-first mentality and will likely look for a defense that fits Williams’ skillset. We also know that Texas A&M can compete with the best players in the NIL division, so the Aggies will be able to do whatever it takes to get close to the five-star back.
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2. Florida State is doing a great job with Tramell Jones. Florida should be worried.
Gorney’s Perspective: A Novel. The word “care” is too strong here. Alert? certainly. But Trammell Jones has been at Florida State for more than a year and knows the exact situation he’s facing in Tallahassee, but the same can’t be said at Florida State. Will coach Billy Napier be in for another disappointing season? Will DJ Lagway be a big thing in the coming years? The Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin standout is definitely interested in Florida and has been showing a lot of love to the Gators in particular of late, but I don’t think the Seminoles should be worried just yet.
Higdon’s take: Fact. Florida State is firmly pursuing Trammell Jones. The competition is heating up, and Florida should be on high alert. The Florida Gators are looking for signal-callers in the 2025 class and have three locked up. Now, it’s a three-way competition between Jones, Antwan Hill and Keelon Russell.
Jones has been at Florida State for over a year now, but Jones still needs to look around and visit Florida State. His close relationship with Vernell Brown III will be a big factor going forward. It wasn’t a layup by any means, and the Gators need to prove it on the field and win some games, but if you’re a Garnet Gold fan, you should be concerned about Jones’ status.
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3. Five-star DL Jahkeem Stewart is from Louisiana and LSU is one of his top schools. The Tigers should be confident they can finally deliver on his promise.
Gorney’s Perspective: A Novel. The only No. 1 prospect out of LSU from 2013 to this day was Arch Manning, so history is definitely on the Tigers’ side when it comes to locking down this top prospect. But Jakeem Stewart seems to fit Manning’s style better than some of the others with strong ties to LSU, and it seems almost destined that they’ll end up in Baton Rouge. The 2026 No. 1 overall pick out of New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine could certainly sign with LSU, but USC, Oregon State, Ohio State and others are all serious about recruiting him.
Powell’s take: Fiction. LSU should certainly be considered one of the favorites and will almost certainly be involved in Stewart’s recruitment, but Stewart to LSU is far from a sure thing. He’s very interested in other schools, has visited some of the top programs in the country, and will be getting a lot of attention from programs across the country over the next 19 months. Clearly No. 1 overall prospect programs like Alabama, Auburn, Texas, Oklahoma State, USC and others will be doing their best to land one of the most elite prospects in 2026. So they’re definitely going to follow through, I just don’t think they have the confidence right now to deliver on his promise. There’s still a long way to go and his interest in other projects is very real.
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