Nick at Nite: Buzz around the Mid-South a week before signing day

We are less than a week away from the opening of the early signing period, and the buzz continues to generate in the Mid-South region. Here’s the latest with some of the best prospects in the area.

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A few weeks ago, a certain confidence was beginning to be established on the Oklahoma on the Sooners’ chances of knocking down Katy (Texas) Paetow five-star defensive David Hicks Jr.but that confidence cooled as the day of signing approached.

Oregon remains persistent in his push, especially after a recent trip back to Eugene, but I expect Hicks to sign with Texas A&M December 21.

All three programs either went home with Hicks or will at some point this week.

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Denton (Texas) Guyer Five Star Security Peyton Bowen remains at the center of flip rumors like Oklahoma and Oregon advance the early signing period to withdraw its pledge from Notre Dame.

I made a prediction in November in favor of the Sooners, and I’m still confident in that pick as we go a week before his final decision is made. However, I would expect some movement before that.

Oregon also made a late push with Bowen, but it’s not expected the Ducks can make up much ground before the five-star puts pen to paper.

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Everything remains status quo with Denton (Texas) five-star linebacker Ryan Anthony Hill ahead of a big home visit with the Texas staff on Thursday night.

The Longhorns immediately became favorites after his disengagement from Texas A&M, and that remains the case at this point. Texas staff will work to secure Hill for another unofficial visit this weekend before he makes his decision next Wednesday.

Texas A&M has been gaining ground in recruiting in recent weeks, and the Aggies have been able to stay in touch with Hill, but I see their chances slim at the moment.

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Arlington (Texas) Martin five-star cornerback Javien Toviano will make its decision on Thursday, and the buzz still resides with USL before its announcement.

Texas A&M and Texas have had sporadic contact in recent weeks, but it hasn’t been consistent enough to clinch its promise until the final hours.

Toviano will announce his decision live on the Rivals YouTube page beginning at 12:00 p.m. CT.

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Manor (Texas) four-star defensive end Princewill Umanmielen experienced a clumsy recruitment, to say the least.

Kansas State was the only school to host the Central Texas setter for an official visit, but Nebraska is the program that is catching up the furthest behind in the process.

Umanmielen’s family has a prior relationship with the newly hired Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule from the time Umanmielen’s younger brother Princely was recruited by Baylor in the 2020 class, and that relationship resumed as soon as the Huskers offered Princewill in recent weeks.

Rhule has already been home with Umanmielen and the Huskers are set to welcome the four-star for an official visit this coming weekend. I enter a new FutureCast in favor of Nebraska to land Umanmielen.

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Ole Miss was able to generate a lot of steam with the four-star running back from New Caney (Texas) Kedrick Reescano since his withdrawal from state of michiganand that the vapor reached a boiling point before its decision.

Penn State and Oklahoma State I dragged in this recruitment, but I see this one as one of the rebels to lose over time. I’ve entered a new FutureCast prediction in favor of Ole Miss here.

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Waco (Texas) Connally Four-Star Athlete jelani mcdonald made an unofficial visit to Texas for the Longhorns game against TOSand when we think back to this recruitment, we can easily say that this visit did more harm than good to Steve Sarkisianthe team.

Since then, the Horned Frogs have been hot on their heels and quickly closed the gap in that recruiting.

It’ll be a two-horse race down the stretch, and while my FutureCast is for Texas, I’m starting to lean into TCU with less than a week to go. However, Texas will get another shot at an official visit this weekend, with most of their commitments expected to be present.

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Brazosport (Texas) four-star athlete Randon Fontenette is getting closer to a final decision in the next few days, and I continue to like TCU’s position.

The Horned Frogs staff launched an all-out approach to the South Texas two-way star, who will most likely play next-level safety, and it definitely resonated as his decision approached.

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Galena Park (Texas) North Shore Four Star Safety Jayven Anderson will play in a state championship this weekend, which will make it difficult for him to make one last visit before potentially signing. However, it seems more likely that Anderson will push back until February.

Houston has been involved here the longest, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see some Power Five programs with new coaches looking to fill positions, such as Arizona State, Colorado or Nebraska.

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Baylor’s recent exit York of Taurus was about to commit to duke this week after withdrawing its promise from the Bears on Sunday, but Texas A&M made a late offer and made a notable push.

The Aggies are working to bring York to campus this weekend, and it will be crucial for York to change their minds before the early signing period.

The door is open for the Aggies, and we’ll see if they can work to get York back to College Station before a final decision is made.