Three Predictions: Jared Curtis, Immanuel Iheanacho, Oklahoma
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has three predictions on five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, five-star offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho and Oklahoma’s hiring of Jim Nagy as its general manager.
1. GEORGIA WON’T STOP WITH CURTIS
Five-star quarterback Jared Curtis could easily wind up at Oregon and the feeling is that the Ducks are definitely in the driver’s seat to land his commitment for two major reasons.
One, the Nashville (Tenn.) Christian standout has already been committed to Georgia and backed off that pledge and after four-star Jonas Williams flipped from Oregon to USC, Curtis became the Ducks’ main target. In recent days, the five-star quarterback has said Oregon and Georgia are his two favorites.
But the Bulldogs are not just spinning their wheels here and working for a second-place finish.
There are some sources who believe Georgia will not only not stop recruiting Curtis hard but that there is a favorable NIL package coming his way that could keep him in the Southeast that could entice Curtis to stay closer to home and play for the SEC power.
Another selling point: Georgia could absolutely load up with playmakers and pass-catchers in this recruiting cycle with four-star receiver Vance Spafford and four-star tight end Lincoln Keyes already committed and then the Dawgs look strong for Mark Bowman, Kaiden Prothro and many others.
Some believe Oregon will land Curtis and that could certainly happen but Georgia remains strong for numerous reasons in this recruitment.
2. IHEANACHO LANDS AT MARYLAND
Maryland is on a run.
The Terrapins landed high four-star defensive end Zion Elee, who’s originally from Joppatowne, Md., but is now playing at Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances, and they could also land five-star Immanuel Iheanacho during his official visit. It will definitely be something to watch closely.
The North Bethesda (Md.) Georgetown Prep standout has Maryland, Oregon, LSU, Texas A&M and Penn State as the front-runners in his recruitment and the massive five-star offensive lineman recently told me his plan is to make his commitment while on one of those official visits.
All the programs remain seriously in the running as Iheanacho has been highly complimentary of them all but the chatter is that Maryland has sort of surged to the top of his list and so when he’s in College Park – just about 15 miles away – watch for a pledge.
Coach Mike Locksley is an influential recruiter but one also wonders if there has been an influx of NIL money to be landing these elite national recruits. It will be something to watch as the cycle continues as the Terps have done a phenomenal job of keeping local talent home.
3. NAGY WILL BE GAME-CHANGER FOR OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma has upgraded in numerous ways this offseason: Bringing in offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle (and with him quarterback John Mateer), the decision for coach Brent Venables to call the defense officially next season.
But no bigger move was made than hiring Jim Nagy as the general manager, a position that’s en vogue in college football right now but one that’s necessary for talent evaluation and retention and for dealing with the transfer portal.
Nagy has years of experience running the Senior Bowl. He has also worked in the NFL. For a coach in Venables who could be on a very short leash in Norman after going 6-7 in two of his three seasons, Nagy is a welcome sight who can bring more order to the staff and boost recruiting in a major way.
Nothing will be easy for the Sooners in the SEC. But there have been some major upgrades this offseason in Norman, and Nagy is a game-changer.
