5/29/2023 football Edit

Midwest Spotlight: Five most contested recruiting battles

Clint Cosgrove • Rivals.com

National Recruiting Analyst

Official visit season is right around the corner and while many recruitments are winding down, a host of others are becoming more contested by the day. Here is a closer look at the five most contested recruiting battles happening in the Midwest.

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Contenders: Notre Dame, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Michigan

Overview: This recruitment seemed all but finished a few months back with a Jan. 31 commitment date and Notre Dame being the likely destination. An offer from Georgia changed the trajectory of everything allowing the Bulldogs, Ohio State and Michigan to stay in the race as well.

Scott has June official visits scheduled to Georgia, Michigan, Miami and Ohio State. While Notre Dame is missing from that list, the Irish are far from being out of the equation and this could likely come down to Notre Dame, Georgia and Miami.

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Contenders: Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Missouri, Georgia

Overview: Nwaneri's talent can't be denied and with that comes new suitors by the week. Oklahoma has long been considered the favorite, but Tennessee and Missouri are not going away and Texas A&M has made a recent push.

I expect the future five-star's recruitment to become more contested by the day and while all of the main contenders remain in the mix, don't be surprised if Alabama and Georgia make a late push for arguably the best player at a position of extreme value.

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Contenders: Missouri, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Miami

Overview: This may be the most interesting recruitment of the group because even Wingo will tell you that he isn't sure who the main contenders are. Arkansas should be in play since his older brother played for the Razorbacks before a stint in the NFL. Then, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Georgia and others have all made a lasting impression on the St. Louis standout.

Wingo is in no hurry to make a decision and this could go a number of ways. I'm typically not afraid to go out on a limb with a FutureCast, but this recruitment could take so many twists and turns that I don't even feel close to having a great feel for Wingo's final destination. One thing is for sure and that is that Wingo's recruitment will keep us holding our breath until he locks his commitment in with an official announcement.

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Contenders: Purdue, Michigan, Colorado, USC, Auburn

Overview: One of the nation's top defensive linemen made an early and unexpected commitment to Notre Dame during a pit stop in South Bend on the way to the Rivals Camp Series in Indianapolis over a year ago. Davis-Swain realized he may have pulled the trigger a tad bit early and reopened his recruitment to explore all of his options.

Fast forward to today and Davis-Swain has a top five of Purdue, Colorado, USC, Auburn and Michigan. His official visit schedule is still being finalized but it looks like Colorado, Michigan and Purdue will be the first recipients. Those are likely the three to watch as things stand today, but when you are as talented as Davis-Swain – this could go a number of ways prior to signing day.

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Contenders: Michigan State, Penn State, Kansas, Pitt, Auburn, Oregon

Overview: The one-time Michigan State commit made a decision earlier than planned leading to him opening his recruitment back up, but the decision to decommit was mostly based on shutting things down early opposed to his lack of love for the Spartans.

Michigan State remains heavily in the mix but so do Penn State, Kansas, Auburn and Pitt, who came in strong late and managed to land an official visit for one of the nation's best uncommitted recruits.

This could go in a number of directions, but I see Michigan State, Penn State and Pitt being the teams to watch most as things stand today. Don't count out Oregon and a Kansas team that he could make an instant impact for out of the mix though.