Tuesdays with Gorney: Ten big commitments that defined the weekend
During the first weekend of June visits, there were 33 Power Four commitments. That exploded during the second weekend with 54 pledges from Friday through Sunday night.
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney looks at the 10 most impactful commitments of the weekend in this edition of Tuesdays With Gorney.
RECRUITING RUMOR MILL: Gigantic June rolls on as visits continue
FAVOUR AKIH – Ohio State
Over the last few months, Ohio State, Miami and USC emerged as the three front-runners for Akih and then down the stretch it was the Buckeyes and Hurricanes, but the national champs were always going to be tough to beat.
Once the four-star running back from Delaware (Ohio) Rutherford B. Hayes got that Ohio State offer, it emerged as the leader and finally landed his commitment over the weekend.
DYLAN BERYMON – Texas
Berymon has had some surprises in his recruitment. The four-star defensive tackle from Monroe (La.) Ouachita never seemed to connect with LSU so Texas, Purdue and USC were the three front-runners.
It looked like the Trojans were ahead for a while and then the Boilermakers emerged because of his connection to position coach Kelvin Green. But over the weekend, Texas turned it up on Berymon and he picked the Longhorns, adding a muscled-up, tough interior defensive lineman to the class.
JABARI BRADY – Missouri
Brady has been all over the recruiting and rankings radar throughout this cycle as he settled into being a four-star prospect but outside the Rivals250. Missouri beat out Nebraska, North Carolina and others for the Coconut Creek (Fla.) Monarch standout. He gives off vibes of Theo Wease Jr. during his time in Columbia – a big target who will catch a lot of passes; not a burner but explodes by defenders.
Brady is a weapon and another big win for coach Eli Drinkwitz and staff.
KOHEN BROWN – Texas
Could USC’s loss be Texas’ gain? Brown and the Trojans parted ways when the four-star receiver from Waxahachie, Texas, wanted to take visits. The Longhorns, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Illinois, Utah, Colorado, SMU and Baylor then emerged as the serious contenders.
It really came down to Texas and Notre Dame for Brown and he picked the Longhorns over the weekend, giving an already loaded receiver room another big weapon.
PEYTON DYER – USC
How many will USC take this recruiting class? The No. 1 class in the country has 28 commitments after adding Dyer over the weekend as the four-star DB from Duluth, Ga., joins an absolutely loaded defensive back haul that includes five-star Elbert Hill and four-star Brandon Lockhart among many others.
Word started leaking out over the weekend that USC could land Dyer, an early South Carolina commit who said Georgia was the team to beat, and by Sunday it was done.
AIDEN HARRIS – South Carolina
In the closing weeks before his weekend commitment, Harris had South Carolina and NC State as the two front-runners after things with Ohio State slowed. The high four-star defensive end from Matthews (N.C.) Weddington made it clear throughout his recruitment that he wanted to play with his twin brother, Andrew, so that could have shaped his recruitment even more.
The Gamecocks have only eight commitments but six are four-stars so there is a lot more quality than quantity right now.
ANDREW HARRIS – South Carolina
Penn State was an option for the Harris Bros., and Auburn and NC State official visits were scheduled. But South Carolina was a favorite of both throughout their recruitment as it ended with commitments over the weekend.
When things slowed down with Ohio State in recent weeks, the Gamecocks jumped up even further. Since the brothers wanted to play together, South Carolina became a great option.
IZAYAH LEE – Vanderbilt
This was a surprise commitment over the weekend because the four-star running back from Lancaster, Texas, was tagged to a program much closer to home. Lee had taken a visit to TCU but SMU was really the front-runner in his recruitment. He is from the South Dallas area, he was a main priority for the Mustangs and Lee made it no secret that he was highly interested in the program.
Vanderbilt landed a weekend pledge but will have to fight off SMU and others down the stretch.
JAMARKUS PITTMAN – Ole Miss
After working out at Ole Miss in recent days and spending a lot of time with position coach Randall Joyner, the Rebels offered the 2027 four-star defensive tackle from Memphis (Tenn.) Memphis Academy and he made it no secret they were a front-runner.
Pittman said Ole Miss was “for sure up there” and he didn’t waste a lot of time as he was committed to the Rebels just days later.
MICAH SMITH – UCLA
UCLA pulled off a major recruiting victory over the weekend when the four-star offensive lineman from Vero Beach, Fla., picked the Bruins over Alabama, Illinois, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee. What really pushed UCLA to the front was his visit to Westwood in recent weeks that completely blew him away.
He’s now become a big-time recruiter for this UCLA class on social media but the in-state schools and programs across the Southeast won’t give up.
