USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.
The rich tend to get richer. That’s the case in the broader economy and in the world of recruiting, where Alabama is crushing the competition. Already leading this year’s recruiting race, this week they added two more four-star prospects, one from this cycle and one for the next.
On Thursday, MCHS (Ala.) four-star Edge Sterling Dixon (class of 2024) announced his commitment to Alabama in a creative way. He shared a video on Twitter recreating an iconic scene from Friday with his friends.
Shout out to @TDAlabamaMag for the dope commitment video. 🔥🔥🔥
Thanks @Jdsmith31Smith @KingJohnIvory for directing and producing. @TDARecruiting pic.twitter.com/dirHyHX1Ib
— ᔕTᗴᖇᒪIᑎᘜ ᗪI᙭Oᑎ💫 (@sterlingTDixon1) December 1, 2022
Dixon (6-foot-3, 211 pounds) was an extremely popular recruit, earning offers from 30 different schools, including several SEC rivals. He’s ranked No. 16 at his position and No. 13 in the state.
Earlier this week, Nick Saban and company also got the commitment of four-star wide receiver Jaren Hamilton. Ranked No. 31 at his position and No. 50 overall in the state of Florida, Hamilton (6-foot-1, 188 pounds) adds another potential pro receiver to what has become an NFL factory in recent years.
Alabama still ranks first in the 2023 race, and thanks to Dixon, they’re No. 4 in the 2024 recruiting cycle, trailing only LSU, Notre Dame and Georgia.
Speaking of Georgia, the Bulldogs pulled off a bit of recruiting magic themselves last weekend. Judson (Texas) wide receiver and Oklahoma commit Anthony Evans announced that he’d flipped his commitment to Georgia on the day after Thanksgiving.
The Bulldogs now have 21 commits overall and four wide receivers in their ’23 class, all four-star recruits. Tyler Williams certainly approved of the most recent addition:
Hit after hit after hit we don’t miss.#GoDawgs
— Tyler Williams (@Ty_Williams04) November 25, 2022
Evans’ visit to Athens for the Nov. 5 game against Tennessee is being credited with helping turn his recruitment around. Georgia beat the Vols 27-13.
Evans (5-foot-10, 160 pounds) is ranked No. 40 among wide receivers in his class and No. 52 in Texas. Speed is the name of the game with Evans, whose 4.36 40-yard dash time helped get him 30 college offers in all.
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Brandon Huffman, 247Sports
Evans is just one of several highly-ranked recruits who have decommited or flipped recently. The next high-profile defection could be happening this weekend in the Pacific Northwest.
Rainier Beach (Wash.) cornerback Caleb Presley committed to Oregon back in July, but today he’s in Seattle visiting with the University of Washington.
OFFICIAL VISIT TO UW TOMORROW ☔️ pic.twitter.com/rgedlmRuAF
— Caleb Presley ⁵ 🖤✌🏽 (@CalebPresley5) December 1, 2022
Presley (6-foot-0, 180 pounds) is the No. 1 ranked player in Washington and is No. 13 among cornerbacks in his class.
Overall, Oregon may have a better recruiting class, but Washington is an appealing team on the rise. The Huskies finished the season 10-2, including a three-point win over the Ducks in Eugene. Flipping Presley would help Washington catch up with their most-fierce rivals in the recruiting race. They’re slotted No. 27, while Oregon is No. 12.
Presley might be in the mood for home cooking, but he has plenty of options to choose from — 27 total.
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