Elite 5-Star Recruit Names Top School After Official Visit
Elite 5-Star Recruit Names Top School After Official Visit originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
As the college football offseason continues to roll on, many of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class are making big decisions, including offensive tackle Darius Gray out of Richmond, Virginia.
Advertisement
He's one player that many of the top programs are pursuing, and on Saturday, he had an official visit with the Tennessee Volunteers, marking the third time the program hosted him.
Now, in an article by On3's Steve Wiltfong, it's clear the Volunteers have made a very strong impression, as Gray revealed where the SEC powerhouse sits in the recruiting process.
'They stand at the top of my board,' Gray said. 'What makes it special is the people in that building!'
Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel.Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Of course, this is great news for Tennessee and head coach Josh Heupel, as On3 Industry Rankings list Gray as a five-star recruit, the No. 1 interior offensive lineman, the No. 2 player in Virginia and the No. 23 player in the nation.
Advertisement
However, that was also far from his first official visit, as he's already been hosted by Virginia Tech (April 11), Virginia (April 25), Georgia (May 17) and Clemson (May 30).
To make things even more competitive, he also has more visits scheduled with Auburn (June 10), Ohio State (June 11), LSU (June 14), Penn State (June 17) and South Carolina (June 20), so Gray certainly has many options.
There's no doubt Tennessee would love to come out on top, though, as Gray could be a huge addition to its 2026 recruiting class, which holds eight commitments, ranking No. 4 in the SEC and No. 11 in the nation, per On3.
Related: Nation's No. 1 QB Sends Clear Message After Texas Visit
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Commanders RB Highlights When He Knew Jayden Daniels Was Star
Commanders RB Highlights When He Knew Jayden Daniels Was Star originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Washington Commanders knew early on they had a star on their hands in 2024 second-overall pick Jayden Daniels. Advertisement Washington reached the NFC Championship Game last season for the first time in 30 years, thanks mainly to Daniels' rise to stardom. For coaches, Daniels' arrival was quick and painless. For some of the team's veteran players, the quarterback's star power was shown at the the start of the regular season. Running back Austin Ekeler spoke on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast to detail just how special Daniels was in their Week 1 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "I remember hearing defensive players talking to him after the game, just kind of praising his speed," Ekeler said. "First game, not running to throw, but running to run. Kind of like college. Advertisement "We've seen him make some end-of-game plays—game-winner against Atlanta, basically the Eagles, the Bears. Shoot, the list goes in the playoffs, going down and winning that Bucs game." Daniels and the Commanders lost their Week 1 matchup against the Buccaneers but got payback during the wild card round of the playoffs. Along the way, Washington became one of the best offenses in the league. Ekeler and Daniels were key parts of the offense and will remain critical to future success. Ekeler's time in the NFL will end within the next few years, though. Daniels' run is just getting started. And that's what makes the quarterback, and the Commanders in general, so dangerous not only in the present, but also in the future. Advertisement Related: Commanders' 2nd-Round Pick Earns Offseason Rookie Honor Related: NFL Legend Adrian Peterson Poker Game Fight Video Going Viral This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dart Gives Progress Report After Minicamp
Dart Gives Progress Report After Minicamp originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The moment the New York Giants drafted Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart, he became the most important player on the roster. The Giants are treating him as such and structured their quarterback room to best develop the new face of the franchise. Advertisement That process began with veteran Jameis Winston, who signed a two-year deal in the opening days of free agency. Days later, New York signed Russell Wilson to a one-year, $10.5 million contract, which made him the Week 1 starter. The Giants will redshirt Dart until he's fully ready to go, a privilege bought by having two competent quarterbacks ahead of him. While New York's older passers prepare for the season, they'll also be mentoring Dart, putting their combined two decades of experience to good use. After minicamp ended, Dart gave a progress report, reflecting on the work necessary to become a starter. 'I feel like I've made tremendous strides, especially from my first day to now, just being able to understand the pictures of the offense and whatnot,' Dart told reporters. 'Obviously, I have dive into a lot more but I'm definitely just trying to take it to the next level over the summer. Really just lock in, hone in on as much as I can throughout this time, so that way when I get back for training camp, I'm on an even better level than I'm now.' Advertisement Dart has his fans, but critics pointed to the offense he operated at Mississippi as being elementary compared to what head coach Brian Daboll will ask of him. Dart will have to go through traditional dropbacks and full-field progressions far more often than he did against SEC defenses, and that's a hurdle not every passer can clear. Things so far seem to be going well. Beat reporters have praised his practice performance, and Daboll is getting him action with the starters and backups alike, forcing him to take control when necessary. 'I think the biggest thing is there's a lot of times where you're making a throw and you feel confident, and you have guys on the other end who are extremely talented, great playmakers who either break a pass up or make a great play on it,' he said. 'So, I think probably the biggest thing is just the qualities and just the overall athleticism on the other side of the ball.' In a league filled with the best of Dart's collegiate competition, he knows there is little room for error. The time for those miscues, though, is now, where his aggression is a teaching point that won't show up on the scoreboard. Advertisement 'I'm an aggressive player as is, so I think that's definitely something that I have to continue to learn,' Dart admitted. 'I think this practice setting is a great time for me to do it. Then obviously you make mistakes, you do some really good things and you get to go back and watch the tape and pick up on the things that you need to improve on.' Giants fans won't know Dart's fate for months, but if he's going to play in Year 1, starting on the right foot is imperative. It looks like he's done that, and if his comments are any indication of what's to come, the New York faithful have every right to be excited. Related: Giants Schedule Reveals Potential Dart Debuts Related: Kafka Details Giants' Plan for Developing Dart This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Commanders Aim to Stay Competitive After Luck-Filled 2024
Commanders Aim to Stay Competitive After Luck-Filled 2024 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Washington Commanders enjoyed one of the best turn-around seasons in major sports history in 2024. Following a 4-13 record in 2023 and no winning season since 2016, Washington finished 12-5 in the regular season and marched to the NFC title game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champs. Advertisement There was a lot of change entering last season in the nation's capital, but it still made for one of the best seasons in recent memory. As phenomenal a turnaround as it was, it's worth mentioning how extremely lucky the Commanders were throughout last season. And no, not just with the Hail Mary to beat Chicago. For one, the Commanders finished the 2024 season with an astounding 87% conversion rate on fourth downs. They went 20-23 when deciding to go for it! Washington had things working in those situations, but it takes some degree of luck to reach an average that inflated. Moving forward, it is far too staggering a number to build an expectation out of. It's simply not sustainable year after year. Advertisement In 2024, 23.7% of the Commanders' points were scored on drives that included at least one successful fourth-down conversion. That is the fifth-highest percentage this century. Even cutting this percentage in half, that's a lot of scoring lost. The Commanders also saw the ball bounce their way a lot in crunch time. Washington had an 9-4 record in one-score games. They enjoyed a five-game streak winning games decided by eight or less near the end of the season. There were multiple factors that played into this, with many of them being out of the Commanders' control but simply working out in their favor. Washington was the fifth-healthiest team in the league based on "adjusted games lost" metric which accounts for the impact of each injury a team sustained. Advertisement Also, the Commanders benefitted from mishaps by their opponents. This can be seen in data analyst Tom Bliss' chart called the "luck dashboard" on Bliss highlighted four scenarios where 'teams benefit from actions in a game that are almost entirely derived from opponent performance or lucky bounces'. Those include opponent dropped passes, dropped interceptions, missed kicks, and fumble recoveries. In total, the Commanders were almost 60 points ahead of the next luckiest team in the NFL based on their opposition's mistakes. It's unfathomable for this luck to happen again, and it's definitely not something to be relied on. Advertisement 'We have found no correlation for this luck metric from season to season,' Bliss wrote in an email via The Washington Post. 'Thus, every team individually (including the Commanders) should expect to have a net win probability via luck of 0' going into next season. The Commanders may have recognized some of this luck, but as competitive athletes, they believe more in putting in the work in the offseason and reaping the rewards during the season. Karma, if you will. 'We made a lot of lucky (expletive) happen last year,' offensive lineman Andrew Wylie said. 'I'm not going to just discredit that. But a lot of winning-time moments went our way because we practiced them every day.' Washington may not get as lucky as they did last year, but another double-digit win season could prove that luck wasn't as strong a factor in their turnaround as we thought. Advertisement Related: Commanders Tipped To Be 'Most Improved' In 2025 Thanks To 2 Additions Related: Commanders Running Back Ready 'To Prove Who I Am' In 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
