Major commitments for Nebraska, OU, and Tennessee in college football recruiting

There were plenty of blue-chip commitments this week in college football recruiting but three of the biggest were to Oklahoma, Nebraska football, and Tennessee. 

The summer is always an active time for college football recruiting. The number of blue-chip prospects that remain uncommitted is reduced by the day.

A number of blue-chip prospects committed on Friday for instance. For reference, a blue-chip is a player ranked as a four-star prospect or higher, and generally, I use the 247 Sports composite rankings to make that determination.

At one time, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Nebraska football were routinely landing those kinds of players and with new or relatively new head coaches, it’s happening again.

Josh Heupel is entering his third season and he’s got Tennessee on the verge of a top-10 college football recruiting class in 2024. That class was bolstered in a big way by the commitment of five-star wideout Mike Matthews.

Matthews is an elite wideout. He’s 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, and out of Lilburn, Georgia. A number of heavy hitters were involved but Tennessee was able to grab the momentum late and landed the 13th overall prospect in the entire 2024 class via the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Tennessee has the eighth-ranked class right now via the 247 Sports composite rankings. That makes this commitment exciting, but also, it’s another elite skill guy for the Vols down the road and the Tennessee offense should continue to be dynamic in the future.

Oklahoma lands elite running back Taylor Tatum

USC stole Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma football, but on Friday, it was Brent Venables and the Sooners that were able to steal away the commitment of five-star running back Taylor Tatum.

USC was the favorite after it hosted Tatum for a visit. However, Oklahoma really sold him on his ability to play baseball for the Sooners. DeMarco Murray is also one of the best running backs coaches in terms of recruiting and those were all factors.

For Oklahoma, it’s a massive win. Tatum is ranked 31st overall and as the No. 2 running back according to The 247 Sports composite rankings. It’s also a head-to-head win against Lincoln Riley, which is impressive.

The Sooners have been loaded up on elite quarterbacks and landed a five-star in 2023. Now, they have a five-star running back which will bode well heading into the SEC.

Nebraska football lands a massive 2024 commitment

One of the biggest commitments in the 2024 college football recruiting class this week in terms of size and importance was Preston Taumua committing to the Cornhuskers.

Taumua committed early Monday morning to Matt Rhule and Nebraska football. Offensive line coach Donovan Raiola played a vital role and it should be noted that Oregon, Arizona, and Auburn were all in the mix for the top-ranked player in the state of Hawaii.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive lineman that seems like a potential tackle to me, is ranked 235th overall and is the first blue-chip offensive lineman commitment of the Matt Rhule era.

Taumua is the top-ranked player in the state of Hawaii for the 2024 college football recruiting class and if Nebraska football can land more like him, the rebuild/reload will be in good shape.