At this time of the year, most of the recruiting attention is spent on non-committed players who find themselves on one Top 100 list or another. There are plenty of non-rated players, though, who are garnering offers from top college programs.
* New Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn appears to have his quarterback of the future after landing
Fredi Knighten. The
Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.) standout was the ARPreps.com player of the year after passing for a state-leading 4,559 yards and 66 TDs. He also added more than 800 yards and 15 TDs on the ground. He also reportedly considered Louisiana Tech.
* A change in the head coach also meant a change in program for
Upper St. Clair (Pa.) linebacker
Dakota Conwell. Conwell had committed to state in-state at Pittsburgh, but reconsidered when former Panthers coach Todd Graham bolted for Arizona State. Conwell now has pledged to Arizona, where he was recruited by former Pitt assistant Tony Gibson.
"I was 100 percent committed to Pitt with the last staff," Conwell told the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "It's nothing against the new staff now, but right when coach Graham left, coach Gibson called me and let me know Arizona was really interested. Coach Gibson and some of that [Arizona] staff have been recruiting me since the beginning, and that meant a lot to me because they knew my talents.
* Also,
Windsor (Colo.) offensive lineman
Joey O'Connor accepted an offer from Ohio State on Tuesday, according to
The Denver Post. O'Connor originally pledged to Penn State, but opened his recruitment following the Jerry Sandusky scandal.