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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham took exception Thursday to the way Florida State has publicized its willingness to leave the ACC.
In an interview with 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh, N.C., Cunningham responded to comments Florida State president Richard McCullough made during a board of trustees meeting Wednesday. McCullough told the board that the Seminoles would “very seriously” consider leaving the ACC unless there is a radical change to the conference’s revenue distribution model.
“I don’t think it’s good for our league for them to be out there barking like that,” Cunningham said on “The Adam Gold Show.” “I’d rather see them be a good member of the league, support the league and if they have to make a decision, then so be it. Pay for the exit fee, wait for your grant of rights that you’ve given and then in 2036, when those rights return to you, do whatever you want.”
The ACC has a television contract with ESPN that runs through 2036.
Any school that wants to leave the conference would have to pay a $120 million exit fee, in addition to figuring out a way out of the grant of rights — which runs through 2036 and gives the ACC control over each school’s media rights.
Cunningham underscored this point: Every school in the league willingly entered into the grant of rights agreement when it signed the deal in 2016.
Earlier in the week, Florida State Board of Trustees chair Peter Collins told Warchant.com that the grant of rights “will not be the document that keeps us from taking action.” Cunningham countered that in his interview on 99.9 The Fan.
“When you have a general counsel and the university president and the board of trustees says I’m a member of this conference and you sign a document that says I’m granting my rights to you and you have my authority to go negotiate my rights to a network and the league does that on your behalf, I’m not sure how you can just say, ‘Just kidding. I didn’t like the deal that was struck and now I want to get out of it,'” he said. “Any contract, it obligates you to what you agreed to on the front end. So I’m scratching my head, wondering what are you talking about.”
As for solving the ongoing question about generating revenue and distributing it differently to try and close a growing gap with the SEC and Big Ten, Cunningham added: “Everyone would like to have more money and everyone would like to win more. I don’t think you have to have the most money to win the most games, and I think we’ve demonstrated that over the years.”
North Carolina, like nearly every school in the ACC, has had its legal counsel look over the grant of rights document and had discussions about what to do should another wave of conference realignment happen. To that end, Cunningham was not optimistic that the ACC would last in its current form.
“A lot of schools, a lot of individuals are going to have to make decisions about what their future looks like,” he said. “I don’t see this configuration lasting in perpetuity.”
Sports
‘It’s taken on a life of its own’: Inside the 48 hours torpedo bats launched into baseball lore
At 1:54 ET on Saturday afternoon, New York Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay lit the fuse on what will be remembered as either one of the most metamorphic conversations in baseball history or one of its strangest.
During spring training, someone in the organization had mentioned to Kay that the team’s analytics department had counseled players on where pitches tended to strike their bats, and with subsequent buy-in from some of the players, bats had been designed around that information. In the hours before the Yankees’ home game against the Brewers that day, Kay told the YES Network production staff about this, alerting them so they could look for an opportunity to highlight the equipment.
After the Yankees clubbed four homers in the first inning, a camera zoomed in on Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s bat in the second inning. “You see the shape of Chisholm’s bat…” Kay said on air. “It’s got a big barrel on it,” Paul O’Neill responded, before Kay went on to describe the analysis behind the bat shaped like a torpedo.
Chisholm singled to left field, and after Anthony Volpe worked the count against former teammate Nestor Cortes to a full count, Volpe belted a home run to right field using the same kind of bat. A reporter watching the game texted Kay: Didn’t he hit the meat part of the bat you were talking about — just inside where the label normally is?
Yep, Kay responded. Within an hour of Kay’s commentary, the video of Chisholm’s bat and Kay’s exchange with O’Neill was posted on multiple platforms of social media, amplified over and over. What happened over the next 48 hours was what you get when you mix the power of social media and the desperation of a generation of beleaguered hitters. Batting averages are at a historic low, strikeout rates at a historic high, and on a sunny spring day in the Bronx, here were the Yankees blasting baseballs into the seats with what seemed to be a strangely shaped magic bat.
An oasis of offense had formed on the horizon, and hitters — from big leaguers to Little Leaguers, including at least one member of Congress — paddled toward it furiously. Acres of trees will be felled and shaped to feed the thirst for this new style of bats. Last weekend, one bat salesman asked his boss, “What the heck have we done?”
Jared Smith, CEO of bat-maker Victus, said, “I’ve been making bats for 15, 16 years. … This is the most talked-about thing in the industry since I started. And I hope we can make better-performing bats that work for players.”
According to Bobby Hillerich, the vice president of production at Hillerich & Bradsby, his company — which is based in Louisville, Kentucky, and makes Louisville Slugger bats — had produced 20 versions of the torpedo bat as of this past Saturday, and in less than a week, that number has tripled as players and teams continually call in their orders.
Even though Saturday marked its launch into the mainstream, this shape of bat has actually been around for a while. Hillerich & Bradsby had its first contact with a team about the style in 2021 and had nondisclosure agreements with four teams as the bat evolved; back then, it was referred to as the “bowling pin” bat. The Cubs’ Nico Hoerner was the first major leaguer to try it — and apparently wasn’t comfortable with it. Cody Bellinger tried it when he was with the Cubs before joining the Yankees during the offseason.
Before Atlanta took the field Sunday night, Braves catcher Drake Baldwin recalled trying one in the Arizona Fall League last year (noting that his first impression was that it “looked weird”). Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor used it in 2024, in a year in which he would finish second in the NL MVP voting; Lindor’s was a little different from Volpe’s version, with a cup hollowed out at the end of the bat. Giancarlo Stanton swung one throughout his playoff surge last fall, but no one in the media noticed, perhaps because of how the pitch-black color of Stanton’s bat camouflaged the shape.
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli saw one in the Twins’ dugout during spring training and picked it up, his attention drawn to the unusual shape. “What the hell is this thing?” he asked, wondering aloud whether the design was legal. When he was assured it was, he put it back down.
Baldelli’s experience reflected the way hitters have used and assessed bats since the advent of baseball: They’ll pick up bats and see how they feel, their interest fueled by the specter of success. Tony Gwynn won eight batting titles, and many teammates and opposing hitters — Barry Bonds among them — asked whether they could inspect his bats. The torpedo bat’s arrival was simply the latest version of that long-held search for the optimal tool.
On Opening Day, eight teams had some version of the torpedo bat within their stock, according to one major league source. But with video of the Yankees’ home runs being hit off unusual bats saturating social media Saturday afternoon, the phone of Kevin Uhrhan, pro bat sales rep for Louisville Slugger, blew up with requests for torpedo bats. James Rowson, the hitting coach of the Yankees, began to get text inquiries — about 100, he later estimated. Everyone wanted to know about the bat; everyone wanted to get their own.
In San Diego, Braves players asked about the bats, and by Sunday morning, equipment manager Calvin Minasian called in the team’s order. By the middle of the week, all 30 teams had asked for the bats. “Every team started trying to get orders in,” Hillerich said. “We’re trying to scramble to get wood. And then it was: How fast can we get this to retail?”
Victus produces the bats Chisholm and Volpe are using and has made them available for retail. Three senior players, all in their 70s, stopped by the Victus store to ask about the torpedoes. A member of Congress who plays baseball reached out to Louisville Slugger.
The Cincinnati Reds contacted Hillerich & Bradsby, saying, “We need you in Cincinnati on Monday ASAP,” and soon after, Uhrhan and pro bat production manager Brian Hillerich, Bobby’s brother, made the 90-minute drive from the company’s factory in Louisville with test bats.
Reds star Elly De La Cruz tried a few, decided on a favorite and used it for a career performance that night.
“You can think in New York, maybe there was wind,” Bobby Hillerich said. “Elly hits two home runs and gets seven RBIs. That just took it to a whole new level.”
A few days after the Yankees’ explosion, Aaron Leanhardt, who had led New York’s effort to customize its bats as a minor league hitting coordinator before being hired by the Marlins as their field coordinator, was in the middle of a horseshoe of reporters, explaining the background. “There are a lot more cameras here today than I’m used to,” he said, laughing.
Stanton spoke with reporters about the simple concept behind the bat: build a design for where a hitter is most likely to make contact. “You wonder why no one has thought of it before, for sure,” Stanton said. “I didn’t know if it was, like, a rule-based thing of why they were shaped like that.”
Over and over, MLB officials assured those asking: Yes, the bats are legal and meet the sport’s equipment specifications. Trevor Megill, the Brewers’ closer, complained about the bats, calling them like “something used in slow-pitch softball,” but privately, baseball officials were thrilled by the possibility of seeing offense goosed, something they had been attempting through rule change in recent years.
“It’s all the rage right now, given what transpired over the weekend,” said Jeremy Zoll, assistant general manager of the Twins. “I’m sure more and more guys are going to experiment with it as a result, just to see if it’s something they like.”
That personal preference is a factor for which some front office types believe the mass orders of the bats don’t account: The Yankees’ recommendations to each hitter were based on months of past data of how that player tended to strike the ball. This was not about a one-size-fits all bat; it was about precise bat measurements that reflected an individual player’s swing.
“I had never heard of it. I’ve used the same bat for nine years, so I think I’ll stick with that,” White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi said. “It’s pretty interesting. It makes sense. If it works for a guy, good for him. If it doesn’t, stick with what you got.”
As longtime player Eric Hosmer explained on the “Baseball Tonight” podcast, the process is a lot like what players can do in golf: look for clubs customized for a player’s particular swing. And, he added, hitting coaches might begin to think more about which bat might be most effective against particular pitchers. If a pitcher tends to throw inside, a torpedo bat could be more effective; if a pitcher is more effective outside, maybe a larger barrel would be more appropriate.
That’s the key, according to an agent representing a player who ordered a bat: “You need years of hitting data in the big leagues to dial it in and hopefully get a better result. He’s still tinkering with it; he may not even use it in a game. … I think of it like switching your irons in golf to blades: It will feel a little different and take some adjusting, and it may even change your swing subtly.”
Two days after the home run explosion, Boone said, “You’re just trying to just get what you can on the margins, move the needle a little bit. And that’s really all you’re going to do. I don’t think this is some revelation to where we’re going to be — it’s not related to the weekend that we had, for example. I don’t think it’s that. Maybe in some cases, for some players it may help them incrementally. That’s how I view it.”
“I’m kind of starting to smile at it a little more … a lot of things that aren’t real.”
Said the player agent: “It’s not an aluminum bat with plutonium in it like everyone is making it out to be.”
Reliever Adam Ottavino watched this all play out, with his 15 years of experience. “It’s the Yankees and they scored a million runs in the first few games, and it’s cool to hate the Yankees and it’s cool to look for the bogeyman,” Ottavino said, “and that’s what some people are going to do, and [you] can’t really stop that. But there’s also a lot of misinformation and noneducation on it too.”
Major league baseball mostly evolves at a glacial pace. For example, the sport is well into the second century of complaints about the surface of the ball and the debate over financial disparity among teams. From time to time, however, baseball has its eclipses, moments that command full attention and inspire change. On a “Sunday Night Baseball” game on May 18, 2008, an umpire’s botched home run call at Yankee Stadium compelled MLB to implement the first instant replay. Buster Posey’s ankle was shattered in a home plate collision in May 2011, imperiling the career of the young star, and new rules about that type of play were rewritten.
The torpedo bat eruption could turn out to be transformative, a time when the industry became aware how a core piece of equipment has been taken for granted and aware that bats could be more precisely designed to augment the ability of each hitter. Or this could all turn out to be a wild overreaction to an outlier day of home runs against a pitching staff having a really bad day.
On Thursday, Cortes — who had been hammered for five homers over two innings in Yankee Stadium — shut out the Reds for six innings.
In Baltimore, Bregman, who had tried the torpedo bat earlier this week, reverted to his usual stock and had three hits against the Orioles, including a home run. Afterward, Bregman said, “It’s the hitter. Not the bat.”
This story was also reported by Jeff Passan, Jorge Castillo, Jesse Rogers and Kiley McDaniel.
A week has passed since torpedo bats burst onto the scene as the talk of the 2025 MLB season, and the hitting innovation is still buzzing through the industry.
We asked our MLB reporters to talk to players and coaches to see if they think the bowling pin-shaped bat trend is here to stay, how much it really helps hitters — and if they believe it should be allowed in the majors.
Here’s what those around baseball had to say about the trend taking the sport by storm.
When did you first hear about torpedo bats?
Andrew Benintendi, OF, Chicago White Sox: I had never heard of it. I’ve used the same bat for nine years so I think I’ll stick with that. It’s pretty interesting. It makes sense. If it works for a guy, good for him. If it doesn’t, stick with what you got.
Robert Van Scoyoc, hitting coach, Los Angeles Dodgers: I’ve heard about bat fitting. We do bat fitting and all that. I just haven’t heard about this specifically. When I first heard about [torpedo bats specifically] was when everyone else kind of knew about it.
Ryan O’Hearn, first baseman, Baltimore Orioles: (Orioles assistant GM and former NASA engineer) Sig Mejdal deserves credit. Sig has been on the torpedo bat for a long time. He’s been trying to get guys to experiment with it, use it. He’ll send them out, send us everybody. He sent some in the offseason. He sent me the traditional torpedo bat and then he sent me a special model that, based off of my batted ball data, would fit better. He’s been all over it. I think I first heard about it in maybe the end of ’23 from Sig. And then he made them available. I took BP with it. I was unsure because it does feel a little different. Not in a bad way, just different. I feel like I was hitting balls and kind of feeling the vibrations on the end, which I didn’t really like.
Dansby Swanson, SS, Chicago Cubs: This offseason. It’s just caught on. People have used it before. It’s not that new.
Adam Ottavino, veteran reliever: I noticed last year that there were some guys with different shaped bats. I think [Francisco] Lindor had one. And, honestly, I didn’t think too much of it because there’s always been a lot of tinkering with bat models since I’ve been in the big leagues. There’s so many bat models. Even like custom handles like big knobs. Some hockey puck knobs. And there’s like those triangular knobs. So I didn’t really think too much of it. I didn’t maybe understand what they were going for.
Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Los Angeles Angels: I heard about it in spring training this year. Chuckie Robinson had a bat. We kind of weren’t serious about it, you know? He pulled it out and we were like, “Uh, that’s kind of strange.” But the science behind it makes total sense. I didn’t really think about that from that standpoint at all until the science came up for it and said why it would benefit certain people’s swings.
[Robinson] never used it … I don’t know if he had it the year prior, but for some reason he had one. And we were just like, “That’s a weird-looking bat.” I didn’t think anything of it until come Opening Day, you see all these guys swinging it in the regular season.
Martin Maldonado, C, San Diego Padres: I don’t know anything about it other than what I read on Twitter.
Have you used a torpedo bat before and if not, are you planning to try it now? If so, how did it feel?
Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers: It felt good. The swing felt good. But after the Dylan Lee at-bat (in which Muncy struck out in the sixth inning last Wednesday), I felt like the bat was causing me to be a little bit off-plane, a little bit in and out of the zone. My swings felt really, really good tonight but just a little bit off. So the last at-bat I decided just to go back to my regular bat.
Matt Shaw, 3B, Chicago Cubs: I’ve used it in batting practice. I wasn’t a big fan. The weight felt a little heavier. The ball feedback wasn’t as good. But we’ll see.
Swanson: It’s not the perfect product. There are so many nuances involved. I’ve committed to using it enough to get a good sample size. There is definitely validity in everything, but it just has its media craze right now.
Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, Chicago Cubs: I talked to [Swanson] a lot this winter about it. He was very open-minded. It’s a process. That’s why we wanted to have guys use them in spring training. The more the veteran guys do it, hopefully that has a carry-over effect.
Michael A. Taylor, OF, Chicago White Sox: I would love to try one. I’m sure everyone is trying to order one right now. It’s interesting. I’m not too educated on the science behind it, but it seems pretty straightforward. I tried the axe bat then the puck bat so the torpedo bat is the latest thing. I want to try it.
Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins: I haven’t tried it. Not going to try it either. I’ve been doing perfectly fine with my bats. No point in trying to switch it up now. People blowing up the Yankees about all the homers they hit. Same guys that hit homers are the same guys that hit homers last year. It’s not that big of a deal.
O’Hearn: I’ve used a torpedo bat for one major league at-bat. I struck out. And then I threw it in the trash. Didn’t even make contact. I’m weird, man. I just remember guys laughing at me, being like, you’re done with it already?
Salvador Perez, catcher, Kansas City Royals: No, but it’s interesting. I’m going to talk to Davy (Royals VP of major league team operations Jeff Davenport) about that. Are we going to put in some orders for that bat? I talked to Gary Sanchez yesterday. He used the bat yesterday. The first time that I saw that bat, I grabbed it. Big barrel. I think if it helps, why not? Why not just try it out and see what happens?”
Mark Canha, outfielder, Kansas City Royals: It wasn’t anything I was aware of during spring until that half of the first week. I’m using kind of a modified one right now. It’s torpedo-esque. It’s not as drastic. I didn’t even know what I was ordering. Pete Alonso told me to get that model. It’s great. And usually he knows a lot. He’s really likes stuff like that. So I kind of just trusted him, and it’s been working. I like it. But I do like that there’s more barrel, a little lower than I’m used to swinging. It feels a little different. It’s not as ringy when I get it closer to the label, which I like.
Schanuel: I mostly miss [the ball] on the inner side of the barrel, so if I miss the barrel, I get jammed the most. If I were to get a torpedo bat … I think it would help me out a lot, especially my bat path and seeing the ball deep. I’d be more than willing to try it yet.
Nicky Lopez, 2B, Los Angeles Angels: I gave it a little bit of a test run in spring training because that’s what everyone was kind of doing. But it takes a little bit of getting used to.
Your whole career you’ve been using a bat that you know, and you know where the sweet spot is, and it’s one kind of length. You have the specifications of it and you kind of feel where that barrel is, and now when you move that barrel down a little bit, you have to refine where that sweet spot is. It takes a little bit to get used to. I used it a little bit in BP and I’m going to continue to use it and just see where it’s at.
Nico Hoerner, 2B, Chicago Cubs: I’ve used it since mid-spring training. Every AB I’ve taken this year has been with some version of the reverse taper barrel (which is what the Cubs call the torpedo bat). Still in the process of figuring that out, but I like it. It’s not something I’m thinking of when I go to the plate. A misconception I’ve heard is guys are not changing what they do to fit the bat. It’s kind of the opposite.
What do you make of the way the topic has blown up across the sport?
Ottavino: I mean, listen, first of all, it’s the Yankees and they scored a million runs in the first few games and it’s cool to hate the Yankees and it’s cool to look for the boogeyman and that’s what some people are going to do and can’t really stop that. But there’s also a lot of misinformation and noneducation on it too.
I was in Boston this spring and there were a bunch of guys using those types of bats over there too. So, they’re all over the place. It’s not unique to this organization. Maybe it originated in [the Yankees clubhouse], but I mean, there’s no secrets in baseball. Everybody’s going to be using what they think’s going to give them the best result. So I don’t really make too much of people complaining about it, honestly.
Schanuel: I think it’ll help out, especially to boost offensive performances. I think it’s good for MLB itself. Fans would like to see it. Everyone loves homers. Everyone loves when guys get on base. I think it’ll help out a lot. I mean it’s just exciting talking about it.
Mark Leiter, reliever, New York Yankees: I wouldn’t say I’m surprised just because I think there’s a level of it’s something to talk about in a big market. I mean, just the fact that it’s within the rules and stuff, I just think it’s more surprising that it took this long for somebody to do this. Just because you know about customizing golf clubs and stuff like that. Like, it makes a lot of sense.
Buxton: Everyone is blowing up the Yankees about all the homers they hit. Same guys you see hit homers, are the same guys that hit homers last year. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s like when the sweeper came around. We were like, “What’s a sweeper?” We had never heard of sweepers. And now we’ve never heard of torpedo bats and now they pop.
Shaw: The Yankees hitting a bunch of home runs made it blow up. Aaron Judge not using the torpedo bat is funny to me. It blew up with the Yankees, but he doesn’t swing it. You can clearly see both sides. They might work, but the old bats work too. The difference might be very small.
Do you think it should be allowed in the sport to use torpedo bats?
Canha: Yes. I do feel like we need all the help we can get. These guys are throwing so hard now. But it’s not a cheat code. We’ll see how it plays out over a little bigger sample size.
Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers: I do not look down on anybody. If it’s legal, you can do whatever you want. I swung the same bat for 16 years. I will not be changing to a torpedo bat. I’ve swung the same length, ounces, everything. If it works for the guys, go for it. I know some of our guys are getting them, so, we’ll see. I will not be swinging them.
Jake Cronenworth, 2B, San Diego Padres: [Torpedo bats] give everyone something to talk about. If any team hit 15 home runs, you’d be like, “What bats are they using? Are they legal?” And they are.
Are torpedo bats a trend based on this week’s buzz or something that is here to stay?
Lopez: I think so, yeah. I really do. I think this can be a good thing for a lot of hitters.
Van Scoyoc: I’m sure some guys will try it out. Someone gets hot, then you’ll probably see more guys going to it. I think it’s good. In pitching they have Trackman. In hitting we do, too. But we don’t capture the bat, which is essentially our same equipment. That’s why I think hitting is behind — because they just get more information that’s useful a lot faster.
O’Hearn: It’s kind of like the axe handle or puck knob. I think just because the Yankees went bananas for two games, it’s going to blow up. And I honestly felt bad for Sig when it went crazy because I was like, I don’t know if he was the first one on it, but I feel like he’s sitting around somewhere, like, ‘I wish the Orioles would’ve done this.’
Freeman: I promise you I have not read a thing about it. I only know there’s a torpedo bat and it looks kind of like the barrel’s shorter or lower down. That’s all I’ve got. Nor will I read into it. That’s just me. I’m not the right guy to ask those kind of questions. I swing the same bat every day.
Muncy: Baseball is not a one-size-fits-all sport, going from socks to batting gloves to shoes to pants. It’s not a one size fits all for anyone in this game. So, everyone swings different. Everyone likes their bat different. There’s some guys I think it could be a real benefit for, and there’s some guys it might be a detriment. I still don’t know where I’m at on that scale.
Hoerner: I think [it’s a trend]. There was the axe handle. A lot of guys with the Red Sox had success with that. Then in 2021, there was the big puck knob trend. You still see some of those. This is a little different when you’re changing where you impact the ball with. The jury is still out. I don’t look at that Yankees series and think it would have been a totally different series without the bats. It’s about marginal differences over the course of 600 ABs. That really matters.
Hoyer: This isn’t the kind of thing, one team did it and everyone copied. There were a number of teams on this. There is a lot of attention because of the size of the market and [the Yankees] scored 20. Guys were hitting in the cage with them last year. Pete [Crow-Armstrong] used it in a game last year in September (he flew out). It’s new, but it’s not like it started game two last weekend and everyone copied it quickly.
University Laboratory School 6’5” 285 93 2 DE Baltimore, MD
St. Frances Academy 6’4” 220 92
Maryland
Committed
12/07/2024
Nixa High School 6’8” 315 92 4 WR Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School 6’6” 200 92
Ohio State
Committed
07/29/2023
Nashville Christian School 6’4” 225 92 6 QB-PP Plantation, FL
American Heritage High School 6’3” 215 91
Texas
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06/17/2024
Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School 6’2” 205 91 8 QB-PP Greensboro, NC
Grimsley High School 6’4” 195 91
Tennessee
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08/03/2024
Tupelo High School 6’7” 260 91 10 WR Hattiesburg, MS
Hattiesburg High School 6’3” 190 91
LSU
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03/19/2025
Reidsville High School 6’6” 250 90
Oregon
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11/30/2024
Georgetown Prep 6’7” 350 90 13 OLB Loganville, GA
Grayson High School 6’2” 215 90 14 ATH Spring Valley, CA
Mount Miguel High School 6’1” 180 90 15 CB Akron, OH
Archbishop Hoban High School 5’11” 180 90 16 ATH Spring, TX
Legacy The School of Sport Sciences 6’3” 185 90
Houston
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05/27/2024
IMG Academy 6’8” 325 90 18 DE Chatsworth, CA
Sierra Canyon High School 6’5” 245 90 19 TE-H Bowdon, GA
Bowdon High School 6’7” 210 90 20 OT Mansfield, TX
Lake Ridge High School 6’7” 285 90 21 DE Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’3” 235 90 22 S Las Vegas, NV
Bishop Gorman High School 6’5” 200 88 23 WR DeSoto, TX
DeSoto High School 6’1” 180 88 24 TE-H Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School 6’5” 225 88 25 OLB Mobile, AL
Saint Paul’s Episcopal School 6’4” 220 88 26 WR Miami, FL
Miami Northwestern High School 6’6” 190 87 27 RB Mineral, VA
Louisa County High School 6’0” 200 87 28 CB Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Rancho Cucamonga High School 6’0” 185 86
USC
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12/13/2024
Gainesville High School 6’4” 205 86
USC
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07/27/2024
St. Frances Academy 6’3” 210 86 31 RB Jackson, AL
Jackson High School 5’11” 210 86 32 S Flowood, MS
Hartfield Academy 6’0” 200 86 33 TE-Y Saint George, UT
Pine View High School 6’7” 240 86 34 S Baton Rouge, LA
Catholic High School 6’1” 205 85
Ohio State
Committed
03/31/2025
Fremont High School 6’2” 175 85 36 RB Frisco, TX
Lone Star High School 6’1” 190 85 37 OT Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School 6’6” 290 85
Oregon
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08/12/2024
Sprayberry High School 6’3” 180 85
Alabama
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03/26/2025
Tavares High School 6’1” 215 85
Florida
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03/06/2025
Collins Hill High School 6’2” 280 85 41 OLB Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’2” 220 85 42 CB Fort Lauderdale, FL
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School 6’1” 185 85 43 OLB Jacksonville, FL
The Bolles School 6’2” 195 85
Ohio State
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04/03/2025
North Crowley High School 6’4” 305 84 45 QB-PP Newbury Park, CA
Newbury Park High School 6’5” 210 84 46 S Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 5’11” 195 84
Georgia
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01/30/2025
Vero Beach Senior High School 6’6” 320 84 48 WR Alexander City, AL
Benjamin Russell High School 6’4” 210 84 49 CB Sarasota, FL
Booker High School 6’2” 175 84 50 QB-PP Folsom, CA
Folsom High School 6’2” 205 84 51 OT Durham, NC
South Garner High School 6’6” 270 84 52 WR Knoxville, TN
Knoxville Catholic High School 5’11” 175 84
Tennessee
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10/31/2024
Picayune Memorial High School 6’5” 250 84 54 OLB Orange, CA
Orange Lutheran High School 6’4” 215 84 55 DT Buford, GA
Buford High School 6’2” 255 84 56 CB Toledo, OH
Central Catholic High School 6’0” 165 84
Illinois
Committed
02/01/2025
Myers Park High School 6’4” 220 84 58 WR Morton, MS
Morton High School 6’3” 160 84 59 DE Douglasville, GA
Douglas County High School 6’3” 235 84
Texas A&M
Committed
10/27/2024
Great Bend High School 6’6” 210 84 61 DE Pensacola, FL
Pensacola Catholic High School 6’4” 220 84 62 WR Cartersville, GA
Cartersville High School 6’1” 185 84
Georgia
Committed
03/15/2025
Oaks Christian High School 6’0” 180 84 64 WR Destrehan, LA
Destrehan High School 6’0” 200 84
LSU
Committed
03/22/2025
Gadsden High School 6’0” 175 84
Alabama
Committed
12/25/2024
Webb School Of Knoxville 6’4” 195 84 67 OT Mechanicsburg, PA
Cumberland Valley High School 6’7” 335 84
Notre Dame
Committed
01/30/2025
Jackson High School 6’4” 190 84 69 CB Baltimore, MD
Loyola Blakefield High School 6’2” 175 83 70 QB-PP Tampa, FL
Jesuit High School 6’4” 230 83
Florida
Committed
06/01/2024
Trinity Episcopal School 6’2” 200 83 72 CB Chatsworth, CA
Sierra Canyon High School 6’2” 170 83 73 OT Richmond, VA
St. Christopher’s School 6’4” 290 83 74 DT Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School 6’3” 295 83
USC
Committed
04/01/2025
Byron P. Steele II High School 6’1” 210 83
Texas A&M
Committed
03/22/2025
Providence Day School 6’6” 280 83 77 WR Douglasville, GA
Douglas County High School 6’3” 180 83
Texas A&M
Committed
10/27/2024
Orange Lutheran High School 6’5” 295 83 79 CB Los Angeles, CA
Loyola High School 6’3” 165 83
USC
Committed
10/29/2023
Harrisburg High School 6’5” 245 83
Penn State
Committed
07/27/2024
Forney High School 5’9” 190 83 82 DT Cherry Valley, AR
Cross County High School 6’4” 300 83 83 TE-H Fairburn, GA
Langston Hughes High School 6’5” 215 83 84 CB Carrollton, GA
Carrollton High School 6’1” 175 83 85 DE Sarasota, FL
Cardinal Mooney High School 6’4” 255 83 86 OT Gonzales, LA
East Ascension High School 6’6” 280 83
LSU
Committed
02/13/2025
Desert Edge High School 6’1” 180 83 88 DE Washington, DC
Gonzaga College High School 6’6” 220 83 89 RB Texarkana, TX
Texas High School 5’10” 180 83
Oregon
Committed
07/27/2024
Willamette High School 6’5” 275 83
Oregon
Committed
09/23/2023
Valencia High School 6’0” 185 83 92 DE Gainesville, GA
Gainesville High School 6’3” 255 83
Alabama
Committed
02/21/2025
Edna Karr High School 6’4” 345 83
LSU
Committed
06/23/2024
Brandon High School 5’11” 180 83 95 RB Painesville, OH
Thomas W. Harvey High School 5’10” 205 83
USC
Committed
01/11/2025
Temple High School 6’5” 235 83 97 WR Mission Viejo, CA
Mission Viejo High School 5’10” 170 83
Georgia
Committed
11/05/2024
Hough High School 6’0” 185 83 99 OT Avon Lake, OH
Avon Lake High School 6’5” 265 83
Ohio State
Committed
03/10/2025
South Pointe High School 6’4” 205 83
S Carolina
Committed
10/17/2024
Hermitage High School 6’2” 170 83 102 WR Jacksonville, FL
The Bolles School 6’0” 175 83
Clemson
Committed
03/08/2025
La Salle College High School 6’4” 180 83 104 DE Princeton, NJ
The Hun School Of Princeton 6’4” 235 83 105 QB-DT Jackson, AL
Jackson High School 6’3” 195 83 106 DT Highland, UT
Lone Peak High School 6’5” 275 83 107 RB Carthage, TX
Carthage High School 5’10” 180 83 108 WR Plantation, FL
American Heritage High School 6’0” 170 83 109 ATH Frisco, TX
Panther Creek High School 6’0” 170 83 110 WR Chesapeake, VA
Oscar Frommel Smith High School 6’4” 180 83 111 RB De Kalb, MS
Kemper County High School 5’10” 195 82 112 WR Aledo, TX
Aledo High School 6’1” 195 82 113 QB-PP Mustang, OK
Mustang High School 6’3” 215 82
Oklahoma
Committed
06/24/2024
Richardson High School 6’4” 290 82
USC
Committed
03/14/2025
Mansfield High School 6’3” 180 82 116 DT Clemmons, NC
West Forsyth High School 6’4” 305 82 117 WR Mineral, VA
Louisa County High School 6’0” 175 82
Rutgers
Committed
07/27/2024
Oaks Christian High School 5’10” 185 82
USC
Committed
04/05/2025
Carrollton High School 6’3” 210 82 120 ATH Detroit, MI
Cass Technical High School 5’10” 175 82 121 OG San Francisco, CA
Archbishop Riordan High School 6’6” 340 82 122 WR Naples, FL
First Baptist Academy 6’4” 200 82 123 DT Miami, FL
Miami Northwestern High School 6’3” 275 82 124 OT Clearwater, FL
Clearwater High School 6’5” 260 82 125 OLB Wadley, AL
Wadley High School 6’4” 220 82 126 S New Orleans, LA
Edna Karr High School 6’2” 195 82
LSU
Committed
08/03/2024
Bullis School 6’1” 190 82
Clemson
Committed
03/08/2025
Dorman High School 6’2” 185 82 129 RB Moultrie, GA
Colquitt County High School 5’11” 200 82 130 WR Douglasville, GA
Douglas County High School 6’1” 175 82
Auburn
Committed
01/11/2025
Jemison High School 6’5” 220 82
Auburn
Committed
07/27/2024
Bishop Montgomery High School 6’2” 205 82 133 DE Arlington, TX
James Martin High School 6’5” 230 82
TCU
Committed
01/18/2025
Haywood High School 6’0” 165 82 135 RB Harrisburg, PA
Harrisburg High School 5’11” 200 82
Penn State
Committed
08/19/2023
Cardinal Newman High School 6’2” 210 82 137 DE Columbus, GA
Carver High School 6’4” 220 82 138 TE-H Dunlap, IL
Dunlap High School 6’5” 220 82 139 OLB Auburn, AL
Auburn High School 6’2” 205 82
Auburn
Committed
07/27/2024
Central High School 5’10” 200 82 141 TE-H Lexington, OH
Lexington High School 6’3” 220 82 142 OLB Miami, FL
Carol City High School 6’2” 220 82
Miami
Committed
11/22/2023
Weddington High School 6’3” 250 82 144 WR Charlotte, NC
Providence Day School 6’3” 185 82 145 DE Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Santa Margarita Catholic High School 6’5” 250 82
USC
Committed
02/23/2025
Weddington High School 6’2” 210 82
Notre Dame
Committed
11/12/2024
Monarch High School 6’2” 205 82 148 DE Duncanville, TX
Duncanville High School 6’4” 240 82 149 WR Saint Augustine, FL
Saint Augustine High School 6’2” 180 82 150 DT Bastrop, TX
Bastrop High School 6’3” 265 82 151 S McDonald, PA
Fort Cherry High School 6’0” 180 82
Penn State
Committed
11/02/2024
Kell High School 6’3” 200 82 153 S Leesburg, GA
Lee County High School 6’3” 175 82 154 TE-Y Mount Zion, IL
Mount Zion High School 6’6” 235 82 155 OT Washington Court House, OH
Miami Trace High School 6’7” 280 82
Clemson
Committed
03/07/2025
Lincoln-Way East High School 6’2” 200 82
USC
Committed
02/21/2025
Rutherford B. Hayes High School 6’0” 195 82 158 QB-DT Del Valle, TX
Del Valle High School 6’0” 190 82
Arizona St
Committed
09/22/2024
Newberry High School 6’4” 215 82
S Carolina
Committed
10/05/2024
Manhattan High School 6’3” 190 82
Kansas
Committed
01/02/2025
De Smet Jesuit High School 6’5” 240 82 162 S Winter Park, FL
Winter Park High School 6’3” 170 82 163 OG Exeter, NH
Phillips Exeter Academy 6’5” 285 82 164 QB-PP Lake Mary, FL
Lake Mary High School 6’4” 220 82
Notre Dame
Committed
06/01/2024
Mater Dei High School 6’3” 240 82 166 ILB Lakeland, FL
Lakeland High School 6’1” 225 82 167 ATH Chicago, IL
Morgan Park High School 6’0” 180 81 168 RB Fairburn, GA
Langston Hughes High School 6’1” 195 81 169 OT Lexington, MS
Holmes County Central High School 6’4” 295 81 170 ATH Buford, GA
Buford High School 6’0” 195 81 171 ILB Mobile, AL
Cottage Hill Christian Academy 6’3” 215 81
Auburn
Committed
07/27/2024
Shadow Creek High School 6’0” 180 81
Texas
Committed
06/25/2024
Vero Beach Senior High School 6’2” 165 81
Florida St
Committed
12/12/2023
Prosper High School 6’3” 280 81
Duke
Committed
11/25/2024
Avon High School 5’10” 180 81
Ohio State
Committed
01/02/2025
Bergen Catholic High 6’6” 270 81
Texas A&M
Committed
02/13/2025
Willis High School 6’0” 165 81 178 OT Brunswick, GA
Brunswick High School 6’5” 265 81 179 DT Petal, MS
Petal High School 6’6” 300 81 180 WR Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Santa Margarita Catholic High School 5’10” 170 81
USC
Committed
03/11/2025
Glenville High School 6’3” 225 81 182 DE Thomasville, GA
Thomas County Central High School 6’3” 230 81 183 S Milton, FL
Milton High School 6’3” 200 81 184 DT Monroe, LA
Ouachita Parish High School 6’3” 330 81 185 OLB McMurray, PA
Peters Township High School 6’3” 230 81 186 OG Cartersville, GA
Cass High School 6’4” 305 81
Michigan
Committed
02/28/2025
Berkeley Prep 6’6” 280 81 188 CB Waco, TX
Connally High School 6’2” 165 81
Baylor
Committed
01/30/2025
Bishop Gorman High School 6’3” 250 81 190 OG Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’6” 295 81 191 WR San Antonio, TX
James Madison High School 6’3” 200 81 192 OT Sarasota, FL
Cardinal Mooney High School 6’5” 340 81 193 QB-PP Downey, CA
Downey High School 6’3” 175 81 194 WR Bronx, NY
James Monroe High School 6’1” 185 81 195 OT Virginia Beach, VA
Green Run High School 6’7” 275 81 196 DT Decatur, GA
Southwest DeKalb High School 6’6” 285 81 197 OG Kennesaw, GA
North Cobb High School 6’4” 340 81 198 S Oradell, NJ
Bergen Catholic High 6’1” 180 81 199 QB-PP San Marcos, CA
Mission Hills High School 6’4” 200 81
Penn State
Committed
06/25/2024
Rolesville High School 6’6” 230 81 201 OT Bauxite, AR
Bauxite High School 6’7” 325 81 202 DT Birmingham, AL
A. H. Parker High School 6’3” 305 81 203 OG Klein, TX
Klein High School 6’4” 325 81
Texas
Committed
03/29/2025
Harrisburg High School 6’3” 190 81
Rutgers
Committed
01/15/2024
North Oconee High School 6’4” 225 81 206 S Warner Robins, GA
Houston County High School 6’2” 185 81 207 ATH Honey Grove, TX
Honey Grove High School 5’10” 175 81
Baylor
Committed
07/27/2024
Flower Mound High School 6’4” 290 81 209 WR New Orleans, LA
McDonogh 35 High School 6’0” 160 81
LSU
Committed
06/23/2024
John F. Kennedy High School 6’6” 250 81 211 RB Dallas, TX
Lake Highlands High School 6’1” 205 81
SMU
Committed
02/06/2025
Olentangy High School 6’3” 225 81
Ohio State
Committed
04/04/2025
Portage Northern High School 6’5” 260 81 214 RB Spartanburg, SC
Mountain View Preparatory 5’10” 210 81 215 CB Tuskegee, AL
Booker T. Washington High School 6’0” 165 81
LSU
Committed
03/21/2025
Mount Carmel High School 6’6” 310 81 217 CB Windermere, FL
Windermere Prep 6’0” 165 81
Nebraska
Committed
11/26/2024
Booker T. Washington High School 6’5” 200 81 219 CB Jonesboro, GA
Jonesboro High School 6’0” 175 81
Miami
Committed
04/05/2025
West Boca Raton High School 6’3” 190 81
Louisville
Committed
03/08/2025
Mater Dei High School 6’2” 185 81 222 TE-H Visalia, CA
Redwood High School 6’5” 205 81
Arizona St
Committed
02/05/2025
Milford Mill Academy 5’11” 180 81 224 WR Carrollton, GA
Walton High School 6’4” 190 81 225 OG Draper, UT
Corner Canyon High School 6’4” 295 81
USC
Committed
03/11/2025
Greene County High School 6’2” 190 81 227 DE Irmo, SC
Dutch Fork High School 6’5” 230 81 228 OT Waterloo, IA
West High School 6’7” 270 81
Iowa
Committed
04/23/2024
South Garner High School 6’4” 220 81
Notre Dame
Committed
04/05/2025
Lake Minneola High School 6’4” 290 81
Clemson
Committed
03/09/2025
First Academy 6’2” 190 81
Florida
Committed
07/31/2024
Donelson Christian Academy 6’6” 220 81
Tennessee
Committed
08/05/2024
Duncanville High School 6’4” 235 81 234 DT Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’1” 315 81 235 DE Cross Plains, TN
East Robertson High School 6’4” 220 81 236 WR Bossier City, LA
Airline High School 6’0” 180 81
LSU
Committed
11/12/2024
Nazareth Senior High School 6’5” 205 81 238 OT Leesburg, VA
Loudoun County High School 6’5” 275 81 239 QB-DT Kentwood, MI
East Kentwood High School 6’2” 190 81
Michigan St
Committed
02/08/2025
Bluffton High School 6’4” 200 81
Virginia Tech
Committed
01/02/2025
Cocoa High School 6’1” 180 81 242 WR Iowa Colony, TX
Iowa Colony High School 6’2” 185 81 243 DT Jackson, MS
Jackson Academy 6’2” 315 81 244 WR Bellflower, CA
St. John Bosco High School 6’2” 190 81
Oklahoma
Committed
01/28/2025
Princeton Senior High School 6’2” 225 81
Penn State
Committed
07/31/2024
DePaul Catholic High School 6’1” 200 80 247 DE Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Christian High School 6’3” 245 80 248 DT Clayton, NC
Clayton High School 6’4” 260 80 249 DE Naperville, IL
Naperville North High School 6’2” 240 80 250 OT Cold Spring, MN
Rocori High School 6’6” 275 80
Minnesota
Committed
01/29/2024
Red Oak High School 5’9” 165 80 252 CB New Orleans, LA
Edna Karr High School 6’2” 175 80 253 WR Savannah, GA
Benedictine Military High School 5’10” 180 80 254 DT Owasso, OK
Owasso High School 6’3” 275 80 255 WR Norman, OK
Norman North High School 5’11” 175 80 256 DT Fort Myers, FL
Fort Myers High School 6’4” 270 80 257 DE Gardena, CA
Junipero Serra High School 6’4” 245 80 258 CB Seffner, FL
Armwood High School 6’1” 175 80
Miami
Committed
03/07/2025
Crean Lutheran High School 6’2” 270 80 260 CB Duluth, GA
Duluth High School 6’0” 195 80
S Carolina
Committed
11/04/2024
Simeon Career Academy 6’5” 230 80 262 S Homestead, FL
Miami Northwestern High School 6’4” 180 80
Florida St
Committed
07/04/2024
Monsignor Donovan High School 6’5” 290 80 264 QB-DT Celina, TX
Celina High School 6’1” 205 80 265 DT Eugene, OR
Willamette High School 6’3” 305 80
Oregon
Committed
10/14/2024
Queen Creek High School 6’2” 205 80
Clemson
Committed
07/07/2024
Jackson Academy 6’2” 225 80 268 WR Sarasota, FL
Booker High School 6’0” 180 80
UCF
Committed
04/03/2025
Archbishop Hoban High School 6’7” 305 80
Ohio State
Committed
03/25/2025
Frenship High School 5’11” 175 80 271 OT Honolulu, HI
Kamehameha Schools 6’6” 310 80 272 DT Calypso, NC
North Duplin High School 6’3” 310 80
N Carolina
Committed
03/17/2025
West Boca Raton High School 6’1” 205 80
Miami
Committed
03/22/2025
Miami Southridge Senior High School 6’5” 210 80
Syracuse
Committed
03/30/2025
Buchholz High School 5’11” 190 80 276 OLB Venice, FL
Venice High School 6’2” 225 80 277 ILB Carthage, TX
Carthage High School 6’1” 215 80 278 OG Goodyear, AZ
Desert Edge High School 6’5” 315 80 279 S Miami Lakes, FL
Goleman High School 6’0” 190 80
Florida St
Committed
10/13/2023
Fruitland High School 6’5” 270 80 281 OG Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’4” 330 80 282 OT Clarksville, TN
Kirkwood High School 6’6” 245 80 283 TE-H Jacksonville, FL
The Bolles School 6’4” 220 80
Ohio State
Committed
11/28/2024
Newnan High School 6’1” 210 80 285 OG Pace, FL
Pace High School 6’4” 300 80
Clemson
Committed
03/09/2025
Jonesboro High School 6’0” 185 80 287 OLB Loganville, GA
Grayson High School 6’2” 195 80 288 OT Prosper, TX
Prosper High School 6’4” 270 80 289 WR Hollywood, FL
Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School 6’1” 185 80
Auburn
Committed
01/01/2024
Davison High School 6’6” 320 80
Notre Dame
Committed
12/25/2024
Prosper High School 6’5” 265 80 292 DT Richland, NJ
Saint Augustine Prep 6’2” 275 80 293 ILB Lawndale, CA
Leuzinger High School 6’4” 230 80
Texas A&M
Committed
10/27/2024
Carvers Bay High School 6’5” 295 80
S Carolina
Committed
03/21/2205
Watkins Memorial High School 6’0” 190 80
Ohio State
Committed
11/16/2024
Willis High School 6’4” 300 80 297 TE-H Billings, MT
Billings West High School 6’4” 230 80 298 DE Rogers, AR
Rogers High School 6’2” 230 80 299 S Pascagoula, MS
Pascagoula High School 6’2” 185 80 300 WR Powder Springs, GA
McEachern High School 6’3” 210 80
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