5-stars galore headline the top CFB commitments in July

The hottest month on the college football recruiting calendar used to be February, but those days are long gone. Now, the big visits and decisions are taking place in June and July, with final commitments and signing coming on the first Wednesday in December.

This summer in particular was red-hot, with more than 600 Power 4 commitments in June and a massive wave of announcements in early July. In total, 11 five-stars came off the board in past 31 days — leaving only three left uncommitted as we head into August.

It was a banner month for a handful of teams, as Rivals’ Adam Gorney outlined on Thursday. But a few other programs made big splashes as well with major additions. Below are the top 10 commitments of the month:

Lamar Brown – LSU

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 2
The Skinny: Despite hailing from just outside Baton Rouge, Brown gave long looks to programs like Texas A&M, Miami, and Texas. At one point, he even canceled his official visit with LSU before ultimately putting it back on the calendar. After OVs with the Hurricanes, Longhorns and Aggies, he made his long-awaited visit to LSU and committed to the in-state Tigers in early July.

“It feels good to play for my state and city,” Brown told The Bengal Tiger. “So best option for me not just for three or four years, but the years of life after football and all that. So I’m just blessed to be in this position and ready to play for Tiger Stadium.”

Immanuel Iheanacho – Oregon

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 6
The Skinny: The Ducks have shown their ability to sign elite players from across the country and have put a particular focus on the DMV area. Iheanacho was at one time considered an early lean to nearby Maryland, but as time went on they faded from the picture. Penn State, Auburn, LSU and Oregon emerged as the top contenders. Dan Lanning and Co. got the final official visit in June, and two weeks later Iheanacho announced for the Ducks on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN.

Tyler Atkinson – Texas

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 9
The Skinny: Georgia spent nearly three years recruiting the Loganville (Ga.) Grayson star linebacker, pouring tons of effort into keeping him at home. But Atkinson opted not to commit early in his process and took OVs to Clemson, Texas, Georgia and Oregon. The latter three emerged as the final contenders in the last couple weeks before his decision. Steve Sarkisian and Co. made a big impression on his official visit and also reportedly offered an NIL package that the other two schools couldn’t match. He announced for the Longhorns on July 15, marking their second five-star commitment that day.

Felix Ojo – Texas Tech

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 12
The Skinny: In recruiting, you win some and usually lose more. And that’s especially the case in the NIL and revenue-sharing world. While Texas won out with Atkinson and Rivals five-star James Johnson (who flipped from Georgia), they were on the wrong side of a battle for in-state offensive tackle Felix Ojo. Despite not naming Texas Tech in his final four schools, the hulking 6-foot-6, 275-pounder chose the Red Raiders on July 4, spurning the Longhorns — his perceived top school for months.

Jireh Edwards – Alabama

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 16
The Skinny: The end of June and beginning of July were very kind to the Crimson Tide, as they secured elite running back Ezavier Crowell, Edwards and five-star wideout Cederian Morgan. Edwards, who hails from the Baltimore area, was another prospect that many perceived Maryland to be a huge threat for. But like with Iheanacho, the Terrapins faded from the picture while Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Oregon emerged as real threats. A spring visit to Tuscaloosa pushed the Tide into the top group, and his official visit in June sealed the deal.

Anthony Jones – Oregon

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 22
The Skinny: Remember what we said about winning some and losing others? While the Crimson Tide were able to keep two of the state’s top three players at home, Kalen DeBoer and Co. couldn’t quite complete the trifecta with Jones. One of the nation’s premier pass-rushers, he narrowed his final list down to Alabama, Oregon and Texas A&M ahead of his decision on Thursday. He even named the Tide as his No. 1 school in the weeks leading up to the decision. But the opportunities he saw in Eugene were ultimately too good to pass up, and he announced for the Ducks.

Cederian Morgan – Alabama

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 24
The Skinny: Early in Morgan’s recruitment, Auburn emerged as one of his top schools. The Tigers even got his second-to-last official visit, but they couldn’t overcome Alabama in the end. Morgan was another player who visited the Tide in the spring and moved them to the top of his list. And none of the other finalists, including Auburn, Florida, or Georgia could break through into that top spot.

“I get to stay home and play for Alabama,” he told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “Alabama has tradition, they win and I get to play for coach Shep, the best receivers coach in the country. He is big on development, I can’t describe our connection and I know he will push me to be the best version of myself on and off the field.”

Kaiden Prothro – Georgia

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 26
The Skinny: July didn’t go exactly as planned for Kirby Smart and his staff, losing Atkinson and Johnson to Texas. After a red-hot June that landed them 16 commitments — including Johnson’s — the Bulldogs were hoping for a few five-star decisions this month. Two didn’t go their way, but did come out on top with Prothro, one of the most dynamic tight end prospects in the country. If UGA didn’t lead from wire-to-wire in this recruitment, they came very close to doing so and eventually won out.

Chauncey Kennon – FSU

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 27
The Skinny: Florida State was another program who used a big summer to move close to a top-10 recruiting class, and Kennon was the prize of that group. He took official visits with Florida, Miami, Georgia and LSU, but his trip to Tallahassee in June pushed the ‘Noles over the top.

“It’s a dream school. I always wanted to be at Florida State,” Kennon told Warchant ahead of his June OV to Tallahassee. “As y’all know, my sister goes to Florida State, my family grew up liking Florida State, so it’s just always been a dream school.”

WR Calvin Russell – Syracuse

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 28
The Skinny: The south Florida star wideout had offers from coast-to-coast and took official visits to Florida, LSU, Oregon, Miami, Florida State and Michigan between May and June. The hometown Hurricanes were always pegged as the team to beat, though the Wolverines made a late push with his visit to Ann Arbor. Russell, though, pulled off a major shocker by choosing Syracuse and head coach Fran Brown on his announcement day.

He is only the third five-star commitment in program history and a huge recruiting coup for Brown.