 end." This clip makes clear why that description is spot-on.
[vine:]
The IMG (Fla.) Academy star committed to Georgia over Alabama and Michigan during the All-American Bowl earlier this month. (He initially pledged to Florida State but decided to reopen his recruitment this summer.) The No. 1 tight end and No. 30 player in the class of 2016, per Scout.com, Nauta is the most heralded prospect in the Bulldogs' 2016 class other than Eason.
8. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano kept the post office busy
On March 26 of last year, Guarantano announced on Twitter that he would reveal his college decision at Bergen Catholic (N.J.) High on April 15. That left plenty of time for his three finalists—Ohio State, Rutgers and Tennessee—to intensify their pursuits of the four-star quarterback. Guarantano chose Tennessee, but not before receiving more than 100 letters from those three schools two days before his announcement. That's a lot of mail, even if it doesn't come close to the massive pile Quarte Sapp, a four-star linebacker in the class of 2015, once used to fill his bathtub.
As if that wasn't enough drama, Guarantano's mother added to the suspense on the morning of April 15 by decorating the front window of his home with Scarlet Knights, Volunteers and Buckeyes logos. All of the uncertainty leading into his choice may have kept the Ohio State, Rutgers and Tennessee fan bases on edge, but Volunteers supporters were probably happy with the way things turned out.
9. Khaleke Hudson has Odell Beckham Jr.-like catching ability
Hudson made an incredible one-handed catch while leaping over a teammate and then landed in the end zone. It wasn't perfect, as the person he hurdled had to duck, but we'll give Hudson the benefit of the doubt.
A four-star athlete from McKeesport, Pa., Hudson told Scout.com that he has "no preference" about what position he plays in college. He took an official visit to Michigan earlier this month, but Penn State is also in the mix. The program that lands him should probably try him out at receiver—at least when trying to finish drives in the red zone.
10. Elijah Holyfield got creative with his commitment
The abundance of creative announcements over the years has made it tough for recruits to stand out when revealing their commitments. Yet Holyfield deserves credit for thinking outside the box. The son of former heavyweight champion boxer Evander Holyfield made public his pledge to Georgia by using two bulldog puppies that may or may not have been named "Chubb" and "Gurley" after current Georgia tailback Nick Chubb and former back Todd Gurley, now with the Los Angeles Rams. On Sept. 4, Holyfield walked across his high school gym with the two dogs on a leash before slipping on a white Georgia baseball cap.
This was well executed, and Holyfield should be commended for opting against, say, unexpectedly firing off a tweet on a weekday night indicating his choice. He told the the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he had been silently committed to the Bulldogs for more than a month.
11. Nigel Knott produced the best off-field highlight catch
A video of Knott making a ridiculous catch went viral last May. Everything about this clip is smooth—the grab, the flip, the landing—and it barely edged out class of 2015 NC State running back recruit Nyheim Hines's spinning catch at the top of SI's Staged Highlight Power Rankings.
[vine:]
Knott provided evidence that the catch wasn't something he could execute only once; he pulled off a similar maneuver in front of a recruiting reporter this summer. A four-star cornerback out of Germantown (Miss.) High, Knott remains uncommitted.
12. Terrell Hall did not appreciate how Maryland initially recruited him
Hall is an uncommitted four-star defensive end who attends St. John's College High in Washington, D.C. In May, when Hall was committed to Ohio State, he made clear that he did not appreciate the way Maryland handled his recruitment. Hall expressed his displeasure in a series of since-deleted tweets over two days that were captured by CollegeSpun.com.
The tweets were sent out less than a week after the Terrapins landed a pledge from four-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr., who flipped to the Buckeyes last Monday along with four-star linebacker Keandre Jones. Hall reportedly received a scholarship offer from the Terrapins in October 2014.
"Lol Maryland get a couple of commits and think that they gone dominate the big 10" (May 16, 2015)
"It's funny how fans think UMD wanted me from the jump. If anything PSU had me from the jump & I love them for that. OSU is perfect for me" (May 17, 2015)
Hall renounced his pledge to the Buckeyes in August, and Scout.com's Brian Dohn recently explained that he thinks Hall could end up choosing Maryland. Keep in mind, the Terrapins have brought in a new coaching staff led by former Michigan assistant D.J. Durkin.
13. Miles Sanders gives Penn State even more reason for optimism at running back
Saquon Barkley emerged as one of the nation's best offensive players in his debut season at Penn State. He broke the Nittany Lions' freshman rushing record with 1,076 yards, was named second-team All-Big Ten by coaches and media and produced an unforgettable highlight when he leapt over an Illinois defender en route to a touchdown. Barkley looks like he could develop into a star, the kind of player around whom new coordinator Joe Moorhead can build his offense.
But the Nittany Lions are on the verge of adding a running back with more potential than Barkley. Sanders was bumped from a four- to a five-star prospect and is now the top-rated player at his position, according to Scout.com, after shining in practices at the Under Armour All-American Bowl earlier this month and rushing for 1,523 yards with 16 touchdowns on 11.2 yards per carry during his senior season at Woodland Hills (Pa.) High. (Barkley was rated a four-star recruit and ranked 14th among running backs in the class of 2015.)
Scout.com's Brian Dohn explained the recent change in Sanders's star status: "Sanders's combination of running style—he can get to the edge, make defenders miss behind the line of scrimmage and run between the tackles—as well as his ability to break big runs, catch the ball out of the backfield and also be effective as a blocker moved him from a four-star to five-star prospect."
14. Kendell Jones could make Alabama's defensive line even scarier
The Crimson Tide's front seven was fearsome in 2015, and it should wreak havoc again next fall after returning Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams and several others. Even better: Although Alabama lost star lineman A'Shawn Robinson, it landed a prospect who can rival him in the intimidation department.
Jones is listed at 6' 4,'' 361 pounds and his Hudl page indicates he can bench press 400 pounds, squat 600 pounds and run the 40 in 4.90 seconds. Nicknamed "Hulk," Jones is the No. 5 defensive tackle and No. 14 player in the class of 2016, per Scout.com.
How big is Jones? Below is footage of him standing next to the top defensive tackle in the class of 2016, the 6' 4,'' 286-pound Rashan Gary.

15. Tren'Davian Dickson and Devin Duvernay could help Baylor fans forget about Corey Coleman
Baylor will enter next season needing to replace a receiver (Coleman) who in 2015 caught 74 passes for a Big 12-leading 1,363 yards and won the Biletnikoff Award. That won't be easy, but two of the Bears' touted recruits look as if they can help. Dickson and Duvernay rank third and fourth, respectively, among players at the position in the class of '16, according to Scout.com.
Dickson initially committed to the Bears in July 2014, but he later reopened his recruitment and pledged to Texas before flipping back to Baylor last November. He set a national record with 39 touchdown receptions as a junior at Navasota (Texas) High and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas as a senior after making 82 catches for 1,525 yards with 24 touchdowns.
If Dickson is known for his stats, Duvernay has earned widespread acclaim for his speed. He sprinted 100 meters in 10.27 seconds last May, one of the fastest times in the country in 2015, and was clocked at 4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash at The Opening. Duvernay also has good hands and footwork, both of which helped him amass more than 1,000 rushing yards and nearly 3,000 receiving yards at Sachse (Texas) High.
16. Greg Little could help Ole Miss fans forget about Laremy Tunsil
Ole Miss is faced with a predicament resembling Baylor's, only pertaining to a different position. Whereas the Bears must bid farewell to the best receiver in the country, the Rebels must say goodbye to the best offensive tackle, as Laremy Tunsil declared for the draft in January. Fortunately for Ole Miss, it has a pretty good replacement plan lined up.
