Three-Point Stance: Miami, USC invading the Midwest
Nick Lucero/Rivals.com
Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Greg Smith addresses NIL, along with the Midwest invasion by big-name, warm weather programs on each coast.
MORE SMITH: Midwest programs off to a surprisingly strong start in 2025 recruiting
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NIL shifting to retention
The spring transfer portal window is open. There was some thought that it would once again be the wild, wild west with several big names jumping into the portal to find new schools. If the first few days of the window being open are any indication, we aren’t going to get that. My question is why?
I believe that we are seeing a shift in how collectives operate for teams. We know that there was a quick shift at the beginning of the NIL Era away from getting athletes paid for their Name, Image and Likeness. That was replaced by collectives throwing big dollars at recruits and transfers to get them to the team. That is still happening to an extent. But what is on the rise is collectives paying to keep rosters intact.
That makes sense on a couple levels. First, I think it's easier for everyone involved to wrap their minds around paying additional money to players that are already in college. Those players have been part of the team and already proven they are capable of contributing.
Secondly, coaches much prefer it this way. Even though they technically “can’t be involved” if we did an anonymous poll, almost 100% of coaches would say they’d prefer the collective pay to retain the current roster than get into bidding wars for high school players.
We just saw Michigan win a national championship after using its collective to bring back several key veteran players. Sports is a copycat industry so this is rapidly becoming the norm around the sport.
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2. Miami/USC invading the Midwest
There is something happening in the Midwest with elite prospects that should have programs based in the region on notice.
A pair of warm weather former powers are really making an effort to land top talent in the region. And it’s already successful. Miami and USC are two programs that have enjoyed immense success in their history, but each has been down in recent years and desperately trying to climb back into national relevance. And both programs have made talent in the Midwest a priority.
Miami made a statement in the 2024 cycle by landing a pair of Midwest five-star defensive linemen with Justin Scott and Marquise Lightfoot. Four-star defensive end Elias Rudolph from Ohio also joined the program. The Hurricanes have already struck twice in the Midwest this cycle. Ohio four-star tight end Luka Gilbert and Indiana four-star tight end Brock Schott are in the class.
USC landed a trio of Midwest players during the 2024 cycle, as defensive end Jide Abasiri, plus athletes Jadyn Walker and Desman Stephens signed. Stephens in particular will be fun to follow as a defender that could really blossom out West. The Trojans don’t have a Midwest player on the 2025 commit list yet but plan to bring several in for official visits this summer.
This is worth keeping an eye on if you are a fan of a team in the Midwest.
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3. Corey Simms-to-Missouri FutureCast
Sean Williams/Rivals.com
Around the country players are setting up official visits.and I’m coming out early before those visits and putting in a FutureCast for Missouri four-star wide receiver Corey Simms to commit to the in-state Tigers.
Simms just took an unofficial visit to Florida that he enjoyed but the Gators have yet to put down an offer. The pass catcher does have a handful of official visits set up. Nebraska, USC and Missouri are the schools with official visits on the books, as Nebraska and Missouri have been mainstays in his recruitment.
It’ll be tough to beat the Tigers, who have had a resurgence on the recruiting trail lately with in-state players.
