Midwest Spotlight: Five intense recruiting battles

With the Early Signing Period roughly three months away and only a handful of Midwest recruits rated four-stars or higher left on the board, look for the recruiting trail to get a little heated for the region’s elite players in the coming months.

Here is a closer look at the five most contested recruiting battles happening in the Midwest.

MORE IN THIS SERIES: Five intense East Coast recruiting battles | Southeast

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Main contenders: Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon, Georgia

Love has shown the ability to play both running back and defensive back at an elite level and that will only make this recruitment more contested as we close in on signing day. The St. Louis CBC standout has also been relatively mum on his decision as of late, and while that often points to a decision being right around the corner, this situation seems as though it could be a little different.

Love originally intended to commit somewhat early during his senior year, but the longer his recruitment plays out the more things seem to get clouded. Notre Dame and Texas A&M appear to be the frontrunners here, but don’t be surprised if Georgia and Oregon make a push with Michigan still hanging on as a possible destination.

Main contenders: Oklahoma, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oregon, Nebraska, Georgia and USC

All eyes will be on Lincoln (Neb.) East High School when Coleman announces his decision on Oct. 22. Nebraska once seemed to be the likely destination for the No. 57 player in the nation, but with all of the turmoil in Lincoln this season, his recruitment could go in any direction.

While Coleman has stated publicly that he is not interested in choosing a program that isn’t winning, the Huskers could still have a chance at one of the freakiest athletes in the 2023 class – as long as interim head coach Mickey Joseph is still in the fold. Should Joseph not stay in Lincoln, Nebraska could be out of the picture and this may become a six-team battle.

Main contenders: Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

The four-star safety out of St. Louis Cardinal Ritter has been loud with his play at running back this season, but he’s been relatively quiet in terms of his recruitment. Burks announced a top five of Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and LSU on July 11, and although any of those five could be the destination, he has chosen to take only three of his allotted official visits at this point.

Without having any recent communication with Burks, this would appear to be a three-team SEC battle among the schools where he has taken officials: Missouri, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. With Burks being one of the top available players in the nation and no commitment date set, this is a recruitment that could get interesting if he chooses not to stay close to home and play for Missouri.

Main contenders: Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Washington

Hill is one of the most physically gifted defensive players left on the board, so this is another recruitment that could get extremely contested as we close in on signing day. Without a commitment date or final list being announced publicly, we have to go off what we do know and that points to Michigan and Illinois being the favorites here.

Location will likely factor into the Kankakee, Ill., standout’s decision, which could make Illinois the team to beat, but don’t expect Missouri and Washington to abandon his recruitment any time soon. The longer Hill’s commitment drags out the more it seems to be up in the air.

Main contenders: Kansas and Kansas State

After Jeremiyah Love, Randle is the highest-rated running back left on the board from the Midwest. The athletic running back comes from a family of standout football players. His dad played at Kansas and his uncle started at Oklahoma State and later played for the Dallas Cowboys.

Randle’s recruitment seems to be up in the air, but his connections to Kansas State and coach Brian Anderson could end up being the deciding factor here. Also look for Kansas to potentially make a run with its early success this season.