On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Texas surging with elite 2024 CB Wardell Mack

Marrero (La.) John Ehret four-star cornerback Wardell Mack was largely considered a slam-dunk recruiting win for LSU just a few months ago.

The Tigers have landed players ranked No. 3-10 inside their own state this cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, and LSU is one of the toughest schools in the country to beat when it comes to in-state recruits.

But it’s an out-of-state school who is surging in the recruitment of Mack — the No. 19 overall recruit in the On300 rankings — according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

Texas has the buzz with Wardell Mack

While LSU still holds a slight advantage, Texas has made a significant move in recent days, spurred on by an expert pick in the Longhorns’ favor from On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. Now, it appears to be shaping into a three-team race between Florida, LSU and Texas.

“Mack was expected at LSU’s Bayou Splash on Friday, but instead was on hand for the Gators’ Grill in the Ville,” Spiegelman wrote. Billy Napier, Jabbar Juluke and Corey Raymond have turned up the heat on the elite Louisiana defensive back since his June official visit, and a second visit to The Swamp in as many months has the Gators in the lead group for Mack as a late-summer decision nears.

… Florida has become a major contender along with Texas, which has built a strong foundation with the New Orleans-based recruit. Terry Joseph and Steve Sarkisian have been staples in Mack’s recruitment for almost a year’s time, and after his official visit to The Forty Acres last month sources believe key members of his circle began to lean in favor of the Longhorns, though the Gators have certainly made things a little more interesting midway through the summer. I moved my RPM from LSU to Texas with a decision expected before August comes to an end.”

Both out-of-state programs pushing hard

The 6-foot, 175-pound Mack took official visits with both the Gators and Longhorns in June, as well as making a stop at Florida State. He named each of those programs, as well as LSU, among his top four schools.

But there isn’t any school who has been working as hard to land him as Texas, which also pulled the state’s top two players in 2023 — Arch Manning and Derek Williams — away from LSU.

“This spring, Coach Sark came to see me the most,” Mack told The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon of Texas. “They showed me how much of a priority I was on the official visit. He sat down and broke down how he feels about the way I play my game — how I dominate — and he feels I’m one of the best players in the nation. For a coach from out of state, from the big state of Texas to come into Louisiana, that says a lot.”

The Gators’ pursuit, meanwhile, has been led by defensive backs coach Corey Raymond, who was previously on staff at LSU and developed some of the country’s best secondary prospects. What Raymond, along with head coach Billy Napier, are building in Gainesville is exciting to him.

“It’s a great place with great people, and you can see the program is being turned around by this new staff,” Mack said. “It’s just a different vibe up there and I can really see myself up there at Florida. Being around the players, the coaches, everyone is just real.”

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