Isaiah

Raikes

Restrepo had finally gotten elevated just before Thanksgiving before an ankle injury knocked him out for the season. He finished with three catches for 41 yards in two games. The Titans also signed DE David Ebuka Agoha, DB Keydrain Calligan, DT Timmy Horne, LB Nate Lynn, WR Hal Presley III, NT Isaiah Raikes, LB Cam Riley, RB Blake Watson, G Clay Webb and TE Joel Wilson to reserve/future deals.

Raikes (6'1/310) made a positive impression at the Rivals camp, not only for what he did in drills but also for how eager he was to put in the work. “More than any other defensive linemen, Raikes kept lining up for more reps, never hiding in the back of the line but shooting up to the front ready to keep competing,” Rivals recruiting analyst Adam Gorney wrote. Gorney also made note of Raikes’ “violent hands,” with the New Jersey native ultimately being beat out by DT Jaquelin Roy for the Defensive Line MVP award. But Raikes didn’t go home empty-handed however, with his performance and work ethic resulting in his winning the Gatorade Award.

Raikes (6'1/310) made his pledge to Jimbo Fisher’s program on Sunday, picking Texas A&M over offers from Duke, Northwestern, Penn State and Wake Forest. The four-star defensive tackle out of Richland, NJ has the combination of size, strength and athleticism that Texas A&M has been looking for in recruiting interior linemen in this class, so his commitment is big news for the program. Raikes, the Aggies’ 11th commitment in the 2020 class, visited College Station in April . Raikes’ pledge to Texas A&M occurred at an interesting time however, as he did so after visiting Penn State.

While a Duke official is in play for the 6-foot-1, 310-pound Raikes, he has yet to lock in that trip. The Richland, New Jersey, native has already turned in two official visits this spring, most recently checking out Penn State this past weekend. He earlier took a Northwestern official. Oregon, Texas A&M and Temple are three other programs to watch as Raikes sorts through his options. The 247Sports composite board sees the defensive tackle home as the No. 14 prospect in the state of New Jersey for the 2020 cycle. We could see Raikes pledge to a program before the end of July. Perhaps even before the end of June.

This will be Raikes’ second official visit of the spring, as he earlier checked out Northwestern in official capacity on May 17. The 6-foot-1, 310-pounder is interested in taking further officials to Duke and Oregon. Texas A&M could also be in play for an OV (Raikes has already taken an unofficial to College Station). In addition to Penn State, Northwestern, Duke, Oregon and Texas A&M, Temple is a contender in this recruitment. On the 247Sports composite board, the Richland, New Jersey, native ranks as the No. 16 prospect in the state for the 2020 cycle. Raikes is eyeing a late June or July commitment date at this juncture.

Raikes (6'1/310) took a recent unofficial visit to Texas A&M and is keen to take an official visit to College Station at some point upcoming. The Aggies are contending with Oregon, Penn State, West Virginia and Temple. Friedman forwards that the three-star defensive tackle will likely make his commitment sometime in late June. While Rivals ranks Raikes as the No. 32 defensive tackle in the 2020 class, he is a prime candidate to receive a metaphorical seat upgrade when the outlet releases their next rankings set later this spring/summer.

Raikes (6'1/310) showed out well in the Rivals 3 Stripe camp regional in New Jersey over the weekend, with Friedman noting that the Richland native “hasn’t been to a camp this year where he wasn’t one of the best defensive linemen in attendance and that didn’t change on Sunday.” At this stage, Raikes lands as Rivals’ No. 32 defensive tackle in the 2020 class. We’ll see if he can get that little rankings bump that Friedman believes warranted.