Jamarion Wilcox has emerged as one of the best running backs in the 2023 class and over the last few months his recruitment has also taken off.
The Douglassville (Ga.) South Paulding four-star has rocketed up the position rankings and now not only finds himself as a four-star prospect but as the ninth-best running back in the country and comfortably inside the Rivals250.
The eight running backs ranked ahead of him are all committed but Wilcox, who now has close to 20 offers, has narrowed his list to four schools: Auburn, Clemson, Kentucky and Ohio State.
In today’s Making the Case, experts from around the Rivals network make an argument for a particular school and then national recruiting director Adam Gorney issues his verdict as to where he sees Wilcox ending up.
*****
MORE: Tuesdays with Gorney on latest headlines and big rumors
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Message board | Transfer ranking | Transfer Tracker
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
*****
AUBURN
Auburn didn’t extend an offer to Wilcox until recently, but even with a late offer the Tigers still made his top four. It shows that Auburn has immediate credibility with Wilcox, but the Tigers running back room is already pretty tight. With Auburn already holding a commitment from Jeremiah Cobb and a pair of backs returning it seems Wilcox wouldn’t have much of a chance to see the field early. – Caleb Jones, AuburnSports.com
*****
CLEMSON
Clemson pulled the trigger on an offer in late September after bringing him in for a game visit. His Kentucky official visit transpired soon thereafter, and the Tigers never had any traction after that. Hence Clemson has offered two other running backs, both of which the Tigers are expected to land. – Paul Strelow, TigerIllustrated.com
*****
KENTUCKY
Kentucky has made Wilcox a priority for a really long time, and while his standing with other schools might have been in question it hasn’t been with regard to UK. Kentucky has a pretty wide-open running back situation going into next year and he’s very familiar with the school. – Justin Rowland, CatsIllustrated.com
*****
OHIO STATE
Wilcox, a Cincinnati native, has been building a relationship with assistant head coach and run game coordinator Tony Alford and Ohio State since last spring and the Buckeyes view him as a JK Dobbins type of halfback. With Mark Fletcher’s decommitment the Buckeyes have no running backs in their top five-ranked class and Wilcox – if he chooses to make an official visit to Columbus – would find himself in a position to make an impact in one of the country’s elite programs. – Jeremy Birmingham, DottingTheEyes.com
*****
THE VERDICT
I’m getting the impression that Auburn is happy with its situation in having Cobb committed and that Clemson’s focus has turned to Jarvis Green and Jamarius Haynes. And while Ohio State is incredibly intriguing and could become the team to beat if Wilcox waits even longer to make his decision, it seems that Kentucky is the frontrunner among his final four. Wilcox has been recruited the longest by that staff, he’s clearly a big-time priority to the Wildcats and with the success of Christopher Rodriguez and others it looks like Kentucky would be the pick if Wilcox were to choose today. – Adam Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director
