The 5-star prospects turn out to be the protagonists in the present narrative of the college football landscape. Right now it’s the Washington, D.C. standout Carter Meadows who has the strings in his hands. Now this isn’t something new. Meadows had picked up more than 20 Division I offers. The list as you could guess starred the bigshot programs, including Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, and multiple others. But right now the fight is between the three power-packed programs, Sherrone Moore’s Wolverines,  Ryan Day’s Buckeyes, and James Franklin’s Nittany Lions. 

Now the craze for Meadows is real. After all, why wouldn’t it be? The 6’6”, 215-pounder has an imposing presence on the gridiron. He comes off as a perfect package of speed, and strength while dominating any offensive lineman is another hallmark of his gameplay. And then comes his recent glow-up. The young man shot up over 250 spots and went from fringe four-star talent to top-tier five-star. He has been named a five-star prospect, climbing to No. 6 overall nationally. Now what about his suitors’ chances? On the On3 Recruits podcast, analyst Steve Wiltfong shared how the Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines are leading the race to land Meadows. 

The analyst tagged the edge rusher as “an absolute monster.” He then shared some interesting insights about the athlete’s plan in the coming days, “EJ Holland [Wolverines’ recruiting correspondent] is reporting that he’s going to be in Ann Arbor March 21st [March].” In that way, Michigan Wolverines are one of the frontrunners for hiring Meadows. His skill set seems like the perfect fit for Michigan, a program known for developing raw talent into elite players. And how could we forget about the Bryce Underwood factor that is now the biggest flex in the Wolverines squad? But the fight for the crown is going to be a tough one.

After all, we also have the National Championship winner Coach Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes in the mix. And how could we forget the Penn State Nittany Lions? Under James Franklin, they had their first-ever 13-win season in 2024. Even though there are other programs like Northwestern, Stanford, North Carolina, and South Carolina are rooting for Meadows, it’s basically the top-three contestants, As Wiltfong stated, “I think Michigan’s one of the front runners. Certainly, Penn State is another program. He’s high on in Ohio State there’s a great deal of intrigue with the Buckeyes.” Will Ohio State get a benefit? 

How Carter Meadows had caught the hype early 

Looks like Day and the Buckeyes were too early for the party. Back in September last year, the Ohio State football program had offered a scholarship to the Gonzaga College High School star. Meadows was flattered. In an interview with cleveland.com, he said, “I’m really appreciative, most grateful. I’ve known Ohio State since grade school — a lot of history, a great program. The fact that they’re interested in me is a great feeling and an incentive to keep working.” Now what about Penn State?

Well, the Nittany Lions had taken the mission Meadows seriously even before the Buckeyes. They dished out an offer to the player in March 2024. Meadows then camped at Penn State last June, attending a 7-on-7 & Big Man Challenge with his teammates. While with every passing day, Meadows’ hype is getting intense, not many know he also has some big contributions beyond the football sport.

Carter Meadows has been focused on basketball lately. He has kept himself away from taking trips. The last time he flew was to Penn State in October for the game against UCLA. However, he has already made plans for his spring visit to Sherrone Moore’s program in March. Now let’s see how things turn out for the newly minted 5-star.