DESOTO, Texas -- At the recent Dallas Nike Football Training Camp at Eagle Stadium, one of the most physically impressive offensive linemen was Arlington (Texas) Bowie offensive tackle Madison Akamnonu.
Rising OT Madison Akamnonu has top 3
Kansas State, Missouri and Texas Tech make up the top group for the athletic offensive tackle.
At a chiseled 6’5 and 270 pounds, the consensus three-star prospect has not yet seen his rankings reflect his upside, which is significant after he showed the athleticism and the overall body quickness to set in pass protection and the flexibility to sit comfortably in his stance -- in a drill that asked linemen to do that for as long as possible, Akamnonu was one of the last to give in.
With the start of the spring evaluation period, Akamnonu could quickly become a hot commodity on the recruiting trail as college coaches make their rounds in the state of Texas. Currently, the No. 78 offensive tackle nationally by 247Sports has offers from Arkansas State, Colorado State, Houston, Kansas State, Missouri, North Texas, Southern Miss, Texas State, Texas Tech and Wake Forest.
Following his solid performance at the Dallas NFTC, he spoke with SB Nation Recruiting about where things stand for him.
Akamnonu said that he has a top three of Kansas State, Missouri and Texas Tech, in no particular order.
He hasn’t yet made it up to Kansas State, as he was supposed to visit Manhattan several weeks ago, but went to the Dallas Rivals Camp instead. He also wants to visit Missouri for a summer camp.
The Red Raiders have gotten Akamnonu on campus, offering the offensive tackle on his March 12 visit.
“I liked it,” he said. “Everybody was nice and friendly. I like the coaching staff and I liked the players and I liked the intensity. It felt good there, but the only thing is, my parents they just told me to commit after spring ball, so then I can weigh all my options.”
A school that received a recent visit without extending an offer is Texas.
“They said they are going to keep recruiting me hard. There’s not going to be an offer right now, but maybe during spring ball.”
Akamnonu admitted that he hasn’t yet thought about what type of impact an offer from the Longhorns would have on his recruitment. When he was younger, he paid attention to the Texas program, but at some point, he decided to back off from his vested interests in specific schools.
Another program keeping tabs on Akamnonu? Oklahoma, and the big offensive tackle admitted that an offer from the Sooners would put them near the top of his list -- No. 1 or No. 2, in fact.
With the spread scheme of Oregon that demands athleticism from offensive linemen, Akamnonu might be a nice fit in the Ducks offense and he said that he’d like to hear from them when asked which schools would be welcome additions to his recruitment. The Bruins are another West Coast school Akamnonu would like to hear from.
With the potential for a number of programs to enter Akamnonu’s recruitment in the next several months, if he does end up making a decision after spring football, it might not be entirely final -- the Bowie product said that he plans on taking all of his official visits in the fall, openly discussing the possibility of decommitting if his spring choice doesn’t end up feeling like the right fit for him.
Considering the significant upside that he possesses that he’s still tapping into, Akamnonu is a player whom some major programs may track closely as he develops over the next several months -- by the end of the process, he could be a highly coveted prospect.
