The clock is almost out on Monshun Sales, and the nation’s top wide receiver recruit is set to make one of the biggest decisions of this cycle.
Sales, a consensus five-star prospect and ESPN’s No. 1 wideout, is down to a late-stage battle between Texas and Indiana, with the Hoosiers now appearing to hold the edge. Rivals’ Recruiting Prediction Machine gives Indiana an 83.6 percent chance to land his commitment, and veteran insider Steve Wiltfong has stayed with that pick.
For Indiana, this has been a long, steady push that started with proximity and grew into something much bigger. Sales, who is from Indianapolis, has been around the program repeatedly, beginning with his first official visit in April and returning multiple times since. Curt Cignetti and his staff have stayed on him hard, building what has become a strong personal connection.
That relationship matters here, especially with Indiana coming off a historic two-year run that ended with a national championship last season under Cignetti’s direction.
Texas, though, has made this a real fight. The Longhorns entered later than some of the other contenders, but they’ve surged into the conversation and earned Sales’ attention. He and his family left Austin feeling very good about the visit, and he has developed a bond with wide receivers coach Chris Jackson, whose NFL background has helped Texas’ case.
Steve Sarkisian’s staff has closed the gap enough to make Texas the clear other finalist, and active NIL talks have kept the Longhorns firmly in the mix as they put their resources to work.
Alabama, Ohio State and LSU are still technically involved, but the race has clearly narrowed. Alabama was viewed as an early co-leader at one point, helped by family ties in the area, and Sales praised the program after his visit there, even calling it a dream school.
Ohio State also got traction early thanks to its track record with wide receivers and the presence of wideout coach Cortez Hankton, but the Buckeyes seem to have slipped behind the two front-runners.
LSU had a brief surge after Sales visited in June, with Lane Kiffin making a push, but that momentum did not last.
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