OT7 Championships: Rumor Mill from the first day of action at OT7 Finals

TAMPA, Fla. – The OT7 Finals kicked off Day 1 of pool play on Friday with dozens of blue-chip recruits in the 2025 and 2026 classes and beyond descending upon Tampa as competition heated up.

Rivals National Recruiting Analysts Sam Spiegelman and John Garcia were on hand for the action. Here's the latest roundup of rumors from the OT7 Championships.

MORE OT7: Day 1 recruiting news | Top performers

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The Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin star wideout is fresh off of an LSU official visit and things have all but reset at the end of this recruitment. The Tigers are in the thick of it, with Ffrench sporting LSU gloves on Friday, along with Texas, Ohio State, Tennessee and Miami.

At least two more official visits are set to go down in June, with Miami in the middle of next week before Tennessee on the 14th and Texas on the 24th. A verbal commitment date has been set for Aug. 30.

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A longtime Oregon commitment from Tampa Bay (Fla.) Tech High School, Wilson says he remains solid on the Ducks and has plans to get back to Eugene for an official visit later this month. Many programs are still working to flip the Rivals100 recruit, with Florida set to host Wilson on an official visit next weekend.

Miami’s official visit was originally set for this weekend, but it will now take place midweek in June or during the season. Oregon has the weekend of June 21 penciled in on its official visit calendar.

Wilson, who also mentioned Florida State as a contender, wants to wrap up the visit process early in the 2024 season, around the time he wants to shut down his recruitment all together.

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One of the best from the Midwest is going to come off the board very soon. Taylor doesn’t have a date yet set, but hinted that a pledge could come in the month of June and potentially in the coming days within the month.

At this point, there are just two finalists battling it out for Taylor, with Ohio State competing against Georgia for the upcoming commitment. UGA just hosted the pass-catcher for an official visit, his sixth time in Athens as a recruit. Ohio State may counter with an official visit of its own, but no date has yet been set.

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Four-star QB Deuce Knight was back at Notre Dame just last week for another meeting with Marcus Freeman and Mike Denbrock, and will return to South Bend next weekend (June 14-16) for his official visit.

Ole Miss and Colorado are the only teams still with an open line of communication with the Rivals250 passer, who by all accounts is locked in with the Irish ahead of his 10th trip to campus next week.

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June 27 is the verbal commitment date for the South Florida standout, and he is down to the pair of Miami and Georgia going into the decision. The Hurricanes are the program he is most familiar with, as Ewald has taken several visits to Coral Gables with one more ahead as his official visit gets going on June 14.

He has been to Athens and will return for an official visit the weekend of June 21. New assistant coaches for each program, Chevis Jackson at Miami and Donte Williams for Georgia, have hit the ground running with the Rivals100 prospect.

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A verbal commitment is coming on July 29 for the Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson standout. Sporting an Auburn backpack Friday, Fegans said the in-state Tigers are battling Georgia, LSU and Clemson among top contenders for the verbal commitment.

Multiple official visits remain for the one-time USC pledge, beginning with Georgia next weekend, but the Alabama native is very familiar with each option on his list.

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Four-star S Gregory Thomas loved what he saw from Clemson on his official visit last weekend and will cap his summer with an official visit to Florida State on June 21-23. The Rivals250 defensive back is moving closer to the finish line in his recruitment and a decision is expected as early as July.

In a team two-race between the Tigers and the Seminoles, there is buzz about Florida State ahead of his final official visit.

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Four-star S Jordan Young made it back to Death Valley last weekend for his official visit to Clemson, his fourth time on campus. The Rivals250 safety has officials locked in for Florida State (June 14), to N.C. State (June 19) and to Michigan (June 21), with a decision slated for his birthday in-season (Oct. 12).

After another needle-moving trip to Clemson last weekend, the Tigers have put themselves in a strong position midway through June.

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Five-star LB Tyler Atkinson is one of the most coveted players in America. Georgia, Ohio State and Florida State are three teams creating some stir in the five-star’s recruitment.

After working out in Athens earlier this month, there is definitely reason to keep an eye out for Georgia in this recruitment, especially with Glenn Schumann making a strong impression on the in-state blue-chipper.

A visit to Auburn is expected next for Atkinson.

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Four-star 2026 S Bralan Womack has stayed busy this spring and summer. After a recent Midwest swing, both Notre Dame and Ohio State extended offers. Those in Womack’s circle love how he fits in with the culture in South Bend, and the early offer from the Irish has created some buzz.

Both LSU and Alabama are slated to get the Rivals100 safety on campus, and Ole Miss continues to chip away with one of the state’s best.

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The longtime Auburn verbal commitment remains on board with the Tigers as many programs have shifted in and out of the race at different points. Two staples in South Florida have been heavy on the Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna wide receiver’s trail, however, in Penn State and Louisville.

Of the duo, the Cardinals may hold more of Gray’s attention than expected. Other programs could venture back into this mix going forward, as the rising-junior recruiting continues to consider other options despite the commitment status.

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Talented three-star Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic CB Jacob Bradford is gearing up for a busy stretch to close out June. Bradford will officially visit Houston (June 14-16) and Texas Tech (June 21-23), and a decision is expected shortly after.

Houston and Tech have been setting the pace in Bradford’s recruitment since the back end of the spring. This race is as close as “50-50” ahead of important official visits.

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Four-star 2026 WR Tristen Keys has enjoyed a stellar spring and a fast start to the summer and has added new offers left and right. Of the new offers that Key has landed, ones from Tennessee, Florida State, Miami, Auburn and Ole Miss have resonated with the Mississippi pass-catcher.

The Rebels, in particular, have come on strong quickly with one of the state’s best in next year’s cycle.

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Elite 2026 four-star CB Samari Matthews has upcoming trips to Virginia Tech (June 14) and back to Tennessee (June 23) later this month. Matthews made his way to Rocky Top earlier this spring and the Vols have made some noise in this recruitment early on.

Penn State, North Carolina and South Carolina are also right there in the mix with one of the nation’s best from Carolina.

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One of Louisiana’s best in the 2027 class is hitting the road in June. Class of 2027 Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham QB Elijah Haven is set to camp at Texas, LSU and Florida in June. The Texas coaches stopped through Louisiana in the spring and have a strong track record in The Boot under Steve Sarkisian.

LSU has kept close tabs on one of the state’s best after a breakout freshman season. Billy Napier and Rob Sale have already offered the 2027 QB.

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