Recruiting Recruiting Mill: Latest buzz surrounding top prospects
Another crazy weekend of college football brought out a ton of recruiting news as well. There was so much overspill that a second Recruiting Rumor Mill was needed this week.
RELATED: More Recruiting Rumor Mill from the past weekend
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The message from LSU coach Brian Kelly to Delane during his weekend visit was that the Tigers need safeties and that he’s a “top priority” in the 2025 class. The Olney (Md.) Good Counsel standout had such a good time over the weekend in Baton Rouge that he’s returning for the Florida game in a couple weeks as Delane also likes position coach Kerry Cooks very much. Ohio State, Tennessee and Maryland are the others to watch, and Delane also wants to visit Colorado soon, too.
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Foster’s situation should be finalized - one way or another - in the coming weeks. A Baylor commit since July 4, the three-star defensive end from Greenville (Miss.) St. Joseph will be back in Waco this weekend for the Iowa State game and then he plans to be at Texas the following weekend as the Longhorns look to flip him. After those two trips, Foster should have a clearer picture of where things stand.
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Florida State, Georgia and a whole host of SEC schools will be involved with the high four-star receiver in the 2026 class but watch out for Ohio State as well. The Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County standout attended his second game in Columbus this past weekend and as he builds his relationship with position coach Brian Hartline, the Buckeyes are definitely impressing him a lot.
“They are WR U,” Gregory said.
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The 2025 four-star receiver from Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie was committed to Florida State for nearly a year but backed off that pledge earlier this week. As it stands now, the three schools to watch in his recruitment moving forward would be Penn State, UCF and Tennessee.
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The Alabama coaches love Harris’ skill set and his ability to rush the passer and that’s why the Crimson Tide are so high on his early list, especially after an impressive performance against Tennessee’s defense last week. Alabama is one of the frontrunners for the 2026 four-star defensive end from Huntsville (Ala.) Jemison, but Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida State are also up there. Harris will be at Georgia on Nov. 11 for the Ole Miss matchup.
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The four-star receiver from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy has now taken two visits to Miami recently, including whem the Hurricanes took down Clemson this past weekend. But the word is that Hawkins is still leaning toward sticking to his Florida commitment instead of flipping to Miami. That could certainly change - and any other visits would be interesting - but the Gators still look strong here.
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As his Nov. 2 commitment date gets closer, the Oklahoma coaching staff is pressing James even harder as the Sooners are expected to be the pick in a few weeks. The 2025 high three-star linebacker from Midwest City (Okla.) Carl Albert was back in Norman this past weekend for the close win over UCF, and he loved how the defense tightened up and didn’t give up touchdowns. Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Kansas, TCU and others are involved, too.
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Michigan State, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Iowa State and Cincinnati are others in the running, but it would be a shock if Lee doesn’t end up in Ohio State’s class, especially after the offer earlier this month and his experience in Columbus this past weekend. From meeting Buckeyes great Andy Katzenmoyer to how the defense played against Penn State, the Buckeyes are absolutely the frontrunner for the 2025 linebacker from Akron (Ohio) Hoban.
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USC and Oregon remain the two main contenders for the elite 2026 cornerback as those two programs have “shown way more interest and attention than anyone” so far. But the recent SEC offers from Auburn and Tennessee will be ones to watch as well as Lockhart’s recruitment continues. In the end, though, this could end up being a battle between the Ducks and Trojans for the Los Angeles Loyola standout.
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Lowe’s relationship with coach Ryan Day and position coach Justin Frye are huge selling points in his recruitment, and it’s why Ohio State is in such a strong position with the 2025 four-star offensive tackle from Toledo (Ohio) Whitmer. The Buckeyes should be tough to beat for Lowe, but Michigan, Tennessee and Georgia are also contenders.
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Miami thoroughly impressed the elite 2025 linebacker from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy against Clemson and he had a great experience that keeps the Hurricanes very high on his early list. But it’s still pretty busy at the top, with Notre Dame (where his brother played), Duke, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida and Florida State being the other teams to watch.
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A former Michigan State commitment, Oklahoma is making a major move for the three-star safety from Centerville, Ohio, especially after his weekend visit. He especially loved the message from the coaching staff that the team is completely different from last year and that shows the sign that things are only turning in the right way. The Sooners are definitely one to watch but if Powers starts to hear more and more from Ohio State then the Buckeyes could be tough, too.
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Auburn definitely will “stand high” in Taylor’s recruitment and after a weekend visit the Tigers stood out in “everything” that he was looking for in his next school. The Brenham (Texas) Blinn CC defensive end definitely has Auburn high on the list, but Georgia, Mississippi State, Florida and Tennessee have also caught his attention, with a December decision looming.
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After committing to Stanford in June, the four-star linebacker from Oakland (Calif.) Fremont has reopened his recruitment and wants to keep an open mind heading into this phase. Now back on the market, Tuakoi is open to all programs, but Oregon, Oklahoma, USC and Notre Dame have been reaching out during the season.
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The 2025 four-star cornerback from Indianapolis Ben Davis loved how the Ohio State coaches told him he’d not only be a big-time defensive addition for them but specifically because of the schemes they use and how Zackery would fit in them. From position coach Tim Walton and others, plus what the school could offer in terms of a major in real estate, the Buckeyes are one to watch. Michigan, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Georgia, Tennessee, Purdue, Wisconsin and Penn State are others to watch.