Recruiting Rumor Mill: Busy June nears the midpoint

So much news has come out through the weekend of official visits and into the early part of the week that a second Recruiting Rumor Mill was needed.

Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

MORE RECRUITING RUMORS: Top prospects return home from big visits

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The Oregon State coaching staff laid out a plan for Ajose’s development and the three-star receiver feels like those coaches are locked in on him achieving his goals as the Beavers battle Washington, Utah, Cal and Arizona in his recruitment.

The three-star defensive back from Trophy Club (Texas) Byron Nelson loved the culture at Kansas State and loved how the players and coaches communicate with each other. The Wildcats’ coaches told Almanza they can develop him better than any other program.

Baylor, Utah and Houston are the other main contenders in his recruitment.

Spending time at Purdue with coach Ryan Walters, defensive coordinator Kevin Kane and defensive analyst Jeff Smart was a big selling point to Beerman but spending time with other players on the visit might have stood out most on his recent trip.

Cincinnati, Michigan State and West Virginia are the other programs to watch in Beerman’s recruitment but Kane’s talk that he’s a “unique pick” for them and that the Boilermakers love his length is an intriguing thing to consider.

The four-star tight end from Derby, Kan., loved the family feel at Oklahoma and feels the culture is “amazing” plus Brame feels like he could make a major impact early in his career in Norman.

But the word is that Oregon is still the team to beat here. The Sooners, Ducks, Tennessee and Ole Miss are the standouts in his recruitment but it will be interesting to see if Oklahoma did enough to topple Oregon.

The “loyalty and realness” stood out most about Baylor to the high three-star linebacker from Houston (Texas) Cypress Falls and those are going to be big factors when Burns works closer to a decision.

At this point, Baylor, SMU and Texas Tech are the three programs that have made the biggest impact in his recruitment as the Bears only helped themselves over the weekend.

USC, Texas A&M, Oregon and others have shown a great deal of interest in the 2026 four-star quarterback from Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon but now Auburn has shot onto that top list after spending a few days on The Plains.

Casuga had an “incredible” visit there, the coaching staff loved his film and dual-threat capabilities and feel like the four-star would fit perfectly in the Auburn system.

“They stressed a few times the importance of winning a national championship,” Casuga said. “It’s a goal that they believe they could reach with the right personnel.”

After backing off his pledge to Miami in late May, the four-star wide receiver from Boynton Beach (Fla.) Palm Beach Central visited Arkansas over the weekend and he loved how the coaching staff envisions using him in the offense and the toughness they instill in their players.

Arkansas is one program to watch but there is a growing list with UCF, Florida State, Louisville, Florida and Pittsburgh also leading the way.

Wisconsin did a great job over the weekend with the three-star weakside defensive end from Gainesville (Fla.) Buccholz as he spent a lot of time with position coach Matt Mitchell as the message was that he’s a major priority for the Badgers and that they’re going to recruit him hard. Clayton also loved the setting in Madison.

Nebraska and UCF are the other two standouts in his recruitment.

TCU and Texas are the programs close to home that are making a big impression on the four-star linebacker from Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley but the visit to Utah over the weekend definitely blew him away for numerous reasons.

Cunningham loves the consistency and stability of the coaching staff there. They clearly laid out how they would utilize him and he feels a closeness within the program that could draw him to the Utes if he chooses to leave home.

Kansas State has been one of the front-runners for the four-star tight end from Goodland, Kan., throughout his recruitment but now with new offensive coordinator Collin Klein coming to Texas A&M from the Wildcats, it’s a “huge” draw in Cure’s recruitment.

The four-star feels he can do “amazing things” with Klein calling the plays and Cure has hit it off with staffer Christian Ellsworth as well.

Kansas State, Kansas and others are involved but the Aggies seem to be surging here.

Faulk has been committed to Auburn since August and his brother, Keldric, already plays for the Tigers but the four-star linebacker from Highland Home, Ala., loved a recent visit to Florida and the coaching staff told him they’ll be “along for the ride” if he’s serious about playing for the Gators.

Faulk loved the people, the energy and the environment in Gainesville but it could be tough to pull him away from Auburn. If so, Florida State is right there as well.

Auburn, Ohio State and Miami were the front-runners in Grady’s recruitment following a short commitment to Alabama but after a recent trip to Florida State, the Seminoles are “definitely at the top of my recruiting right now.”

The four-star defensive end from Enterprise, Ala., is taking a midweek official to Auburn but Florida State is standing out so much because he loves the plan the coaching staff has to make him one of the best pass rushers in the country.

The high three-star defensive end from Upper Marlboro (Md.) Riverdale Baptist bonded with everyone at Tennessee over the weekend, loved the energy from the coaches and even had a great view of Knoxville from his hotel room so the Volunteers are definitely a major player in his recruitment.

Penn State, Maryland, Syracuse and Florida are the others to watch.

There were some rumors over the weekend that the four-star Penn State running back commit from Aliquippa, Pa., was taking a visit to Stanford but that ended up not being the case.

Hayes was in California for an NIL deal and while the Stanford coaching staff was working to have him on campus for brunch, Hayes did not attend and told the Cardinal coaches that he’s set with his Nittany Lions commitment.

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Memphis and Florida have emerged as the two main contenders in Hill’s recruitment and his visit with the Tigers over the weekend went really well. From the minute the four-star quarterback from Warner Robins (Ga.) Houston County stepped foot on campus until he left, Hill felt like he was treated like family and the feeling now is that it’s a 50-50 tossup between the two programs.

One interesting thing to note: The Gators offered Duke quarterback commit Dan Mahan on Tuesday.

When coach Steve Sarkisian and Hilson were driving around Austin over the weekend the message was that he’s a “high priority” for them. The four-star defensive end from Cocoa, Fla., loved coach Pete Kwiatkowsi and his plan to use him on the defensive line.

A Florida State commitment since January, the word now is that Hilson will visit FSU and then make his final decision from only the Seminoles and the Longhorns.

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Joseph and Antwann Hill are teammates at Warner Robins (Ga.) Houston County and the rumor has been that they want to play together in college with Memphis becoming a very serious contender. They both visited this past weekend and the four-star offensive guard loved the “amazing environment” there along with the message from coach Ryan Silverfield and position coach Jeff Myers that he could be one of the best to ever come through the program.

Florida State and UCF are the other main contenders.

Over the last many months, there have been a lot of teams in the West tagged to the three-star defensive end from El Centro (Calif.) Central Union but now the word is that a program in Texas is definitely the one to watch.

Martin has an “incredible relationship” with the TCU coaching staff and the Horned Frogs are now “for sure” standing out in his recruitment.

The four-star from St. Louis (Mo.) Cardinal RItter loves how Ole Miss uses its receivers and how the offense is geared to getting the ball to its playmakers in a lot of different ways. The Rebels are definitely a major standout now for Miller.

Tennessee, Kentucky, UCLA and Arkansas are also high on the list.

Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Florida are the frontrunners for the four-star defensive back from Rockvale, Tenn., but what is standing out so much about the Rebels is how they want to use Morgan in their defense.

The four-star could play multiple positions and all around the secondary and that’s become a huge draw as Ole Miss loves his versatility and knowledge of the game.

Some other programs - mainly Clemson and possibly Mississippi State among others - could have a lead on Ole Miss but after the four-star offensive lineman from De Kalb (Miss.) Kemper County really liked his recent trip to Oxford and sees an opportunity there. The Rebels are losing a significant amount of talent on the offensive line so Nash could come in and contribute early plus the four-star has loved getting to know coach Lane Kiffin and his staff.

If that momentum could continue especially with the early playing time, Ole Miss could be one to watch.

How Parker could be used coming out of Georgia Tech's backfield was a big deal to the four-star running back from Marrero (La.) Archbishop Shaw but what made the biggest impact on him was when current players talked about how the program has transformed their lives.

There was a lot of talk about being a “Tech Man” and that resonated with Parker, who is also high on Michigan, Duke and Oklahoma State.

Florida State appears to be the program to watch in Petty’s recruitment but Tennessee is not giving up easily as a recent visit to Knoxville definitely made a major impact.

The Roswell (Ga.) Fellowship Christian School standout loved the coaches, the atmosphere and the academics at Tennessee and he also loves how they make him feel while he’s on campus.

A visit to Ohio State is coming up and then Florida State as the Seminoles still might have the edge.

The message from the Oregon State staff to Sagapolutele is that he’s the main target at quarterback and that the Beavers are not going after anyone else at the position.

That was big for the high three-star from Ewa Beach (Hawaii) Campbell as Sagapolutele loves the loyalty from the Oregon State staff as Utah State, Cal and Boise State are the other main contenders.

Sanders’ relationship with Baylor cornerbacks coach Kevin Curtis is really strong and could be a major factor as the high three-star athlete from Kilgore, Texas looks at his recruitment.

TCU, Michigan and Oklahoma State are the other top programs for Sanders but the Bears are definitely a major player as well.

“The coaches kept reassuring us that Baylor has licked their wounds are are coming back strong,” Sanders said.

What stood out most to Stargel about Ohio State is how they have so much “pride in everything they do” and the message from the coaching staff was how they had a plan to develop him into the best version of himself.

That hit a chord with the three-star offensive guard from Roswell, Ga., as UCF, NC State and Kentucky also stand out in his recruitment.

A June 18 commitment is planned for the high three-star defensive end from Opa Locka (Fla.) Monsignor Pace as West Virginia has been the team tagged to Telemaque for a while.

A weekend visit to Wisconsin went really well as he hit it off with coach Luke Fickell and position coach EJ Whitlow as the message was they feel Telemaque has a lot of potential but needs the right coaching staff to maximize his ability.

The message from the Kansas coaching staff over the weekend was that with his mindset and work ethic, Tounkara could come in and go “crazy” his freshman season to make a big impact in the Jayhawks’ offense.

The League City (Texas) Clear Springs three-star receiver hit it off with the coaching staff and bonded with the players so Kansas is definitely a top team to watch along with Arizona, Wisconsin and Arkansas.

Texas A&M is “most definitely the school that is leading right now” after the four-star receiver from Red Oak, Texas was in College Station over the weekend and he hit it off with the coaching staff and many of the prospects also visiting.

The family trusts coach Mike Elko, offensive coordinator Collin Klein and position coach Holmon Wiggins and while Penn State, Michigan and SMU are up there it would be a stunner if he doesn’t end up with the Aggies.

A September decision is coming for the high three-star receiver from Seffner (Fla.) Armwood with Miami, UCF, Syracuse, Georgia, Florida and Auburn leading the way.

UCF made a major push over the weekend as Williams was the only prospect on campus so he got a ton of attention from the coaching staff and he loves how the coaches are so genuine within that program as he gets closer to a decision.

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Michigan is going to be a major player in Winston’s recruitment but a recent visit to Penn State puts the Nittany Lions as a serious contender for a few reasons.

The high three-star defensive back from Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga loves how much success Penn State has had developing safeties including his cousin, Kevin Winston Jr., and so PSU is “up there for sure.” It’s just a question as to whether any team can beat Michigan for him.