Recruiting Rumor Mill: Buzz continues as Early Signing Period approaches
A ton of news and rumors continue to emerge as the regular season winds down and National Signing Day is only weeks away. Here’s all the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.
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After decommitting from Virginia Tech over the weekend, the thinking is that Georgia is now the team to beat especially since he just visited Athens and the Bulldogs are definitely right there. But the Chattanooga (Tenn.) McCallie School high three-star athlete still has Ole Miss high on the list as those two SEC programs might now be battling it out.
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The 2025 high three-star tight end from Waukee, Iowa saw a thriller at Kansas on Saturday night and even though the Jayhawks fell to Kansas State, Curvey loved the atmosphere and the message from the coaches that they know what it’s like on the bottom and that they’re building from the ground up. Kansas and Missouri have especially caught Curvey’s attention early in his recruitment but Tennessee, Michigan State, Kansas State, Michigan, USC, Duke, Iowa and Iowa State have all been involved.
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If Kansas is going to land Dowell it’s going to be because of the coaching staff because the Belleville (Ill.) Althoff 2025 four-star defensive tackle loved spending time with position coach Jim Panagos and others during his time in Lawrence over the weekend. The coaching staff will play a big role with Dowell who has Oregon, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, USC and Cincinnati highest on his list.
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The four-star receiver from Milton, Ga., remains committed to Texas A&M during the coaching upheaval following coach Jimbo Fisher’s firing but two other programs are now making a more concerted run at him. South Carolina and Louisville are the main two programs trying to flip Gatling, who has 57 catches and nine touchdowns this season.
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USC has been the front-runner for the 2025 four-star defensive back who had been committed to Ohio State but now Clemson has joined the Trojans right at the top after a weekend visit. The Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass standout loved the atmosphere and the coaching staff at Clemson and really appreciated that the coaches told him they “can’t wait for me to get there.”
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The 2025 four-star defensive end from Howell, Mich., has been committed to Michigan since Aug. 1 but over the weekend, Kanka was at Tennessee’s game against Georgia. With all the turmoil around the Wolverines’ program it might make sense for Kanka to look at other programs and while the Vols impressed him and made it clear they want to flip him, the word is Kanka is “all locked in” with coach Jim Harbaugh, position coach Mike Elston and his Michigan pledge.
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The feeling around Lowe is that he’s probably siding toward staying closer to home with USC and UCLA ones to watch - especially the Trojans - but a recent visit to Oregon could definitely intrigue him with Washington right there as well. The 2025 high three-star defensive end from Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian loved the atmosphere in Eugene as he felt it was more like a family and less like business. Texas and Georgia are two others to watch.
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The Iowa coaches are keeping Manske abreast of the offensive coordinator situation and when any news becomes available, the 2025 three-star quarterback from Algona, Iowa, will be among the first to know. The Hawkeyes are definitely a lead contender in Manske’s recruitment but the list remains long with Kansas State, Nebraska and Minnesota as the mainstays. Penn State, Michigan, Missouri, Duke and Tennessee have been showing interest and Michigan State and Virginia Tech have been reaching out.
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Notre Dame is still going to be a major front-runner for the 2025 four-star receiver from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Notre Dame Prep but Oregon chiseled into that lead a little bit after a recent visit to Eugene. “Everything” stood out to Perry during his visit to Oregon, he loves that the Ducks treat him like a priority and he knows some Arizona prospects including Luke Moga who are committed there. The Irish are still very much a top team with UCLA, Ole Miss, Washington and Wisconsin as well.
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Clemson has not offered yet but the Tigers are definitely one of the early favorites for the 2026 offensive tackle from Avon Lake, Ohio. Ohio State might be very tough to beat in the end and Florida State is on the early list of top programs, too, but Clemson should be watched as he continues to develop strong relationships with the coaching staff there.
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The 2025 two-way standout from Pittsboro (N.C.) Northwood remains “locked in” with his NC State commitment despite visiting Georgia Tech over the weekend and liking it. Ritchey loved the campus and the quiet feel even though it’s in downtown Atlanta and the Georgia Tech coaching staff is working on him but it looks like the Wolfpack have Ritchey solidified in the 2025 class.
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Missouri is definitely a team to watch early on for the 2025 defensive end from Birmingham (Ala.) Parker especially after a recent visit - and the Tigers’ coaching staff might only ramp up their involvement with him even more heading into this offseason. The Missouri coaches want Smith to return in the spring as the Tigers are definitely a main player right now with Louisville, Georgia Tech and UAB so far.
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The 2025 three-star quarterback from Macon (Miss.) Noxubee County has been committed to Mississippi State for a few weeks but he pledged before Zach Arnett was let go and now his recruitment could be taking a few more turns. Taylor was at Missouri over the weekend and the chatter is that he’s seriously considering a flip to the Tigers especially after the coaching staff there made him feel like a priority and showed him tons of attention.
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Florida State has been showing the most love and attention to the 2025 high three-star cornerback from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage so that’s played a big role early in his recruitment. But a new offer from LSU has definitely caught Thomas’ attention and is “huge” for him because he grew up liking the Tigers as the 2025 prospect remains open in his recruitment.
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After visiting Georgia Tech Saturday night for its win over Syracuse, where he’s committed, Tremble will be one to watch since the Yellow Jackets are pursuing him so hard and the Orange just fired coach Dino Babers. The pitch from the Georgia Tech coaches to the three-star tight end who had a big senior season was that he could catch passes and block in the offense and play only minutes from home.
“They also said it wouldn’t hurt that it was only 30 minutes from my house and it’s not freezing cold like New York,” Tremble said.
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Penn State remains a front-runner for the 2025 four-star quarterback from Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding and that’s why it was slightly surprising to see the Nittany Lions take four-star Bekkem Kritza earlier this week unless the intention all along was to take two. Maryland, Virginia Tech and Oregon are the other main contenders for Washington but Penn State should absolutely not be counted out here.