Recruiting Rumor Mill: Camp season heating up
Not only are visits taking place all over the country but school camps are now underway which only ramps up the news and rumors Rivals National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney has this week in the Recruiting Rumor Mill:
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A new offer from South Carolina definitely has Graves’ attention especially because he believes defensive backs coach Torrian Gray is one of the best in the business and that could help the Gamecocks over the long term. It’s still early for the 2025 athlete from Chesapeake (Va.) Indian River though as Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, Boston College, Penn State and Michigan are all showing interest.
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After recently backing off his commitment to Rutgers, the Lansdale (Pa.) North Penn receiver was at Penn State over the weekend and had a great time in Happy Valley. Haynes hit it off with position coach Taylor Stubblefield and that could be a huge factor in his thinking plus the word is Haynes likes that Penn State is close to home but still a decent distance away. Minnesota and others remain in the picture, too.
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A Mississippi State commitment since late January, the Lexington (Miss.) Holmes County defensive end is getting serious interest from a handful of schools and much more could come in after some outstanding camp performances in recent days. LSU, Memphis, Louisville and Florida State have all been reaching out and Head worked out in Baton Rouge in recent days which could amp up his recruitment even more.
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Prior to landing an offer Saturday from Alabama, Lacy only had offers from Cal, Indiana and Purdue and so it’s no surprise the Crimson Tide one is a “game-changer” in his recruitment. The 2024 running back from Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Catholic has also been hearing from Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU, Florida and others and soon he hopes to visit with the Horned Frogs, Bears and he’s trying to get to Tennessee and Boston College as well.
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A former Georgia commit, Lee was at Nebraska this past weekend and he’s said the Huskers are “one of the favorites” moving forward in his recruitment and that was before he spent a few days in Lincoln. Nebraska has made a big impression but Oregon, Ohio State, Miami and Oklahoma are some of the other top schools for the Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove standout.
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Mbakwe and his family talked with Clemson assistant Mike Reed recently and Reed offered the 2024 four-star cornerback from Pinson (Ala.) Clay, liked his work in the classroom and wants to build a much stronger relationship moving forward. The four-star is definitely open to it and plans to be at Clemson on June 11 after visits to Alabama and Ole Miss in recent days as well.
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All the support both on and off the field at Oregon really stood out to the massive offensive lineman from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco during a recent visit and it’s why the Ducks have become a serious contender in his recruitment. Michigan and UCLA are also high on the list but don’t forget about Louisville since Pulido’s quarterback, Pierce Clarkson, along with many other top California prospects are already committed there. New interest from Tennessee, Alabama and Ole Miss makes things even more interesting.
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A lot of attention has been paid to the 2025 linebacker from Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff in recent months by Oklahoma’s staff as they saw him in the spring and then during a workout on campus in Norman, Riggins noticed a lot of coaches focused on him. That was a good sign followed by a 30-minute conversation with Ted Roof before meeting with coach Brent Venables where he landed his offer from the Sooners. There is significant interest there but with it being so early for the 2025 recruit, Arkansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, USC and Ohio State are also high on his list.
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Four programs have now emerged for the No. 1 tight end in the 2023 class with USC, Georgia, Texas and Alabama as the favorites. The Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle standout will visit with the Trojans later this month as his interest in playing for coach Lincoln Riley has definitely increased in recent months and then through the season Robinson should see the others. His mom swam at Florida and his dad played football at Florida State but it looks like neither is going to be a finalist at this point.
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The 2024 cornerback from Springfield, Ohio went to Ohio State’s camp late last week, worked with position coach Tim Walton and then got to sit down with coach Ryan Day where the Buckeyes’ head man told Scott he sees Scott being a Buckeye down the road and offered him on the spot. The word is Ohio State is “up there” for the in-state prospect now along with Notre Dame and Tennessee early in his recruitment.
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The 2025 offensive lineman from Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview was happy with his performance at Georgia’s camp recently and was “able to dominate every drill with ease.” Good news could be coming since position coach Stacy Searels told Smith they’d be contacting him very soon. If the Bulldogs offer, that could be the early front-runner but Smith was just at Clemson as well and will visit South Carolina soon. Penn State remains his lone offer.
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A new offer from Georgia is a “huge game-changer” in Smith’s recruitment and it’s mainly because the Loganville (Ga.) Grayson standout likes position coach Tray Scott so much. The 2024 defensive tackle feels Scott not only develops top-notch football players but great people as well and Smith could lean on that “to get where I want to be.” The Bulldogs have to be considered the big-time leader right now.
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The current No. 1 prospect in the 2024 class did not work out at Oklahoma but the talk he had with coach Brent Venables definitely left a big impression as the first-year coach talked about how Oklahoma is all about relationships and he explained to Simmons the foundation and beliefs within the program. Oklahoma’s recruitment is “top-tier” and Simmons “can tell that they really want me,” so the Sooners will play a significant role in his recruitment moving forward. The Duncanville, Texas standout will see Florida State, Alabama and LSU all by the end of this week.
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Rarely does BYU land four-star prospects from the state of Alabama but Waller grew up in the LDS faith and made his commitment to the Cougars in March. Mississippi State is the lone program right now trying to flip the Chelsea, Ala., so that’s something to watch especially since he’s from the Southeast but his commitment to BYU remains firm.
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It was a big week for the 2024 receiver from King George, Va., as he landed offers from Georgia and Arkansas and the one from the Bulldogs could be monumental in his recruitment. Georgia is White’s dream school but he’s going to be patient through his recruitment because the more coaches see him the more offers come in. But the Bulldogs will be tough to beat.
“This is home,” White said.
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Alabama coach Nick Saban closely watched Williams go through numerous drills at camp late last week and position coach Robert Gillespie was also highly intrigued by the 2024 running back from Hannibal, Mo., and he left Tuscaloosa with his newest offer. The Crimson Tide immediately spark serious interest from Williams and he’s already seen his recruitment get busier with Georgia, Notre Dame and LSU reaching out with interest.
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Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby offered the 2025 running back at the end of the Sooners’ summer camp last week and it’s definitely a big deal to the Colleyville (Texas) Heritage standout. Since landing that offer in recent days, Wormley also worked out at a mega camp in the Dallas area where Arkansas, TCU, Texas Tech and others offered as well. Trips to Texas and Texas A&M are expected by the end of the month.