Recruiting Rumor Mill: Chatter heats up as summer visits near

The news and rumors never stop in recruiting and Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has a lot more this week in the Recruiting Rumor Mill:

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The 2024 defensive end from Opelika, Ala., is just seeing his recruitment take off but Clemson, LSU and Auburn are the three programs that have caught his eye the most so far. He lives right down the road from Auburn so that’s going to be something to watch and then the two Tigers’ teams have appealed to him early on with Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Michigan also on his offer list.

Recruiting is just getting started for the 2025 athlete from Sacramento, Calif., but so far Oregon and Texas A&M are the two teams standing out most in his recruitment. Arizona, Cal, Washington and others have also offered and many others are showing interest but the Ducks and the Aggies have made a jump up early on.

The West Hills (Calif.) Chaminade three-star linebacker has been picking up offers quickly this offseason but four are standing out more than others - Oregon State, Cal, Washington State and Fresno State. Things could get a lot clearer in the coming weeks as Chisom is planning to take his officials to Corvallis and Berkeley in June.

Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Oklahoma made the top five for the high four-star defensive end from Gardendale, Ala., and it’s believed the Crimson Tide could be way out in front for his services. Collins grew up an Alabama fan, he has a lot of family who like that program as well and his relationship with Freddie Roach is strong. But two visits in June could make things more interesting as Collins goes to South Carolina on June 10 and then Georgia on June 24.

Bill Sheridan’s resignation from Wisconsin does not hurt the Badgers one bit in their pursuit of Curtis, who has a great connection with Bobby April and is still weighing whether he wants to play inside or outside in college. The four-star could be leaning inside and that’s where USC and Ohio State wants him to play - the Buckeyes could be the team to beat now - but Curtis’ relationship with April and how Wisconsin has traditionally played their linebackers is still a huge consideration.

Florida, Houston, Louisiana and Missouri are standing out most to the massive three-star offensive lineman who had a dominant performance at the Rivals Camp in New Orleans. The Gators haven’t offered yet but the coaching staff is telling him they love his film and personality and that an offer could be coming soon. If that happens, Florida could emerge as the team to beat.

An early Rutgers commit that lasted only about a month, the three-star running back from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard has Georgia, Louisville, Oregon, Penn State and Oklahoma as the standout schools right now although Michigan just offered as well. The three-star is headed to Tennessee on June 11 and he will visit Louisville in two weeks.

Joseph is still collecting information on all the schools that have offered him and that are showing interest as it’s still so early for the 2025 offensive lineman from Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County so no leaders have emerged yet. But Joseph does have some schools that he wants to visit and that could provide some insight into his thinking with Florida State, Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss being programs he wants to see soon.

A bunch of programs have been through Oxford, Ala., this spring with Mississippi State, Louisville, Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh showing the most interest in the four-star quarterback. A big June is ahead as McClellan is planning be at Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss and LSU in the first week of that month to see where his recruitment goes from there.

Penn State feels like the leader for the high three-star running back from Scranton (Pa.) Scranton Prep and a visit back to State College in June is expected. The Nittany Lions could have the edge but that new staff at Virginia Tech appeals to him - especially since coach Brent Pry was formerly at Penn State - and Mongtomery also talks highly of Boston College with the academic and athletic mix there.

There were some program high on the list for Nwaneri in recent months including Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska and others but new offers from national powerhouses has him rethinking some things. Offers from Alabama, Texas A&M and Georgia are standing out most and while summer plans are still being figured out, the Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Lee’s Summit North four-star defensive end is sure he will be visiting Tuscaloosa so far.

There are some other programs Paige is considering but basically the high three-star offensive lineman from Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle has a top five of UCLA, USC, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Washington and he has already started the process of visiting them. June will be a huge month as he’s already taken his official to UCLA and then will see the four others before a decision is made. The Bruins and Trojans might have a slight edge right now.

Oregon and Iowa State have been the steady front-runners for the Englewood (Colo.) Cherry Creek standout but after recent offers from Texas, Oklahoma and others Purchase is rethinking some things. The Colorado recruit has also been working on an official visit schedule but now with the Longhorns and Sooners on his mind, Purchase is expected to rework that list as well as his recruitment picks up steam.

Alabama and LSU are the two newest offers for the five-star quarterback from Carlsbad, Calif., and both will be considered but many other factors are being weighed as well and that’s why Sayin could look at the Tigers more closely. Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame and others remain squarely in the mix but Arch Manning’s destination will be at least a consideration and getting to see Brian Kelly now at LSU could be intriguing.

Oregon is making a move for the five-star defensive end from Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln especially after an excellent visit to Eugene to meet with coach Dan Lanning, defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and others but Wayne also really likes to SEC a lot. Georgia is making a big move for the Pacific Northwest standout and he takes his official there in May. LSU and others are also being watched closely.

Washington, Arizona, Cal, Stanford, Mississippi State and Oregon State are the final six for the four-star receiver from Pittsburg, Calif., but the feeling is that the Golden Bears could have a significant lead in his recruitment right now. Most signs are pointing to Berkeley right now as Williams had a 20-minute discussion with Desean Jackson at Cal’s recent spring game, too.