Recruiting Rumor Mill: Chatter kicks into high gear after huge weekend
The Recruiting Rumor Mill has been kicked into high gear after a huge weekend of games with College Football Playoff implications and more across the board. Here’s what Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is hearing.
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MORE: USC commits react to news that DC Alex Grinch has been fired
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A commitment to NC State since August, Anderson has been talking to Georgia position coach Bryan McClendon for months and McClendon has been to a few of Anderson’s games. The message to the Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley from coach Kirby Smart was pretty strong and Anderson was in Athens this past weekend so he’s one that could definitely be on flip watch.
“In a meeting with Kirby (Smart) he told my mom and I that I reminded him of George Pickens,” Anderson said.
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There are a million reasons why Berry could end up at LSU and the Tigers are one of the front-runners but the 2025 four-star running back from Metairie (La.) St. Martin’s Episcopal was at USC over the weekend and despite the loss seemed to love his time there. There is some Reggie Bush love there and that could help the Trojans if LSU doesn’t work out as Florida, Texas and Oklahoma are all involved, too.
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After a commitment to Missouri that lasted about four months, Dooley backed off his pledge to the Tigers in recent days and now a few programs are making a big impression. Kentucky, Florida and Wisconsin are now the programs to watch for the three-star athlete from Valley, Ala., but Dooley is also looking to not rush another decision.
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The message from the Colorado coaching staff over the weekend was that they need players with Edwards’ skill set and that he’d have the opportunity to play as a true freshman if he practices hard as coach Deion Sanders will go to the portal and then get “a few” from high school as well. The two schools standing out most to the four-star defensive end from Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek are Colorado and Florida State as we approach the first signing day.
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USC is still the front-runner for the former Ohio State commit but Clemson made a major impression on the 2025 four-star defensive back from Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass over the weekend. This was the first time meeting coach Dabo Swinney in person as he’s been trying to get Gilbert to visit ever since he backed off his Buckeyes’ pledge plus Gilbert hit it off with position coach Mickey Conn and James Davis, who is an Atlanta Douglass grad. What also intrigues Gilbert about Clemson is that other Atlanta-area defensive backs play there with Nate Wiggins, Aveion Terrell and Shelton Lewis among others.
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Ole Miss has joined Grubbs’ group of favorites after being in Oxford over the weekend to see the Rebels’ win over Texas A&M. Notre Dame, Miami, Michigan, Texas A&M, Penn State and Virginia Tech are the others to watch but Grubbs loved the feel of Oxford and the crowd especially late in the game. Position coach Charlie Weis Jr. wants the 2026 quarterback from Lake Mary, Fla., to visit again in the spring and then Weis plans to see him in Florida as well.
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Alabama could be surging for the 2025 four-star running back from Elba, Ala., who is putting up prolific numbers this season. Auburn and Florida State have been the mainstays and a recent visit to Miami went well but Henderson was at Alabama over the weekend and he now has the Crimson Tide on his mind. A sitdown meeting with coach Nick Saban and position coach Robert Gillespie meant Saban’s message was, ‘You know how we feel about you around here.’
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Alabama is “definitely the front-runner” for the 2025 four-star defensive back from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances after his weekend visit and a meeting with coach Nick Saban was one of many standout moments. Oregon, Maryland, Miami, Tennessee and Georgia are also high but Humes loved the environment at Bryant-Denny Stadium, how the secondary played as the game went on and especially Saban’s message to him.
“Got to meet with coach Saban and he basically told me I can commit whenever,” Humes said. “And that he’s not going anywhere soon.”
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How Texas Tech uses its receivers and the frequency in which the Red Raiders throw the ball stood out to Johnson during a visit Thursday night for their win over TCU. Johnson’s relationship with coach Joey McGuire and especially position coach Justin Johnson definitely stand out a lot but there will be big competition for his commitment. The 2025 four-star athlete from Hitchcock, Texas also likes the Longhorns a lot along with Penn State, Tennessee, Ole Miss , Nebraska and Kansas.
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Playing for USC was a dream and that’s why he committed on May 1 but a recent visit to Utah has the Utes very much in play in Jordan’s recruitment. The four-star receiver from Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon was back at USC over the weekend but the word is Utah is feeling at least decently confident that they can flip the four-star receiver. It should be one to watch closer to signing day.
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According to a source, no school is absolutely certain where they stand with the four-star receiver who backed off his Texas A&M pledge in mid-October only to revisit College Station two weekends ago. There had been some chatter that a quick flip to LSU could happen but it didn’t as Miller was at Colorado over the weekend and is planning to be at LSU soon with USC also in the mix. The Aggies are also still very much in this especially after he didn’t flip to the Tigers quickly.
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A lot stood out to Odom during his weekend visit to Ole Miss but nothing more than receiver Tre Harris catching 11 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown in the win over Texas A&M. The Ole Miss coaches have been working hard on the four-star flex tight end from Carrollton, Ga., to flip him from Alabama and while that hasn’t been determined yet the Rebels definitely put on a show for him this weekend.
“Harris having (213 yards) cannot be any more appealing to any receiver,” Odom said.
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After another weekend visit to Florida, a source told me that “a lot of crazy stuff” would have to happen for the five-star receiver to flip his commitment from Ohio State. The word is that there’s not a big chance the Gators can flip him, this source hasn’t heard a lot of talk about Florida State recently and Miami seems like a non-starter. If there’s one school to watch, though, it could be Georgia if a flip were to happen.
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A new offer from Georgia is definitely moving the Bulldogs high on the list but there are four others to watch for the 2025 high three-star receiver from Toms River (N.J.) Donovan Catholic. Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers and Michigan are the other early standouts for Thomas but now Georgia is definitely among the handful of top programs, too.
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The four-star cornerback from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco has been committed to USC since June and his older brother, Max, plays there plus his closest relationship on the staff is with position coach Donte Williams so the Alex Grinch firing shouldn’t be too devastating. But if coach Lincoln Riley does a complete defensive staff overhaul after the season, the two programs still trying to flip the four-star are LSU and Oklahoma.