Recruiting Rumor Mill: Chatter heats up as prospects take key visits
The Recruiting Rumor Mill churns on with tons of chatters and news from across the country along with rumors from weekend visitors that were at schools for games over the weekend:
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Baylor, Oregon, Texas Tech, Houston, Cincinnati and others have offered the 2026 dual-threat quarterback already but after an Oklahoma offer came in recently, the Sooners moved right to the top. Oklahoma has been the “dream school” for the Mesquite (Texas) Horn standout and even with multiple years left in high school, the Sooners should be tough to beat.
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RELATED: Georgia makes interesting push for five-star KJ Bolden
Georgia is pitching to the five-star safety that he could be the next Malaki Starks in Athens. That could be something to significantly consider for the Florida State commit who chose the Seminoles over Georgia, Auburn and others. The word is that Bolden is “committed at the moment” but it’s definitely something to watch - especially if the local five-star makes more trips to Georgia this season.
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After decommitments from first Baylor and most recently Stanford, Booker is back on the market and the chatter is that two teams are his main focus in recruiting. The high three-star linebacker from Desoto, Texas is looking much closer to home again with SMU and Houston being the main programs in his recruitment now.
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Brown is a West Virginia legacy but right now it looks like Penn State is far and away the early standout for the 2026 prospect from Harrisburg, Pa. That should come as no surprise given his location and that the Nittany Lions have been recruiting him hard but if Notre Dame and Georgia offer then those two would definitely move toward the top of his list, too.
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There has been some talk that Tennessee is the team to watch here but the word is that after Clemson offered in recent days the Tigers are “just about” as high as any other program and now that LSU came through as well those two are standing out the most for the 2025 safety from Rome, Ga.
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This might come as no real surprise but Oklahoma could be getting tough to beat in the recruitment of Haynes, who has two teammates on his Midwest City (Okla.) Carl Albert team that are already committed to the Sooners. The 2025 four-star cornerback was back on campus recently and the chatter all the way back to the Rivals Camp Series in Dallas was that the Sooners were way out in front.
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Tennessee is definitely one of the early standouts for the 2026 four-star running back from Woodberry Forest (Va.) Woodberry Forest School especially after he had an outstanding visit to Knoxville in late July. But there are others heavily involved with Hiter as Penn State, Georgia and Ohio State have also made major impressions.
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Michigan could be the team to beat early on for the 2026 four-star athlete from Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy as the recent trend among many of its top prospects is to head out of state with Payton Pierce and Kyle Parker being two of the most recent. Baylor would be the in-state program to watch right now as Lott is also highly interested in Florida State and Oregon early on.
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After being committed to Penn State since late January, Matthews backed off that pledge and now all the whispers around the 2025 four-star offensive tackle are around Georgia eventually landing him. Rutgers is going to make a serious run at the Toms River (N.J.) Toms River North standout and Colorado offered right after his decommitment but Matthews has long talked highly of the Bulldogs and the decommitment happened for a reason.
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North Carolina and Florida State are two of the mainstays in Matthews’ recruitment but South Carolina should definitely not be counted out since the coaching staff is making him a priority and the SEC affiliation. The Gamecocks should definitely be watched along with NC State, Miami, Tennessee, Colorado and NC Central are on the list for the 2026 high four-star cornerback from Cornelius (N.C.) Hough.
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Ohio State had been the leader for a while and by all accounts, the four-star from Tampa (Fla.) Wharton was a take in Columbus but the chatter now is all around Miami. There were some rumors that the Hurricanes were going to land Pickett the same night 2025 five-star defensive lineman Armondo Blount committed to Miami. That didn’t happen and Pickett said recently that Miami, Ohio State and Florida State are the front-runners but the Canes could be in the driver’s seat now for sure.
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A top four is coming soon from the four-star defensive back from Los Alamitos, Calif., but USC and Oregon are sure to make it with a commitment date coming up in October. USC position coach Donte Williams was at Rubin’s game Friday night and was sure to be seen by Rubin and others on the field. The Trojans are believed to have the edge but others cannot be counted out.
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If it was completely up to him, Thatcher might already be committed to Oklahoma but after discussing his recruitment with those close to home, the decision has been made to wait until after the season and look more toward the spring. The 2025 four-star linebacker from Las Vegas Arbor View has been high on the Sooners for a long time and it might be inevitable for Oklahoma anyway but Thatcher could wait a few more months to see if other programs get involved.
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USC is the early program to watch for the 2026 offensive lineman from Orange (Calif.) Lutheran and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he plays down the road for the Trojans. Tennessee would be the other school that’s made a big early impression on Utu but he’s staying open to all options as well this early.
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The five-star Alabama commit and No. 1 receiver in the 2025 class, Williams has been committed to the Crimson Tide since last October but since that time other teams have tried to flip him. The Saraland, Ala., is an Auburn legacy and the Tigers have tried hard to stay involved and after Texas beat Alabama two weekends ago there was a rumor that the five-star would visit with the Longhorns. That is not in the plans, though, as Williams is still locked in with the Tide.
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The feeling is that following his Texas official visit over the weekend that the Longhorns are now the team to beat and could be tough to overcome. That has pretty much been the feeling ever since Wingo visited Austin over the summer but Missouri has made a serious push for the five-star receiver along with Georgia and others. The Longhorns have to really like where they stand now especially after the Alabama win and Wingo’s visit.
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It’s early for the 2026 four-star cornerback and this could end up an in-state battle between Ole Miss and Mississippi State for the Flowood (Miss.) Hartfield Academy standout but Tennessee and Georgia have also made an early impression. The feeling now is that there is a major SEC focus to Womack’s early recruitment but that he’s also looking for more offers to come in through his sophomore season.
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Clemson has made a big impression on the 2026 four-star athlete from Brentwood (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy and could be the early team to beat in his recruitment but Tennessee, Georgia, Colorado and Kentucky are all right there as well. What’s interesting in Young’s recruitment is that some teams are talking about letting him play on either side of the ball and that could be a significant draw when it’s time for him to decide.