Recruiting Rumor Mill: Coaching carousel sends rumors into overdrive
Coaches are taking new jobs, there have been firings and a ton of Rivalry Week visits to cover in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.
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MORE GORNEY: Jeff Lebby is the right gamble for Mississippi State
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One of the top recruits at the Egg Bowl Thursday night, Cunningham loved the atmosphere in Starkville and was “very anxious” to see who Mississippi State hires as its next head coach. With Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby emerging Sunday as the Bulldogs' choice, that should thrill the 2025 high four-star receiver from Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County since the word is he was hoping for an Air Raid-type coach.
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Florida is missing some top players who can play press coverage and that is appealing to the Michigan State commit from Kingston (Pa.) Wyoming Seminary who’s sticking with the Spartans so far through the coaching transition. A return visit to The Swamp before Denson signs is expected but the old Michigan State staff talked about using him on offense as well so that could be appealing if that promise is kept.
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UCLA athletics director Martin Jarmond said there was no truth to rumors coach Chip Kelly would be fired after the USC game (which the Bruins won) but after getting clobbered by Cal on Saturday night in the Rose Bowl, some UCLA commits are wondering if that is still true. Dunbar-Hawkins was at Louisville over the weekend and had a great time there to see another rivalry game. Kelly’s status will be important for the four-star cornerback along with other UCLA commits who are watching whether Kelly, who’s 34-34 in Westwood, will be back.
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Miami and Florida State are making a serious run at Ewald but the word is that his commitment to Michigan is further solidified after he visited again for its win over Ohio State this past weekend. The 2025 high four-star cornerback from Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna is “solid” with his Michigan pledge as others seemed to be creeping right to the top in his recruitment.
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Michigan and Ohio State are among the early front-runners for the 2026 high four-star safety so being in Ann Arbor over the weekend was huge in his recruitment. The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout loved the “electrifying” atmosphere and seeing that rivalry up close as both the Wolverines and the Buckeyes stay among the favorites. Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida State and USC are also up there as Fort plans to release his top list this offseason.
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The message from position coaches Kerry Cooks and Robert Steeples to Harris during his weekend trip to LSU was that the Tigers needed young, physical talent like him to get back to being “DBU” and that meant a lot to the 2025 four-star Georgia commit. The Cedartown, Ga., standout has been committed to the Bulldogs since June but Harris was definitely intrigued that the LSU coaches told him they love his physicality and speed he brings to the secondary and the Tigers are absolutely now a contender here.
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The former Florida State commit, who was at Georgia Tech recently, took a visit to Louisville over the weekend and that coaching staff was giving him the hard sell on possibly committing to the Cardinals. Louisville is definitely very much in the running now for the four-star safety from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy but the word is Heard wants to take two or three more visits before committing again.
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Ole Miss might have the edge right now for the 2025 four-star safety from Lake Cormorant, Miss., especially with five-star teammate Kamarion Franklin committed there but Auburn especially impressed Hopson over the weekend. It was his first Iron Bowl and Hopson had a phenomenal time, loved the job coach Hugh Freeze did in his first season and the Tigers should be watched as well.
“Both teams stand high on my recruiting radar but Auburn is moving in the right direction,” Hopson said. “Alabama better watch out.”
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Maybe the biggest reason why Kim committed to Oregon State in late August was the coaching staff there but now that Jonathan Smith has taken the Michigan State job, Kim said he has a lot of discussions ahead with his family to figure out what’s best. The Medford (Ore.) North Medford offensive guard doesn’t have any other Power Five offers but he’s going to look at all options to figure out what’s best.
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The 2025 four-star defensive tackle from Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy lost his voice cheering at the Ohio State-Michigan game Saturday as the Wolverines are one of the main frontrunners in his recruitment. Georgia and Missouri are the two others to watch but the four-star loved being at the Big House and experiencing that environment. It could carry over in his recruitment.
“College football doesn’t get any better,” he said.
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Ohio State, Penn State and USC have been the schools that have really taken a step up for Melendez but now Michigan is in that group as well and Miami rounds out the top five. The 2025 four-star linebacker from Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola especially loved the electric environment in Ann Arbor on Saturday and also just how much love the Wolverines coaches are showing him. He’s at the top of Michigan’s linebacker board, too, and that means a lot as Melendez looks at all his front-runners.
“Everything about Michigan is hard-working and football and I love it,” Melendez said.
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A top 10 should be coming shortly from the 2025 four-star offensive tackle from De Kalb (Miss.) Kemper County and Mississippi State should be on it since Nash has hit it off with interim coach Greg Knox, who said the Bulldogs should be recruiting Nash even harder now. Florida State, USC, Miami and Missouri are the others to watch early on.
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Not only did the LSU environment impress Odom but coach Brian Kelly and assistants Matt House and Jimmy Lindsey showed a ton of love toward the 2025 defensive end from Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek. The Tigers are absolutely going to be one of the top teams now in Odom’s recruitment after his weekend visit blew him away but Oregon, USC, Cal, Missouri and NC State have made an impression as well.
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The 2025 four-star Georgia linebacker commit couldn’t make it to Florida on Saturday night for its thriller against Florida State but even after the Gators lost, he received some text messages from the Florida coaches: “Come be a Gator.” Open about looking at other programs, Florida could be one of them but it’s a long list with Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, USC and Oregon in the mix, too.
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In-home visits are going to be crucial for the No. 1 offensive lineman in the country in the coming weeks with Alabama probably still having an edge in his recruitment with Oregon and Tennessee up there as well. There is still some unpredictability when it comes to the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout but the feeling is that Ohio State might be slipping a little unless they can get him to campus in the coming weeks.
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The wish list for the four-star Auburn quarterback commit is now about five names - and all of them were at the Iron Bowl thriller on Saturday. The Little Rock (Ark.) Little Rock Christian standout is working hardest on four-star TE Roger Saleapaga, high four-star receiver and Texas A&M pledge Cam Coleman and offensive linemen Favour Edwin and Texas A&M commit Coen Echols the most. There’s a good chance all four could wind up in Auburn’s class. White is also trying to flip 2025 five-star receiver Ryan Williams from Alabama but that’s a long shot especially with reclassification rumors swirling around him.
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Through all the conference realignment concern, Young stayed committed to Oregon State because of coach Jonathan Smith and many of his assistants but now the three-star offensive tackle from Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis fears many of them will join Smith at Michigan State. Arizona State and Auburn have been pushing for Young, who remains committed to the Beavers but plans to look at others.