Recruiting Rumor Mill: Competition for four-star AJ Harris
National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney is back with his weekly Recruiting Rumor Mill with recruiting chatter and news from around the country.
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Florida and Florida State are expected to get visits along with Penn State this summer and now the chatter is that the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman who looked good at the Atlanta Rivals Camp over the weekend is also thinking about a possible surprise visit to Georgia. That coaching staff has stepped up interest with Bah recently. Teammate Tyler Booker is also looking at the Bulldogs and if they offer Bah then a visit to Athens is likely.
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USC is considered the front-runner for the four-star running back from Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines. Oklahoma and Alabama are high on the list but the chatter is that one ACC program is moving up quickly. Florida State is the team to watch and official visits could be important through the summer.
Barnes has always showed a serious interest in the Hurricanes and the program’s swagger. Now the Seminoles are making a bigger run at him as well.
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After a visit to Penn State last weekend, the Nittany Lions are at the top of the list for the four-star defensive back and the chatter is they could be tough to beat.
Gould will take visits to USC and Michigan but a summer commitment to Penn State would not be surprising especially if his official visit there goes really well in mid-June.
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There is no question the Alabama offer Harris received in late March is huge but the Crimson Tide will have competition for the 2023 four-star cornerback. Ohio State seems to have the best chance other than the Crimson Tide for the Phenix City (Ala.) Glenwood standout and he’s supposed to visit Columbus this summer. His relationship with that coaching staff might be the best one.
Florida State and Texas A&M should also be watched.
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Harris has nearly 20 offers already and Oklahoma had captured his attention the most because the Sooners have been recruiting him the hardest. But the rumor is that his new offer from Alabama is a game-changer. The Crimson Tide offered in recent days and Harris loves the development of offensive linemen there and his chance to win national championships.
Miami, Oregon and Rutgers are three others to watch but it feels like Alabama has taken the lead.
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Howard is a Rivals100 prospect in the 2023 class even though he only has offers from Kansas, Louisville and Middle Tennessee State so far. His recruitment could take off this summer because so many schools are showing serious interest.
The list is long and impressive with Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida State, Cincinnati, Texas, Northwestern, Duke, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech all getting involved.
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Alabama offered Lonergan on Wednesday and the Crimson Tide offer “jumps off the table” although the 2023 four-star quarterback does not plan to rush a decision just yet. The Snellville (Ga.) Brookwood QB, who’s also a fantastic baseball player, will visit Clemson on June 2 (the Tigers have not offered yet) and is now set for an Alabama visit on June 5.
Recently, he said LSU, Ole Miss, Duke and South Carolina were recruiting him hardest but the Alabama offer puts his recruitment in another orbit.
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Ranked as the top offensive lineman in the 2023 class, Proctor wouldn’t go as far to say Alabama is the leader after the Crimson Tide offered but the word is it’s definitely a big one especially because Proctor spoke personally with coach Nick Saban. That left a big impression.
Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, LSU and Iowa are also high on the list but watch for Alabama to surge up his list now.
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Some believe LSU is a real contender in Perkins’ recruitment and that could be the case especially after he visited for the spring game and he’s originally from the state.
But an official visit to Baton Rouge is not expected at this point as the Cypress (Texas) Cypress Park four-star linebacker will visit Texas A&M, USC, Florida and Oregon on officials with one reserved for later. It still sounds like the Aggies have a wide lead in his recruitment.
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Sategna committed to Texas A&M in early March and there’s no reason to think he’s wavering on that pledge but an offer from LSU this week could make things interesting.
He has not ruled out visiting Baton Rouge although it’s still in the early stages and the Fayetteville, Ark., four-star speedster still hears from Arkansas, USC and Oregon. LSU would be the team to watch here if Sategna decides to visit.
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There is a strong feeling that the Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Charter four-star linebacker ends up in the SEC and his official visits are playing that out. White will visit Florida first, followed by Georgia, Alabama and then Ohio State to round out June.
Clemson, Penn State and Oregon are also in the mix but the rumor is that White wants to play in the SEC. It could be a three-team battle heading into the summer with the Gators, Bulldogs and Crimson Tide standing out most.
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Expected to commit in mid-March, Williams decided to hold off on making a pledge and now a round of visits could be important. Georgia is still rumored to be the frontrunner but Georgia Tech is making a push since he has a good relationship with that staff and visited for the spring game. USC is also going to get a visit and his brother Michael Trigg just signed with the Trojans.
Kentucky has been mentioned as well but could be a long shot at this point. The feeling is still that the Bulldogs will land him at some point while others cannot be counted out.