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Recruiting Rumor Mill: Finalists and leaders beginning to emerge

Jacoby Davis
Jacoby Davis (Rivals.com)

The Recruiting Rumor Mill is back with tons of more news and notes from another busy week. The focus has turned to the 2023 and 2024 classes and there is a lot going on across the country:

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He plays at Fayetteville (Ga.) Whitewater but Aguirre is originally from South Florida so Miami is going to play a big role in his recruitment especially since he still has family in the area. The Hurricanes will definitely be challenged, though, because the four-star linebacker just landed an Alabama offer and that one could be huge for him along with Georgia and Ohio State showing a lot of interest.

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Oklahoma has been pegged as a front-runner for Bradley, he just had a great visit to Iowa State and a recent offer from LSU intrigues him as well. Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M and South Carolina have also recently offered and that has thrown the Platte City (Mo.) Platte County standout’s recruitment into a whole new arena. Asked about favorites, Bradley is now restarting everything and looking at a whole new bunch of programs.

“I honestly don’t know,” Bradley said of front-runners now.

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Arguably one of the top 2024 receivers in the Southeast, Carr already has at least nine offers and there are some that are standing out to the Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County standout. Georgia could be at the top and the Bulldogs might be tough to beat since they’re coming off the national title and he’s an in-state prospect but Michigan, Ohio State and North Carolina have also caught his attention.

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Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Michigan, Baylor and others have recently offered the four-star cornerback from Houston (Texas) North Shore and many of those teams could be in the running for his commitment. But don’t count out Houston, either, as the word is the Cougars remain in his top three and are seriously in the running for his commitment as well.

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The three-star all-purpose back has more than a dozen offers but he has five official visits planned for June with Vanderbilt, Duke, Utah and Kansas almost definitely will happen and then Purdue or Louisville could get the fifth trip. The Katy, Texas standout could still switch some things up but Davis has a plan in place with those visits in the works.

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Alabama is the newest offer and the Crimson Tide could shoot to the top for the 2024 defensive end from Lake Cormorant, Miss., but others are recruiting hard as well. Franklin has noticed a lot of attention from Tennessee, Ole Miss, Memphis and Florida State as his recruitment really ramps up.

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It is still a long list for the three-star cornerback from Tampa (Fla.) Wharton but Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Florida State, USC, Michigan State, Louisville, Oklahoma, Miami and Penn State are the standout programs right now. The Crimson Tide could really ramp up their involvement and in Johnson’s interest even more after he visits there on March 5.

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The four-star receiver from Newport, Ark., has an excellent relationship with now-Texas receivers coach Brennan Marion so that is something to watch closely as his recruitment picks up even more. Kendall started that relationship when Marion was at Pitt so it will be important to watch if that continues. Arkansas will also be a school to watch but after the COVID year and things just picking up, Kendall’s recruitment could take off soon.

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The four-star cornerback from Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove has been committed to Georgia since September but a new offer from LSU “for sure got me thinking” and the loss of former defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae to Miami could play an influence here. The Bulldogs announced the hiring of Fran Brown as their new defensive backs coach so that could calm some tensions but the Tigers are clearly making a run at him now.

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The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood defensive end has 20 offers but there are three schools standing out most to Nixon with Georgia, UCF and Florida leading the way. The month of March will be busy for Nixon as he will start at UCF and then hit up Florida a few days later and then finish out in Georgia. Those three are clearly in the lead but nothing is finalized yet in his recruitment.

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The four-star defensive end from Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville has 50 offers but a new one from Georgia is particularly standing out for so many reasons. Osborne loves Georgia’s success, the national championship win and he always watched the Bulldogs growing up. Alabama, Texas A&M and others are going to play a big role in his recruitment but now Georgia is right in that mix and could continue to emerge.

“It’s another one of those schools you just dream of playing for as a kid,” Osborne said.

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South Carolina has been the front-runner for the high three-star defensive tackle from Camden, S.C., but there is a lot more competition coming in recently with LSU, Oklahoma and others sending offers recently. McLeod is hoping to visit Oregon and Oklahoma in March and while the Gamecocks still have a strong hold on his recruitment there will be others that make a run at the Camden standout.

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A new offer from LSU is “definitely different” in Rogers’ recruitment and so the Tigers will have to be watched as things pick up even more for the La Grange, Texas standout who is now ranked as the sixth-best cornerback in the 2023 class. Texas is going to be a major contender for sure and Rogers also likes Baylor, TCU, Houston, Tennessee, SMU and Michigan.

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The four-star quarterback from Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian is complimentary of all teams and has not officially narrowed down his list yet but the feeling is that Clemson is in very strong shape for his commitment along with Notre Dame and Tennessee. A final round of visits could come this spring and then a possible decision since quarterbacks usually come off the board early and barring any significant changes, Clemson could be the team to beat.

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The four-star cornerback from Grovetown, Ga., remains committed to Georgia but has closely watched the defensive backs coaching situation in Athens. With Fran Brown now hired to replace Jahmile Addae, Washington will assess the situation and see where things stand. LSU has offered in recent days and it’s something to watch but the feeling is that if Washington can build a strong relationship with Brown that he will stick with the Dawgs.

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A top-10 defensive end nationally, Wilson has nearly 30 offers but there are some programs that have especially caught his eye at this point in his recruitment. Clemson, Alabama and South Carolina are leading the way for Wilson, who is the top-ranked defensive end in the state of Florida.

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Florida State, Indiana, Mississippi State, Pitt, South Florida and Virginia Tech have already offered the 2024 offensive guard from Clearwater (Fla.) Clearwater Academy International and while things are just getting started, the Seminoles definitely stand out. The Seminoles have the edge because Zandamela loves the coaching staff and that won’t change but he plans to get to know other staffs as his recruitment continues.

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