Recruiting Rumor Mill: Five-star USC commit listening to Alabama
The Recruiting Rumor Mill has been kicked into high gear for the 2022 class. Here is a breakdown of rumors and news we’ve heard over the last week.
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When visits open, Bissainthe is planning to visit West Virginia, Penn State and Michigan State as soon as possible and those visits could change the scope of his recruitment.
But the feeling is that the four-star linebacker from Miami (Fla.) Central has Miami and Florida State at the top of his list and this remains an in-state battle for him.
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Brown committed to Oklahoma in February and he wants to visit Norman as soon as possible - most likely this summer - but other trips will happen as well. LSU, USC, Arizona State and Oregon could host the top-ranked all-purpose back nationally although it’s unlikely that he flips.
Many people close to Brown were also close to Joe Mixon and that could have an influence on why Brown is expected to honor his pledge, although others won’t give up.
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A whole bunch of visits are coming for the high four-star offensive tackle in June including “about six” Pac-12 programs although Conerly is not sure which ones yet. It’s expected Washington, Oregon, USC and others would be on that list since they’ve remained high for him.
Trips to Oklahoma, Alabama and Auburn are also being planned, and Conerly is still debating trips to Michigan and Northwestern, as well.
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Curry is planning a major round of visits - and the four-star defensive end will take trips to the schools mainly standing out most in his recruitment. Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Florida State and Oregon are those schools and the Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove standout also has the home-state Hoosiers high on his list as well.
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Eugenio has been talking to Miami for a long time especially with coach Manny Diaz and position coach Jess Simpson so the recent offer is a major deal for the four-star defensive end from Tampa (Fla.) Gaither.
The Hurricanes definitely put themselves in a serious position to move up fast but there are others high on the list that Eugenio has a longer relationship with, namely Michigan, Iowa State, Arizona State and Cincinnati.
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The four-star offensive lineman released a top 10 recently with Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon, Texas A&M, Ohio State, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and USC making the cut. But there is chatter of some front-runners with the Bulldogs, Crimson Tide and Buckeyes standing out the most.
Some believe USC is also in that top group but the rumor is Greene has a more national approach to his recruitment and those three powers have his attention. Visits are going to be crucial and he is expected to hit the road in June.
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Georgia, Mississippi State and Tennessee have emerged as three favorites for the massive offensive tackle from Nashville (Tenn.) Hillsboro – and now there is a fourth program seriously involved. After a great virtual visit and an offer, Auburn has entered the top fray for Hood, who is also looking at Ole Miss, LSU, Georgia Tech and Baylor.
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The five-star cornerback committed to USC in January but his recruitment has not died down much since his pledge. Alabama is making a major push to stay involved with the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout and there are some rumors that Jackson is at least hearing out the Crimson Tide.
USC was the dream school growing up and he knows a lot of players – and former Mater Dei teammates – there but Alabama can be quite convincing.
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Clemson has been considered the front-runner for Lukus for some time and if his June visit plans are any indication then the Tigers remain in great shape. When things open back up, the four-star cornerback from Mauldin, S.C., is planning to see Clemson as soon as possible along with North Carolina and Ohio State, two other front-runners in his recruitment.
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There has been some chatter that Arizona is now the team to beat for Martin, a former Michigan commit, after an offer in late January but it’s still too early to make that claim. The four-star linebacker from Massachusetts is planning to visit Nebraska in the second week of April and there are other schools to be seen first.
A commitment is now being pushed into the summer or early fall so it doesn’t seem like a decision is around the corner.
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When Morris can get back on the road, the LaGrange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy four-star receiver will take his first trip to Florida. Missouri and Penn State are two other programs he wants to see immediately.
Notre Dame and Northwestern should also be watched but the word is that Michigan remains very high on Morris’ list. Let’s not forget he is the former teammate of 2021 Michigan QB signee J.J. McCarthy, who played at Nazareth before transferring to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.
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Texas offered Patton earlier this week and the word is the Longhorns are a family favorite for the three-star in-state athlete but it’s not a lock that he ends up in Austin. Personal relationships are going to be huge in Patton’s recruitment and that’s why Baylor, SMU, Oklahoma, TCU, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Illinois and Texas Tech have stood out in his recruitment.
The Longhorns can definitely make up ground quickly but they’re not a lock right now.
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Pribula has been committed to Penn State since August and the in-state four-star quarterback has an elite list of players he’s focused on getting in the Nittany Lions’ class with him.
If it could be done, Penn State would have one of the top recruiting classes nationally as Pribula is personally working on four-star running back Nicholas Singleton, four-star defenders Enai White and Dani Dennis-Sutton and a new name: Four-star OL Gunner Givens, a new name that could be favoring the Nittany Lions now.
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His grandfather played basketball at Auburn and Shor has a lot of family members that attended school there so the Tigers were high on his list for a long time. But since coach Bryan Harsin and his staff have taken over, the chatter is that the Tigers have not been aggressively going after Shor and that he has not yet heard from position coach Will Friend.
Oklahoma, Alabama, USC, Oregon, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Nebraska, Louisville, South Carolina and UCF are some of the more active schools in his recruitment.
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It’s early since Uiagalelei is a 2023 prospect but Ohio State and Georgia are definitely very high on the list for the Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco prospect. The Buckeyes’ coaching staff has already made Uiagalelei a top priority.
Georgia’s history of developing elite talent is impressing him, along with the location because of Atlanta’s music scene, a passion that Uiagalelei pursues on the side.
USC is also there and will be until the end.
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Sixteen teams are still on the list for the four-star wide receiver but Williams will release a top eight after his shortened junior season and he already has a good idea of teams that will make it.
USC is constantly on him and Notre Dame has made a major jump up his list because the Irish have told him he’s No. 1 on their receiver board. UCLA, Oregon and Texas are also intriguing him as well along with Ohio State. Alabama has cooled a little bit but Williams is not done with the Crimson Tide just yet.
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Oklahoma is believed to be the front-runner for Williams with Florida also making a major push. But the rumor is that USC is a very real contender for the Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington four-star cornerback, perhaps even more than a lot of people realize.
Williams is setting up official visits and that could change things – plus Oklahoma has a lot of sway with in-state recruits. But Florida and especially USC could be real contenders to land his commitment.