Recruiting Rumor Mill from the UA Future 50

BRADENTON, Fla. – Rivals.com national analysts Marshall Levenson and Adam Friedman drove across Florida following the Rivals Five-Star to take in the UA Future 50 this weekend. Here is the recruiting buzz they gathered from the event's media day.

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Florida State, Ole Miss, Louisville and Tennessee have been on Ashley the hardest with an emphasis on Florida State and Louisville. The Seminoles are in contact every day, primarily coming from defensive coordinator Adam Fuller.

Ole Miss is a big contender as his father and uncle both attended the school and relationship with Pete Golding is among his best relationships. Mississippi State is in contact every day as well.

He will visit Mississippi State on July 25 and Florida State on July 27.

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Over the last few months Balogoun-Ali has visited Kentucky, Florida, Florida State and Syracuse. His trip to Kentucky really stands out because of the genuine family feel he got there. At Florida, Balogoun-Ali liked how locked in the coaches seem and how they develop their players.

Balogoun-Ali expects to visit Penn State and Michigan over the next couple months. At this point in the process, Kentucky fans should feel good about where they stand in Balogoun-Ali’s recruitment.

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Bell committed to Texas less than two weeks ago, so there is no real update or drama involved in his recruitment. But it is worthy to note that both Alabama and Penn State told Bell directly they will continue to recruit him as one of their top targets on the board.

The top-50 prospect said he is locked in with the Longhorns and will now help to build their 2026 class. Bell will make his back to Austin in late July with his entire family. There are currently no other visits planned for the future.

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It is early in the process for Bradford, but the picture is fairly clear for Bradford’s recruitment. There are five programs fully in the mix, and three that are standing out above the others. LSU, Alabama and Ohio State all hosted Bradford in June and will continue to be mentioned as favorites.

Not surprisingly, LSU is working to sell Bradford on the idea of playing for his hometown and repping the state of Louisiana for his future, an idea he says he respects. Ohio State and Alabama are both using the history of the position in the program and development as key pieces of their pursuit.

Two programs to keep an eye on moving forward are Notre Dame and Oregon. Bradford highlighted Notre Dame’s Marty Biagi and Oregon’s Antonio Parks as having done well to establish early relationships.

Bradford says he plans to make Oregon and Notre Dame his next visits, along with LSU.

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N.C. State, Tennessee, Alabama or LSU will land Brandon’s commitment on Aug. 3. He hasn’t totally made up his mind yet but is getting very close.

N.C. State has been recruiting him the longest and his former teammate Terrell Anderson has been working on him. The way Tennessee develops quarterbacks and just how much love it has shown him stands out.

At Alabama, Brandon really liked the environment and everything he heard from the players about the new coaching staff and offensive scheme. LSU was Brandon’s dream school when he was a kid. He likes how head coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan work with the team and he’s heard good things from the current players about the coaches.

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Curtis committed to Georgia just a few months ago, but being off the board early has not stopped others from staying involved. One school that could shake things up down the line is USC, which Curtis visited two weeks ago, leaving with an offer from Lincoln Riley. The quarterback development and history under both Riley and USC were important for Curtis.

Affirming his commitment to Georgia, Curtis does not envision any changes anytime soon, but USC will be one to keep an eye on.

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Edwards is feeling the love from Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, Oregon and Missouri. His teammate Bryce Deas committed to Auburn last month and he has been trying to recruit Edwards for the Tigers.

Georgia, Tennessee, and Oregon have been recruiting Edwards for a long time and he has great relationships with those coaches. Missouri has been making a big effort to get his attention and it wants him to visit in late July.

Edwards is working on planning that visit along with trips to Alabama and Oregon (July 27).

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Gidron has made the rounds this spring, visiting Ole Miss, Auburn, Clemson, Alabama and Georgia. He’ll be back at Auburn at the end of the month, too. The Tigers along with South Carolina, N.C. State and Florida State are the teams he feels are prioritizing him but South Carolina is showing the most love.

Gidron would like to visit Ohio State, Texas A&M, Florida and Oregon.

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Goodwin visited Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia this spring and he’s been staying in touch with each of those programs. Alabama reaches out to him on a consistent basis and he really likes the new culture in Tuscaloosa with Kalen DeBoer running the show.

He has strong relationships with the coaches at Notre Dame and Ohio State as well. Goodwin expressed interest in visiting and communicating with LSU, Florida State and Texas.

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Auburn picked up a commitment from Gray on New Year’s Day but there are still a lot of teams trying to flip him. Penn State, Florida, Ole Miss, Missouri and Kentucky have the best chances of luring Gray away from the Tigers but that will be hard because of just how strong his relationship is with the Auburn coaching staff.

Gray did visit Miami this spring and wants to visit Ole Miss and Florida State at some point soon. He will be back at Auburn at the end of the month for a visit.

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Florida and Alabama have shown to be the two programs pursuing Hall the hardest. Alabama defensive coordinators Kane Wommack and Colin Hitschler have become two of his favorites and he feels very close with Florida’s Will Harris.

Florida State and Oklahoma have also impressed with the level of relationships. He is looking at a potential spring commitment next year.

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Harrison is a special talent who has the ability to play both football and basketball at the next level and he’s only considering the schools that will give him that opportunity. North Carolina and Penn State have offered him in both sports and each school has made a strong impression so far. Harrison recently got to meet UNC legend Julius Peppers and spent an hour talking to him.

Harrison is going to visit Oregon on July 27 and he’s excited to see everything Oregon has to offer. The Ducks, Tar Heels and Nittany Lions along with Miami, Florida State and Tennessee have been keeping in touch with Harrison the most.

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He committed to Houston as a quarterback, and is focused on helping to build the future of his hometown program. But he also expressed interest in some game day visits this fall to experience different atmospheres.

Penn State, Baylor, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas were all named as schools he wants to get to at some point. A phenomenal wide receiver prospect, and even safety, Henderson’s mind is set on playing quarterback, so any program not recruiting him to do so will not be involved.

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Ohio State remains in good position to hold onto Henry’s commitment despite his move to California. He was on campus last month and worked out with receivers coach Brian Hartline. Henry is also in touch with freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith and the two seem excited to become teammates down the road.

Henry did mention that a few teams are trying to flip him.

“USC is trying to keep me in California and get me to flip,” Henry said.

He also singled out Oregon and LSU. He likes the coaches at both schools and how they develop their receivers.

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Hill has been busy in recent weeks, visiting Ohio State, Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee. Hill also feels that Ohio State, Texas A&M, Oregon, and Michigan are prioritizing him above the rest. Alabama is entering that fold for him as well. Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke has connected with Hill and has spoken to him about the program. The Ohio native is not planning any significant decisions for at least a year.

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Georgia is a great spot with Hiter at this point. The Bulldogs just hosted him for the second time this offseason. Hiter has a great relationship with the coaching staff and feels very comfortable in Athens.

Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are his other main contenders. The Vols have been consistently pushing for him and he’s developed a good bond with those coaches. Hiter also has a good bond with Michigan running backs coach Tony Alford. The two became close while Alford was coaching running backs for Ohio State.

Michigan or Tennessee will host Hiter at the end of July.

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Jones walked into the event sporting a UCF hat and spoke highly of the Golden Knights program including strong relationships with Gus Malzahn, Addison Williams and Alex Mathis. Other than UCF, it was Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee and Duke that got some attention from Jones. He is playing his process out slowly, taking his time and not rushing anything.

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It isn’t all that surprising to find out that LSU was the dream offer for Mack. The in-state standout has visited the Baton Rouge campus multiple times and had an outstanding camp performance there last month.

Ohio State and Texas A&M are also prioritizing Mack. He likes how Ohio State develops its receivers and he has a strong connection with Texas A&M receivers Holmon Wiggins. Look for Mack to visit LSU on July 26 and Oregon on July 27.

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There is no specific date in place, but the 6-foot-4, 202-pound wide receiver out of Naples, Fla., plans to make an early commitment. He was able to visit Miami, Clemson and some other local programs this summer, but will make his way to Purdue, Indiana, Ole Miss, and West Virginia in late summer and early fall.

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Despite the connections to Florida, the Gators aren’t among the teams Pouncey feels are prioritizing him. Florida State, Miami, UCF and Georgia have laid a strong foundation in Pouncey’s recruitment. He grew up a Miami fan and is planning on visiting the Coral Gables campus again later this month.

The Florida State coaches built a strong bond with Pouncey and he really liked what he saw from defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain during his last visit. Pouncey is planning on visiting USC, UCLA and Oregon in late July. He will narrow down his list of options to a top eight or 10 during the season, with Florida State, UCF, Miami, Georgia and Oregon set to make the cut.

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Sermons is planning on visiting Oregon on July 27. The Ducks have done a great job with him so far and they’re one of the schools he likes the most, along with USC and Notre Dame. Sermons likes the environment and coaches at USC. At Notre Dame, the way the coaches interact with the players and the school’s emphasis on life after football stood out to him. Sermons wants to visit Florida and Texas. A commitment could come in November or December.

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Spafford plans to take time with a decision, planning to wait at least a year from now before making any commitments, but there are already three programs at the forefront. Arizona State is certainly one of the top contenders, being one of the primary West Coast schools in pursuit of his services.

There is also a unique interest for Spafford, who grew up a Steelers fan and is now being recruited to the Sun Devils by wide receivers coach and former Steelers legend Hines Ward.

Two teams that will be involved for the long run as well are Oregon and Ole Miss. Ole Miss is a program Spafford says he grew up as a big fan of and has “loved” his entire life. He picked up an offer from the Rebels just last week. Oregon, another program he watched as a kid, has offered and fully his interest. Offensive coordinators Charlie Weis (Ole Miss) and Junior Adams (Oregon) have both been involved early.

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Stewart had an active spring and has done the same with his summer, getting out to USC, Oregon, Ohio State and LSU all multiple times. At the end of July, when the dead period opens, Stewart has plans to be at Miami and Texas, programs he wants to prioritize in his recruiting race.

Looking at the big picture, it is Ohio State and USC that seem to be in the best spot, but don’t count Oregon out.

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Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Penn State are recruiting Thomas hardest at this point in the process. Coaches at Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Alabama have laid a solid foundation already. Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State are in the best position but there is a lot of time for teams to move up or down his list. Look for Thomas to visit Notre Dame at the end of July.

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Programs sitting in the best spot are Notre Dame, Oregon, Alabama and Tennessee. Washington says his “dream school” has always been USC, but there has been limited communication to this point.

UCLA is involved but is not a major factor at this time. Washington hopes to see Ohio State, USC and UCLA pursue. Staying on the West Coast for school is likely though as his mother wishes for him to stay closer to home.

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Miami appears to be the team that has surged to the front of the race. He described the Hurricanes coming at him “very, very, very hard” and being a Florida kid, there is a natural appeal. He will visit Miami July 27.

Rutgers and Louisville have also done a nice job to establish relationships. There are plans to schedule visits to both Rutgers and Louisville as well as USF, Michigan and North Carolina.

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