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Recruiting Rumor Mill: Front-runners emerge after early visits

Dani Dennis-Sutton
Dani Dennis-Sutton (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney is back with his Recruiting Rumor Mill, with recruiting chatter and news from around the country as a big month of visits kicks into high gear.


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The four-star offensive lineman from Federal Way (Wash.) Todd Beamer had an excellent visit to Miami and the Hurricanes could be tough to beat now. At the very least, Miami should be a finalist.

Agbo had an awesome experience spending time with the players, quarterback Jake Garcia took him under his wing for the weekend and the four-star also loved that the coaching staff clearly laid out how they could make Agbo a better player without sugarcoating anything.

Arizona State, Oklahoma and LSU are also high on the list.

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The visits for Brubaker started at Stanford, which has emerged as a real contender, and last weekend the four-star offensive lineman was at Penn State, a significant player for so many reasons. He’s an in-state prospect, a legacy prospect and the Nittany Lions are definitely high on the list.

What Brubaker loved about his visit was the dedication the coaches showed to the visitors and the summer camps going on and just how everyone is on the same page from the strength department on up.

He will still visit Vanderbilt, Tennessee and South Carolina but Penn State has to like its chances.

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Alabama has always been a front-runner for Cull and with an offer and now a visit to see the Crimson Tide, they are definitely a big-time contender in his recruitment. The Donalsonville (Ga.) Seminole County four-star does need to add some weight but Alabama and Florida look like the biggest contenders right now.

Florida State has been quiet in his recruitment although his offer from the Seminoles was a big deal.

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The four-star defensive end really enjoyed his official visit to Nebraska last weekend but the chatter is that the Huskers would still be a long shot in his recruitment right now.

It’s nothing against Nebraska but the Maumelle, Ark., standout is looking at playing closer to his mother and that means Arkansas and Oklahoma remain the top contenders.

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The four-star tight end visited Alabama in recent days and the Crimson Tide definitely made up significant ground in his recruitment but after a trip to Georgia over the weekend the chatter is the Bulldogs are going to be very tough to beat in his recruitment.

Phrases like “blown away” and “loved the environment” were used by Delp and it just looks like Georgia is the team to beat again for the Cumming (Ga.) West Forsyth standout.

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The feeling after Dennis-Sutton’s visit to Georgia was that the Bulldogs were surging and that could definitely be the case but expectations should be tempered a little bit.

Trips to Alabama and Penn State (which could have a slight edge to land his pledge) are still coming up so while Georgia definitely did a great job last weekend, others will get their chances as well.

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The 2023 quarterback from Peyton (Colo.) Vista Ridge visited Notre Dame recently and it checked all the boxes for him. Now an offer just has to come. During the trip, Dorman threw for offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees and if an offer comes the Irish could definitely be the front-runner.

Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas and Oregon State are Dorman’s early Power Five offers but many others are expected.

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The 2024 running back from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy took a few visits over the first few days of June and the rumor is Auburn stood out the most. Gage loved that he was treated like family, he loves that there is tremendous running back tradition there with Bo Jackson and Cadillac Williams standing out and with Williams as the position coach that definitely helps.

It’s early but the Tigers definitely impressed him.

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Many believe Florida State is the front-runner for Glover and that he will end up in Tallahassee with Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson teammate Sam McCall. That is still a real scenario but after his visit to Tennessee the rumor is the Vols are very much involved.

Glover sees the new coaching staff turning the corner for this program and he could be a vital part of an offense that should move the ball around a lot. That’s tempting but more visits will be coming up.

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Oklahoma, North Carolina and many others remain in contention for the three-star tight end from Bellevue (Neb.) West but Arizona State set the bar very high this past weekend - and the conversations that stood out most had nothing to do with football. Helms got to spend time with current players to ask questions, he got to have a long back-and-forth with coach Herm Edwards and the entire offensive staff took him out to eat which was also a bonus for the Sun Devils. What else did Helms like? No one at ASU was hard-selling a commitment which could mean later on a pledge could be coming. Others are in contention but ASU definitely stepped it up last weekend.

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The three-star defensive end from Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger took his first visit to Michigan last weekend and now the Wolverines are the front-runner heading into his other trips. What stood out most to Henry was the coaching staff’s ability to find out what he was interested in and tailor the visit to those specifics instead of it being a generic official visit. Arizona, Oregon, USC and Boise State are also on the list but Michigan set the bar high.


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Georgia and Miami have been the front-runners for the four-star offensive tackle from Nashville (Tenn.) Hillsboro but now a third team has pulled even with the Bulldogs and Hurricanes. After a weekend visit to Auburn, the Tigers have moved right to the top with the other teams especially because he had such great talks with the new coaching staff. Hood loved the straightforward approach and that the Tigers’ coaches didn’t sugarcoat anything.

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Florida was the front-runner for the four-star receiver from Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Oakland but after a recent visit to Tennessee the chatter is that no team is leading at this point which means the Volunteers have made up big ground. Horton’s recent visit to Knoxville went really well and the new coaching staff’s vision for how to use the four-star in the offense is definitely appealing.

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A top quarterback in the 2023 class, Iamaleava visited Ohio State, Clemson and Alabama and landed offers from the Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide but there could be an interesting development with Clemson as well. The Tigers could be all-in on Arch Manning but there is also significant interest in the Downey (Calif.) Warren standout who is DJ Uiagalelei’s cousin. Iamaleava and Uiagalelei talk regularly and the families are close and so Clemson can definitely be a major player moving forward but the Manning sweepstakes also need to be watched.

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One of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 class, Lonergan recently camped and visited Alabama and was blown away. Working with new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and spending time in the facilities were definitely the standout moments. The rumor is Alabama will make Lonergan’s top list later in the summer and the Crimson Tide could definitely be one of the teams to beat but Alabama is in the market with other QBs as well. On Wednesday, Ohio State offered the 2023 QB.

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Kansas State, Missouri, Minnesota, Cal, Virginia, Duke, Colorado and Nebraska are the top eight for the three-star offensive tackle from Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Valor Christian and his official visit to Cal went really well. Maikkula loved the people, the area, the facilities and the off-field opportunities along with the coaches including position coach Angus McClure. Missouri also got a recent visit but the chatter is that the Golden Bears could be really high on Maikkula's list.

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The four-star quarterback from Inglewood, Calif., remains committed to Cal and that could still stick but there’s lots of competition coming. A recent visit to Ole Miss went very well and the rumor is that a flip to the Rebels is not out of the question. Michigan has also gotten a visit and then the four-star will visit Cal later in the month before figuring it all out.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OLE MISS FANS AT REBELGROVE.COM

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Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Iowa and others are going to be involved in Nwankpa’s recruitment but it’s no surprise Ohio State is very high - and the Buckeyes could be tough to beat after his visit to Columbus last weekend. The chatter is that Ohio State is very much on top here and the visit only solidified it. The atmosphere and the people stood out, the feeling of being instantly accepted by the coaches and players is going to be tough to beat.

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After only a visit to Kansas State so far, Page is not setting any front-runners yet but the three-star receiver from Boulder (Colo.) Fairview had an excellent time in Manhattan and one of the aspects that stood out is that the coaches told him they’ve signed long-term deals and don’t plan to go anywhere. That was a big selling point to Page when he considers the Wildcats.

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The four-star tight end from Bellevue (Neb.) West has a final list of Iowa, Illinois, Iowa State, Auburn and Missouri and a commitment is coming July 7. His visit to Iowa State last weekend went really well as the coaching staff and their closeness with everyone else around the program especially stood out. The message of love, hard work and trust from the Iowa State staff was compelling and the Cyclones could be in good shape heading into next month.

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A commit to South Carolina for about three months before backing off that pledge, the four-star was in Columbia this past weekend and absolutely loved the experience. The coaching staff showed Rose a ton of attention and love and a talk with coach Shane Beamer definitely stood out. There’s no doubt now that South Carolina is very much back in the picture. Visits to Auburn, Alabama, Georgia and Georgia Tech are happening as well so competition is heavy (with Penn State, Maryland and others too) but the Gamecocks definitely left a great impression.

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A former Michigan commitment, Rowser made his pledge to Arkansas in late March and the Razorbacks beat out Kentucky, Michigan State and others. After a visit to Fayetteville in recent days, the four-star safety from Belleville, Mich., will not take any other trips. From now on, Rowser is only planning to visit Arkansas and play 7-on-7 which is only great news for coach Sam Pittman and his staff.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ARKANSAS FANS AT HAWGBEAT.COM

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Florida is the program to beat for Thomas as he and his mother loved the experience in Gainesville. There are still many other programs involved with the four-star athlete from Niceville, Fla., but the mix of great football and great academics has become a major consideration and draw for Thomas in the recruiting process. The Gators are the team to beat.

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Clemson was once considered the front-runner for Thompson - rightly or wrongly - and the Tigers are still a contender but a visit in June does not like it’s in the cards. The four-star speedster from Spearman, Texas will be at Oklahoma State this weekend followed by an unofficial to Texas and then an official to Texas A&M to close out the month. A trip squeezed into June at Oregon could also happen as well.

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Oklahoma, Florida and USC are the three front-runners for the four-star cornerback from Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington and after his visit to Gainesville, the Gators could move even higher. The environment blew Williams away and during the trip the four-star got the sense that Florida was on the verge of winning SEC championships. Oklahoma could be tough to beat but if there’s one team that could topple the Sooners, it might be the Gators.

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Nebraska has emerged as the front-runner after the four-star running back from Dallas (Ga.) East Paulding visited Lincoln last weekend. Williams loved the coaching staff, enjoyed hanging out with the current players, the stadium stood out and his interactions with position coach Ryan Held definitely left an impression. The Huskers are No. 1 right now.

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