There were hundreds of official visitors all across the country this past weekend and some major schools also had camps as well so this Recruiting Rumor Mill is loaded – and it won’t be the last one this week.
DOMINO EFFECT: Recent QB pledges will impact others in 2026 class
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The four-star offensive tackle from Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest loved how the players and the coaching staff at Missouri treated him like family and they laid out a clear plan and vision for him to succeed in Columbia.
The coaching staff told Babalola he is a “vital piece” to the recruiting recruiting class as Stanford, Michigan, Auburn and Oklahoma also stand out in his recruitment.
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Texas has made the biggest impression on the 2027 standout running back from Jackson, Ala., and now it will be interesting to see if the Longhorns can keep up the momentum.
Crowell was in Austin over the weekend for camp and loved his experience there. His teammate, Jamarrion Gordon, just committed to Alabama and he’s an in-state kid so that will be something to watch but Texas has the edge now.
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Missouri and LSU have emerged as the front-runners for Curne, who had a short commitment to Arkansas a couple months ago, and a weekend trip to Columbia definitely left a massive impression.
The Marion, Ark., four-star offensive guard loved how genuine the coaches were and how much information they gave plus how intentional they are about two things: Winning championships and getting a meaningful degree for life after football.
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After a two-month commitment to Alabama, Grady backed off that pledge following coach Nick Saban’s retirement and now Ohio State, Miami and Auburn are standing out the most. The Hurricanes “really made a strong push” this weekend as he learned more about the program and how they’d use him in the defense.
The message to the four-star defensive end out of Enterprise, Ala., from position coach Jason Taylor was that he’d be a “nightmare for the rest of college football” if Taylor had a chance to coach him.
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Hall’s plan was to be at Georgia late last week and then Alabama on Friday but he tweaked his groin in Athens so he couldn’t make it to Tuscaloosa.
The Georgia coaches told the 2026 four-star safety from Milton, Fla., that they’re going to be recruiting him hard especially after his performance there as the Bulldogs, the Crimson Tide, Mississippi State, Florida and Florida State stand out most.
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Oregon has been a school pegged to Harris for a long time as he’s originally from the state and has a great relationship with the Ducks but a recent visit to Alabama definitely left a major impression.
The St. George (Utah) Pine View 2026 four-star tight end has known coach Kalen DeBoer from his time at Washington, loves his intensity and sincerity and DeBoer made it clear that Alabama is committed to using its tight ends. A whole round of visits are happening for Harris and then he should be able to focus in more.
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If Florida is able to flip the four-star defensive end from Florida State it could be because of Hilson’s growing relationship with coach Billy Napier and his “father figure” status to the Cocoa, Fla., standout.
Hilson loves how he was treated like family in Gainesville and he could “visualize” himself in the defensive scheme. Hilson had been committed to Alabama and the Crimson Tide are working to get him back but the Gators made up some ground this weekend.
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A new offer from Texas is “really special” after Houston camped in Austin over the weekend and has proven to be one of the best 2027 quarterbacks in the country.
The Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian standout loves how the coaching staff handles the players and how things are done at Texas so the Longhorns stand out with Oklahoma, TCU, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and UCLA.
“They demand perfection,” Houston said.
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Spending time with coach Ryan Day, new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and new position coach Carlos Locklyn were all important to the four-star running back from Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela St. Joseph and Kelly’s plan for Jackson at running back was excellent but the real highlight for him was hanging out with the players.
Jackson was hosted by Sam Williams-Dixon and JT Tuimoloau hosted a big event at his house as Ohio State battles Alabama and Georgia down the stretch.
“Message from Day was I’ve been his guy from Day 1,” Jackson said.
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Everything in Lewis’ recruitment is “still the same” following a weekend visit to Indiana that was impressive but almost definitely won’t change anything in his recruitment.
The No. 1 prospect in the 2025 Rivals250 remains committed to USC and he will be in Los Angeles this weekend - what was described as a “big” trip - and then Auburn and Colorado continue to be the heaviest pursuers.
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South Carolina and North Carolina along with Penn State, Tennessee and others have been regularly mentioned by the 2026 four-star cornerback from Cornelius (N.C.) Hough but now Clemson has offered and the Tigers are “definitely in my top five.” Matthews has a strong relationship with position coach Mike Reed so that could go a long way if Clemson keeps coming after the North Carolina prospect.
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Georgia remains high on the list with a lot of other schools but Alabama’s entire coaching staff impressed McCoy over the weekend as every one of them let the 2026 four-star safety from Buford, Ga., know he’s a top priority and they catered to him like he was a commit or a 2025 recruit.
McCoy loved the “elite” camp in Tuscaloosa as Georgia and Alabama are battling it out with Texas, Oregon, Ohio State, USC, Tennessee, Michigan, Miami, Texas A&M and Auburn.
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The history and tradition of elite wide receivers and first-rounders of course made an impression on the five-star receiver who recently backed off his LSU commitment but the academics were a big key in Columbus.
Moore will be able to structure the “perfect” major for himself and then the team brotherhood, networking capabilities and head coach accessibility were all major draws.
What also stood out was how much Moore and his mom loved the “city vibe” in Columbus as the chatter is that Texas has the edge but Ohio State “set the bar pretty high.”
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More than 30 offers have come in for Perry-Wright already and a weekend visit to Alabama definitely left a major impression as he loved the culture with the new coaching staff and he felt treated like family in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide, Ohio State, Clemson, Auburn, USC, Texas and Texas A&M stand out most as Georgia has still not offered the 2026 four-star defensive tackle from Buford, Ga.
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Pula and his brother, Jaron, made their first trip to Alabama over the last few days and they both landed offers from the Crimson Tide. From working with position coach JaMarcus Shephard to feeling the energy around the program, Alabama is definitely a major contender now.
If the Crimson Tide can keep the momentum it will be interesting to watch for the 2026 WRs from Provo (Utah) Timpview as UCLA is also a major standout. Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Oregon are also high on the list.
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The four-star all-purpose back from Montgomery (Ala.) Carver has been committed to Alabama for a year but he took a visit to Ohio State in recent days and loves how focused the coaching staff is in developing players and getting them to the NFL.
That’s a big factor in Rogers’ thinking as the Buckeyes, Georgia and Auburn are mainly the ones trying to flip him from the Crimson Tide.
“I’m just keeping my recruitment open while committed to Bama and figuring out what to do with things,” Rogers said.
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The Penn State coaching staff from coach James Franklin to new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to position coach Marques Hagans all made a major impact on the four-star receiver during his weekend visit as Franklin was around the entire time and showed Simms he was a major priority.
The St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers standout also hit it off with the current players and other staff members as USC, Nebraska and Missouri are making the biggest impact in his recruitment. The chatter is that the Tigers could be tough to beat but Penn State took its shot this weekend.
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Clemson has emerged as the front-runner in Starr’s recruitment following his weekend visit there where position coach Mike Reed showed interest and had “constant communication” with the high three-star cornerback from Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood for the entire trip.
The Tigers now have the edge but Missouri, Auburn and Tennessee are still pushing hard.
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Stubbs had his “best experience” on this USC visit as the Trojans commit sat down with defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, secondary coach Doug Belk and many others including Taylor Mays, Darnell Bing, Mike Williams, Mark Sanchez and Leon McQuay to get the full experience while on campus.
The Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin four-star safety is now turning his attention to recruiting top defensive prospects including Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Jonah Williams and Trey McNutt and keeping Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson locked in with their pledge. Florida and others are pursuing Stubbs but his visit was so “fantastic” that it looks like the Trojans could now be tough to beat.
“USC’s defense will be ready to win national championships very soon,” Stubbs said.
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At this point, it would be a major surprise if Georgia doesn’t end up with Turner in its class as he feels “Georgia is definitely the standard” and the “top school in the whole process” in his recruitment.
The Decatur (Ga.) Southwest Dekalb four-star receiver was back in Athens in recent days, had a strong showing at the event and loved the high energy and the high-level competition. Georgia Tech, Auburn, BYU and others are also involved.
