Recruiting Rumor Mill: Key visits heating up
It was another busy weekend of visits to major games across the country. Here’s the latest we’re hearing in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill:
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Utah is definitely a major school to watch in Ah You’s recruitment but his focus now is getting through his season and then figuring out which program is best with official visits. The three-star linebacker from Kahuku, Hawaii has family in Utah, he loves the defense and is highly interested in the Utes. Arizona could also move way up after his season as well.
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The 2024 three-star linebacker loved the atmosphere at Michigan and the Wolverines’ performance surely stood out in a blowout win over UConn. The message from the coaches was for Beasley to enjoy the moment - and he did - as Michigan is considered the front-runner with Kansas, Duke and Indiana showing the most love recently.
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Beasley’s experience at LSU was “unreal” as the Tigers really got rolling in the second half of their win over Mississippi State. LSU’s coaching staff made it clear to the 2024 four-star cornerback from Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy that he’s a priority and they “showed incredible amounts of love and so did the fans.” LSU, Tennessee, Miami, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Clemson have been the most involved.
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Despite a bad loss to Penn State, Blocton had an exceptional time at Auburn for its orange-out on Saturday as the atmosphere was “amazing.” The Tigers are one of the early front-runners for the 2024 three-star defensive end from Pike Road, Ala., along with Maryland, Tennessee, Clemson, West Virginia, Kansas and others.
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Florida is an early front-runner for the 2025 four-star defensive end from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard and his weekend visit to Gainesville went great. Blount loved the fans and the environment there and the message from the Florida coaches was that there is great “community” in The Swamp. Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma are three other early standouts.
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Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, Oregon and others have all intrigued the 2024 four-star athlete from Timpson, Texas and his time in College Station this weekend went really well. Bussey had an “amazing time” at Texas A&M’s win over Miami, he loved the atmosphere throughout College Station and that it was a “wild night.” His recruitment is just getting started but Texas A&M is definitely one to watch.
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Asked if Nebraska’s bad loss to Oklahoma hurt its chances with the high four-star athlete from Lincoln (Neb.) East or if he was just waiting to see who the Huskers hire as their next coach, Coleman said he had “no comment” so not much will be said until things are cleared up in Lincoln. Others are coming hard, though, as the Sooners, Georgia, Oregon, USC and others have been in touch.
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After taking a big visit to Georgia where the Bulldogs are clearly an early front-runner for Fox, the 2024 four-star athlete from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson was at Louisville for its Friday night game against Florida State and had great conversations with coach Scott Satterfield and position coach Josh Stepp. Those relationships could be key moving forward along with how well the Cardinals are recruiting in the 2023 class.
“The hospitality shown to me was incredible,” Fox said.
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The 2024 four-star tight end from Chillicothe, Ohio remains committed to LSU but Kentucky made a big impression this past weekend as assistant coach Vince Marrow made Galloway feel like “royalty” and he loved how much the Wildcats use their tight ends. Four or five see the field during the game and that appeals to Galloway, who is expected to visit Ohio State on Saturday for the Wisconsin matchup.
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Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher asked Gatling how he likes the gameday experience in College Station and told him the Aggies are making him a big priority in the 2024 class which meant a lot. The 2024 four-star receiver from Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton loved the “loud and amazing” fans at Texas A&M as the Aggies, Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU have made the biggest impact so far.
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Guarnera’s relationship with NC State offensive line coach John Garrison is definitely a major consideration in his recruitment and getting back to Raleigh to “see all the players and coaches again” definitely stood out to the 2024 three-star offensive tackle from Ponte Vedra, Fla. Guarnera has gotten to know some of the players on the team and the message from the coaches was that he was a “perfect fit” there as Florida, Penn State and Notre Dame also stand out.
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Auburn is definitely emerging as a serious contender for the 2024 four-star defensive end from Leeds, Ala., and could be considered the front-runner as he made another trip to The Plains this past weekend. Even though the Tigers got blown out by Penn State, Henderson loved the environment and he’s confident Auburn will “come back hard” after the loss. Henderson visits Alabama this weekend for the Vanderbilt matchup.
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The 2024 four-star safety from Warner Robins (Ga.) Northside had a phenomenal experience at Auburn over the weekend, was really excited to see how much love the fans show the team and the message from the Tigers’ coaching staff was that he could be an “impactful player” there early on. That all means a lot to Jones, who definitely has Auburn high on his list but many other SEC teams are in pursuit as well. Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Florida State and Clemson are some others high on the list.
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Clemson is one of the top schools early on for the 2024 five-star athlete from Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview along with Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame and others and his weekend trip to see the Tigers definitely stood out. What especially made an impression was Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s pre-game speech to his team and about “having a dominating mindset” on the field. Swinney has left a major mark on Matthews and it’s definitely something to watch moving forward.
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Clemson is about “being different” and that really stood out to the 2024 four-star athlete from Cartersville (Ga.) Cass over the weekend as he liked how the coaching staff cares about the team as players and also people. The Tigers have not offered yet, though, as they along with Florida, Florida State, Georgia, West Virginia, Auburn and others have piqued his interest.
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Ohio State and many others are heavily recruiting the 2024 four-star all-purpose back but Missouri had a compelling message for him this weekend that Columbia is “the place I need to be. They are missing a player like me.” That could be an intriguing pitch but the Hannibal, Mo., standout is in the early stages of his recruitment.