Recruiting Rumor Mill: Latest buzz following busy weekend

The recruiting world is back in high gear with lots of rumors and tons of visits around the country over the weekend. Here is the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.

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Through this offseason, Byrne has seen his recruitment take off as he inches closer to 20 offers but four programs have caught his eye the most including his two newest offers.

Michigan and Texas A&M are definitely two to watch for the 2025 three-star offensive tackle from New Rochelle (N.Y.) Iona Prep as Wisconsin and Stanford have also made a big impression early in his recruitment.

The three-star quarterback from Seattle (Wash.) Garfield has been committed to Washington since October and the word is he would sign with the Huskies today if it were signing day but a big round of visits is coming up.

Oregon State hosted him over the weekend and then Caminong will see Texas A&M, BYU and Cal along with heading back to Washington before making any final decisions.

The 2026 offensive tackle comes from an Olympic family so he’s going to be heavily pursued especially since he’s already 6-foot-8 and 275 pounds and has all the physical tools to be special.

Right now, the Nixa, Mo., standout likes Arkansas and Texas A&M the most and then he also has his eyes on Kansas State and TCU since he visited both of those Big 12 programs. A new offer from Oklahoma will be something to watch as Cantwell liked “a lot” during his visit there Friday where he was offered.

Arkansas is hanging on to the commitment of Crutchfield but another SEC school is making a serious run at the four-star athlete from Pine Bluff, Ark., and it’s at least something to watch. It helps that Charleston Collins is locked in with the Razorbacks but there seems to be mutual interest with LSU and that could be a team to watch in Crutchfield’s recruitment.

Clemson is now “really high” on Davis’ list after getting offered in recent days and it was one he was waiting on as the Tigers now have the full attention of the 2025 defensive end from Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley. There are many other contenders early on with Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, North Carolina and others involved with Davis, the former teammate of UNC defensive tackle Travis Shaw, a former five-star.

The four-star defensive end from Longview (Texas) Pine Tree has been committed to Texas A&M since last summer but the word recently is that Evans is “looking around” and a visit to Florida over the weekend should definitely be watched. The chatter coming out of that trip is that the Gators definitely impressed and the four-star has changed all his social media to him in Florida attire.

Clemson has always been a school Faulk liked a lot and the Tigers are now even more on the radar as they offered following his workout at camp late last week. It could be a school to watch but Auburn has to be considered the team to beat right now since his brother, Keldric, flipped from Florida State to those Tigers late in the recruiting process. Georgia, Florida and others remain on the radar, too.

Tennessee looks to be the biggest threat to flip Gilbert from Ohio State and his recent visit back to Knoxville could be the impetus if anything is going to happen. The 2025 four-star defensive back from Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass continues to take visits with NC State and UNC visits over the weekend, USC soon and then Alabama later this month. But it feels like the Vols have made tremendous inroads.

A new Clemson offer is huge for the 2025 four-star offensive guard from Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy as it was his dream school and the Tigers are now high in his recruitment. Clemson now joins Georgia, South Carolina, Miami and LSU as the early favorites.

It’s very early for the 2026 offensive lineman from Carrollton, Ga., but it’s not too soon to call Georgia the team to beat in his recruitment. The Bulldogs offered in recent days, Helton has called Georgia his dream school and the interior OL prospect said his connection with the coaching staff in Athens is what stands out most.

Auburn, Texas A&M, Penn State and others are involved but Georgia is the team to watch here.

Even after Tennessee took a commitment from running back Peyton Lewis, the Vols still told Hill they’re highly interested in him and could use him all over the field. That was welcome news during a recent visit for the Meridian, Miss., standout who could play other positions but is most focused on running back.

The Vols have made up ground but still watch South Carolina here with LSU for sure along with Alabama, Penn State and Michigan.

Arkansas, Texas, USC, Oregon, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Miami, Auburn, Missouri and Michigan made the top 10 for Lindsey as the chatter has been the Aggies could have the edge at this point but there has already been a change. Minutes after Lindsey announced his top 10, Alabama became his newest offer and the word is the Crimson Tide will definitely make his top five.

The massive 2025 offensive guard from Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton committed to Arizona and then shortly after backed off that pledge. There was some confusion as it seemed like a surprise to the Wildcats that Mealer was going to commit and then so quickly back off it but the word is he did it because so much new interest was pouring in.

Oregon, Georgia, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Oregon State have all reached out and he plans to camp in Athens later this month.

After working out at Clemson on Thursday, the Tigers are “at the top of the top” for the 2025 four-star from Enterprise, Ala., especially since he had such a great time on campus.

Listed as a safety currently, Winters is expected to move to linebacker over the long term as Oklahoma, Auburn and LSU are the others standing out at this point.

After a recent visit to Tennessee where coach Josh Heupel spent huge portions of his day with Young, the Volunteers have emerged at the top of his list and there was a temptation for the four-star receiver from New Orleans (La.) Holy Cross.

Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oregon, Georgia and many others remain in the running and many other visits should happen before a decision, but Tennessee definitely did a number on Young during the visit.