Recruiting Rumor Mill: Latest chatter surrounding Rivals250 talent
There is still tons of recruiting news along with rumors even as the busiest time of summer winds down. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney shares what he’s hearing in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.
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RELATED: Four-star DB Zabien Brown commits to Alabama
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The four-star defensive end from Little Rock (Ark.) Mills has been committed to Arkansas since April but over the last few weeks Ohio State has been making a run at Collins and it could be something to watch. The two sides are building a relationship together and the Buckeyes’ coaching staff is pushing for a potential visit but Collins has shown no serious signs of backing off his pledge.
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A top list could be coming soon for the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star all-purpose back and then a commitment should be coming before his senior season. Georgia, Alabama and Oregon are battling it out at the top but Tennessee, Nebraska and others are on the list. A rumored commitment to Georgia on the day four-star Chauncey Bowens flipped from Florida to the Bulldogs didn’t materialize but the Dawgs are definitely up there. Texas A&M is another program to watch and the Aggies are quickly emerging as a serious contender in his recruitment as well.
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The 2025 four-star tight end from West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West has not hidden his high level of interest in Ohio State recently - wearing Ohio State gloves at the NextGen Five-Star Pro Day recently and really talking highly about the Buckeyes often. If Ohio State makes a major move for the in-state tight end then it would be shocking if Gilbert didn’t end up in Columbus but other high-profile schools have offered as well.
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Oklahoma and Oregon are showing more interest in the 2025 high four-star cornerback but USC, Arizona and Washington continue to be the most involved with the Mission Viejo, Calif., standout. It’s a surprise that Lee’s recruitment has not taken off more this summer since he is one of the best cornerbacks in the 2025 class with length, athleticism and playmaking ability but that could change early in his junior season. The Trojans look best at this point especially since they were involved earlier than others.
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The 2025 four-star quarterback visited Ohio State, Michigan and LSU this summer and loved all three trips although the trip to Baton Rouge held a special place for him since he’s originally from Slidell, La. That could play a significant role in the Corona (Calif.) Centennial quarterback’s thinking moving forward especially since the Tigers played so well last season but his recruitment remains wide open right now.
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he date the high four-star linebacker will make his final choice on July 26; he will either stay committed to Georgia or flip to Alabama or Auburn. After talking to a close source, no one including Riddick is giving away any hints and the source laughed at the idea that anything has been cleared up. It’s more than possible the Clanton (Ala.) Chilton County standout flips to Alabama. It’s possible he stays with Georgia. A flip to Auburn would be surprising at this point.
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A top 10 of Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, Ohio State, Georgia, Maryland, Texas, Colorado, Texas A&M and Florida has emerged for the four-star defensive tackle from Orlando (Fla.) Jones but it feels like the Longhorns are way out in front for his commitment.
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Tennessee and Oregon are the teams to watch now for the four-star defensive end from Birmingham (Ala.) Vestavia Hills but many others could pop in and out before it’s decision time. A great visit to Florida happened in June but the Volunteers could be the team to watch in Ross’ recruitment now.
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Florida State is definitely a program to watch for the high three-star offensive lineman from Mission Hills (Calif.) Alemany especially after a great visit there this summer. Stewart has a real closeness with position coach Alex Atkins and he’s always had high interest in the Seminoles. Right now, Arizona would be the other program to watch but many more offers could be coming for the 2025 standout.
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There was a lot of chatter that Tatum would inevitably end up at USC and it looked that way for a long time but there could be some hesitancy about going that far from home and after a good Oklahoma visit, the Sooners are now the team to watch. The longer this goes maybe other teams sneak in but Oklahoma has to like its spot with the four-star running back from Longview, Texas.
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The high three-star defensive end from El Cajon (Calif.) Granite Hills had a top three of Arizona, Oregon State and Washington and was expected to commit on July 1. White decided to hold off until at least the start of his senior season to see if other top programs came calling and while those three still make up his favorites, White is open to other opportunities as well.
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Hours after his decommitment from Ole Miss, Williams still had not heard from many new programs but two to watch here could be Arizona and UCLA. Neither has a quarterback commitment yet in the 2024 class and both the Wildcats and Bruins had been recruiting Williams prior to his Ole Miss commitment. If a concern is how much the Rebels would be throwing the ball then Williams might be interested in the Pac-12 programs although others could get involved, too.
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Now that Joseph Jonah-Ajonye is committed to Georgia, his Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge five-star linebacker teammate could be pulled more to the Bulldogs as well. That’s the hope of the UGA coaching staff as the Bulldogs have absolutely emerged as a real contender in Williams’ recruitment but a source said they also recognize that the five-star absolutely loves Oregon as well.