8/13/2021 football Edit

Recruiting Rumor Mill: Latest on top players in new 2023 rankings

Adam Gorney • Rivals.com

National Recruiting Director

National recruiting director Adam Gorney is back with his Recruiting Rumor Mill, which features recruiting chatter and news from around the country. Today, he focuses on many of the top players in the new 2023 rankings.

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MORE RECRUITING NEWS: Oscar Delp discusses his top four

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Monday: Five-star countdown | Arch Manning is new No. 1

Tuesday: Rivals250 unveiled | Gorney's thoughts | Meet the new five-stars | Top player at each position | Could there be five five-stars from Alabama?

Friday: State rankings

Saturday: Rivals Roundtable

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Raul Aguirre: Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee were some of Aguirre’s early offers but his offer from Miami is his biggest. The Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove four-star linebacker is originally from South Florida, he has family still in the area and the Hurricanes could be considered a frontrunner.

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Jaiden Ausberry: The four-star linebacker from Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab has Ohio State, Florida, Texas A&M and LSU in the most contact, and at this point Ausberry does not have any visits planned during the season.

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Drayk Bowen: The four-star linebacker released his top five in recent days with LSU, Auburn, Clemson, Indiana and Notre Dame making the cut and many believe the Irish have the edge in his recruitment. For Bowen, the relationships at those schools matter a lot, along with the opportunity to play both football and baseball. Considering his schedule, Bowen is planning trips to Clemson, Notre Dame and Auburn this season.

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Peyton Bowen: Notre Dame, TCU, Florida State, Colorado, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas are the early standouts for the four-star safety from Denton (Texas) Guyer. Bowen has not decided which games he will attend this season.

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Troy Bowles: The four-star linebacker from Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit had a busy summer of visits and he will be back on the road this fall with definite trips to Ohio State and Rutgers for games. More could happen, but Bowles knows of those two for sure.

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Zachariah Branch: The schools that have stood out to the four-star receiver from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman are Alabama, Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, Clemson, Ole Miss, Florida State, Oregon, Arizona State and Auburn. The plan is to join his brother, Zion, on his official visits to Alabama and Clemson in the fall.

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Malik Bryant: Texas A&M, Ohio State, Georgia and Maryland have impressed Bryant through the summer, and Clemson and Miami are also high on the list. As for visits this fall for games, the four-star linebacker/defensive end wants to get to Miami, Ohio State and Maryland, but is still working on dates.

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Victor Burley: Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, USC, Alabama and Texas A&M are the schools that have an early edge for the four-star defensive end from Warner Robins, Ga. At this time, no visits are planned for the fall yet.

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Kelby Collins: The four-star defensive end from Gardendale, Ala., who has phenomenal sophomore film, has Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M and Auburn as the schools that stand out most in his recruitment. No visits are planned yet for the season.

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Johntay Cook: The four-star receiver from Desoto, Texas, has not dropped a top list yet but Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Ohio State and USC stand out the most to him with Florida poking around in his recruitment.

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Tackett Curtis: The four-star linebacker from Many, La., has some Big Ten schools high on his radar, among many others, but watching games in the fall and taking trips is really going to be super important as Curtis works on his list of favorites.

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Caleb Downs: Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and North Carolina are the early standouts for the four-star safety from Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek. His brother, Josh, plays for the Tar Heels and Downs said he plans to visit each of those schools for a game this fall.

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Shamar Easter: Arkansas, Florida State, Clemson, LSU and Auburn are the five programs standing out most to the four-star tight end from Ashdown, Ark. and he’s planning to take visits for games this season but nothing is final yet. There are some rumors that the Razorbacks lead, while others say Clemson looks best.

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Tre Edwards: USC and Arizona are the two schools standing out the most to the Chula Vista (Calif.) Mater Dei Catholic four-star linebacker who does not have any plans yet for visits during the college football season.

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Siale Esera: Over the summer, the schools that stood out to Esera were Stanford, Oregon, BYU, Michigan and Cal. In the coming months, the high four-star linebacker from Provo (Utah) Timpview plans to visit Alabama for the LSU matchup and Oregon for the Washington State game.

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Keldric Faulk: Florida State, Auburn, Alabama, Clemson and Tennessee made the cut for the four-star defensive end from Highland Home, Ala., and the plan moving forward is for Faulk to visit all five of those schools during the fall.

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Rodney Gallagher: Also a standout basketball player, the four-star receiver from Uniontown (Pa.) Laurel Highlands only visited four schools over the summer, but Penn State and West Virginia were the programs that stood out most.

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Jalen Hale: Oklahoma, LSU, Texas and Texas A&M are the four standouts after the summer for the four-star receiver from Longview, Texas, although the rumor is LSU has impressed him the most. Visits are coming up for Hale as well as he hopes to see Alabama, Clemson, USC and Notre Dame this season.

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Justice Haynes: Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame and Clemson are the six frontrunners right now for the four-star running back from Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity. The UGA legacy has said that won’t play a major role in his thinking because what was best for his father might not be best for him.

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David Hicks: No visits for the fall are planned yet but the new five-star defensive lineman said Clemson, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Missouri and Grambling State stand out the most to him now.

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Trey Holly: Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma State are the schools that have emerged for the four-star running back from Farmerville (La.) Union Parish. Holly plans to see all those schools during the fall, if possible.

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Jahlil Hurley: Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Florida and Florida State are the five early standouts for the Florence, Ala., four-star cornerback. Hurley does not have any plans to visit schools for games yet this fall.

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Nico Iamaleava: Georgia, USC, Alabama, Ohio State and UCLA stand out most after the summer to the four-star QB from Downey (Calif.) Warren. A lot of visits for games are coming up as Iamaleava plans to attend the Georgia/Clemson game and then see games at USC, Alabama, Ohio State and UCLA as well.

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Brandon Inniss: The five-star receiver has Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Miami and USC standing out the most in his recruitment. Nothing is for sure yet as far as visits in the coming weeks.

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Sedrick Irvin: Irvin’s father by the same name attended Michigan State, and the Spartans are one of the contenders, but Stanford, Oregon and Notre Dame seem to be the highest on Irvin’s list right now. The only planned visit for the fall is to Florida State.

Derrick LeBlanc: Ohio State is considered to have an edge in the recruitment of the four-star defensive end from Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola. Alabama, Miami and Texas A&M are some other favorites.

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Terrance Love: Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Auburn are the six schools that have caught Love’s attention, and the four-star safety from Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes is hoping to visit them all this fall.

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Walker Lyons: Texas, Ohio State, Stanford and Washington are the four schools standing out most to the four-star tight end from Folsom, Calif., and he’s hoping to visit numerous SEC schools in the fall. Rumors about Ole Miss standing out most in his recruitment are overdone, according to a source.

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Cole Martin: The four-star cornerback who’s now at Chandler (Ariz.) Basha is planning to visit UCLA for the LSU matchup. He’s going to a game at Oregon and he will hit up Arizona State games as well. Martin would like to go national this fall, but his schedule won’t allow many trips like that yet.

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Francis Mauigoa: Oregon and possibly other West schools are emerging as a serious contender for the high four-star offensive tackle at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy as it would be easier for his family to come see his games. The massive lineman is originally from American Samoa.

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Miles McVay: The four-star offensive tackle from East St. Louis, Ill., is planning to release a top 10 list soon, but of the schools he visited this summer Alabama, Missouri, Georgia, Florida, Clemson, Northwestern, Michigan State, LSU and Ole Miss all stood out. He’s hoping to visit Texas A&M, Oklahoma, TCU, USC, Texas and Ohio State, if possible, this fall.

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Tony Mitchell: Florida State, Florida, Clemson, Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU, Oregon and Alabama are the schools standing out most early on for the four-star cornerback. The Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson prospect will be back at FSU for the Notre Dame game in early September and will take a trip to Florida for the Alabama matchup later that month.

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Deandre Moore: Oklahoma is considered one of the top teams for the four-star wide receiver who just transferred from Las Vegas Desert Pines to Los Alamitos, Calif., and then Florida State, Alabama, Texas, Oregon and USC stand out. Moore is trying to get to Florida State and Oklahoma for games this year, and he expects to be at USC a lot, too.

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Jason Moore: Penn State, Maryland, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State and USC have been the schools that have been most involved with the four-star defensive tackle from Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha so far. Games at Penn State and Maryland are being planned, for sure.

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Samuel M’Pemba: The four-star athlete from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy spent the summer in Africa, so he was not able to take visits while everyone else was on the road but M’Pemba is highest on Notre Dame, Arizona State, Penn State and Alabama at this point.

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Malik Muhammad: It’s still a long list for the four-star cornerback who’s now at Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff after being at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy with Alabama, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Miami and Auburn standing out the most.

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Dakaari Nelson: After the summer, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Arkansas stand out most to the four-star safety from Selma, Ala. Trips to Oklahoma, Michigan and Auburn are being planned for the fall.

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Will Norman: One of the biggest risers in the Rivals100, the four-star defensive tackle from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy has Texas A&M and Michigan standing out the most early in his recruitment.

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Lebbeus Overton: Texas A&M, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma were the four schools that stood out most to the five-star defensive lineman from Milton, Ga. He’s planning to take trips in the fall, but nothing has been finalized yet.

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Reuben Owens: The former Texas commit and current No. 1 all-purpose back has Georgia, Texas A&M, Texas, USC, LSU and Georgia Tech as the schools leading the way at this point. He wants to visit all of those programs during the season, if possible, and would love to see Oregon, Wisconsin, Florida State, Florida and Oklahoma State as well.

Jaquaize Pettaway: Alabama and Texas A&M are two early standouts, mainly because the four-star receiver from Houston Langham Creek has already visited there. He’s hoping to see Clemson, Florida and Ohio State during the season.

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Caleb Presley: Alabama, Washington, Oregon, Texas A&M and Notre Dame are some schools to watch with the four-star cornerback from Seattle Rainier Beach, but a new offer from LSU is definitely a major one in his recruitment. Presley is planning a trip to Baton Rouge soon and he’s also looking at narrowing down his list.

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Kadyn Proctor: Alabama, Iowa, Iowa State, Notre Dame and Ohio State are the five schools that appeal most to the new five-star offensive tackle. No trips are booked for the fall yet, but Midwest schools could be seen again.

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Justyn Rhett: The SEC programs are standing out most to Rhett, with Alabama, Georgia, LSU and others among the favorites, along with Notre Dame early on for Rhett, who doesn’t have any plans for visits yet this fall.

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Duce Robinson: Robinson’s list is expanding with Oklahoma, Clemson, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Arizona State, Washington and Notre Dame as the schools that have piqued Robinson’s interest so far. Those are the places he visited this summer. Earlier, the high four-star tight end said the Sooners, Bulldogs and the Tigers stood out most.

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Ta’Mere Robinson: Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Michigan are the four early standouts for the Pittsburgh (Pa.) Brashear four-star outside linebacker. No visits are definite yet for the fall.

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Shelton Sampson: The recruitment for the high four-star receiver from Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic could already be shaping up to be a two-team race as LSU and Texas A&M are standing out the most to him right now.

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Madden Sanker: Georgia, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Oregon and Michigan State are the schools that impressed Sanker the most this summer and could have an edge in his recruitment. Seeing games at Georgia and Georgia Tech will happen for sure, and the Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding prospect is trying to get to Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Louisville as well.

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Harris Sewell: There is still a long list of standouts for the four-star offensive guard from Odessa (Texas) Permian as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas and Texas Tech made the cut. A busy fall could be ahead, as Sewell is hopeful to see games at Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas and Texas Tech.

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James Smith: Texas A&M was the visit that stood out most to Smith in June but by early August the Montgomery (Ala.) Carver four-star defensive end said no schools particularly stood out. He would like to visit Ohio State this fall.

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Sylvester Smith: Alabama has been on the Munford, Ala., the hardest and then Auburn, Michigan, LSU, UCF, Florida and Florida State have been seriously involved as well. As for fall plans, Smith is looking at trips to Oregon and Florida.

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Carnell Tate: Michigan, Texas and Notre Dame are the three schools that appealed most to Tate during the summer and during the season the four-star receiver from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy hopes to take trips to Notre Dame, Michigan, Tennessee and Florida State.

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Aveion Terrell: Clemson and Auburn are the early frontrunners for the four-star cornerback from Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake, and Clemson should be watched since his brother, A.J., played there. Visits to Florida, Auburn and Georgia are being planned for this season.`

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Javien Toviano: Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon and Michigan are the four standout schools through the summer for the four-star cornerback from Arlington (Texas) Martin. A busy fall schedule is planned as Toviano wants to see games in all Power Five conferences, but nothing is finalized yet.

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Jayden Wayne: It is still a lengthy list for the four-star defensive end from Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln, but after visiting all over the country this summer Alabama, Oregon, Miami, Oklahoma, USC, Washington, Texas, Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Michigan and Auburn stand out most. He’s hoping to see Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M games in person this fall.

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Hykeem Williams: Rutgers, Florida State, Miami, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Georgia are the early frontrunners for the four-star receiver from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Stranahan. He doesn’t have any visits planned yet for the fall.

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Peter Woods: Alabama, LSU, Clemson, UCF and Florida were the schools that most impressed the four-star defensive end from Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson. The Crimson Tide are rumored to be in the best spot, but Woods is planning a round of visits in the fall so no teams are eliminated yet.

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Ryan Yaites: The four-star cornerback from Denton (Texas) Guyer wanted to visit USC this summer, but he couldn’t. So LSU, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, TCU and Texas stood out the most. This fall should be super busy, as Yaites wants to see games at Notre Dame, LSU, Alabama, TCU, Texas, SMU, Ole Miss and USC.

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Richard Young: Ohio State and Alabama have long been the frontrunners for the high four-star running back from Lehigh Acres (Fla.) Lehigh, and that continued through the summer. Clemson is also now a school to watch as well and Young is planning trips to all three schools in the fall.