Recruiting Rumor Mill: More reports during another busy week
There was an overload of recruiting news and rumors over the last few days and so a second Recruiting Rumor Mill was needed this week. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.
MORE RUMOR MILL: Buzz continues as Early Signing Period approaches
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TUESDAYS WITH GORNEY: Coaches that are hot - or not
FINAL 2023 TEAM RANKINGS: Comprehensive (overall) ranking | High school/JUCO ranking | Transfer portal ranking
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer portal player ranking | Transfer portal team ranking | Transfer Tracker | Message board
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The Savage (Minn.) Prior Lake high three-star defensive end has been committed to Minnesota since March, so the Golden Gophers are still in a good position here, but things could get interesting because after being offered by USC. The word is that Abasiri will take a visit to meet with the Trojans. It’s unclear how serious this is since USC just offered, but much more should be known after that trip.
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The three-star BYU cornerback commit was supposed to visit Ole Miss again this past weekend but didn’t make it because he was handing out turkeys with his coach for Thanksgiving. The Rebels are still the biggest threat to flip the Decatur (Ga.) Southwest Dekalb standout, but Houston has also now entered the picture for the BYU pledge.
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The fast-rising 2025 four-star offensive tackle from Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest was back at Missouri last weekend for its win over Florida. Babalola was especially impressed how the Tigers rallied to win when it looked like there was “no shot,” and he loved the message from the coaches that they plan to take the program to an even higher level. The Tigers are one team to watch, but the list is still long with Washington, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida and Nebraska all involved.
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A new offer from Miami is absolutely compelling to the four-star NC State quarterback commit from Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna, but the word is it’s not a guarantee Bailey flips. Bailey had been expecting the offer for over a month and it finally came in recent days, but there is loyalty to the Wolfpack coaching staff and he also wants to see if Chance Robinson, who has been taking visits, and others stick with the Hurricanes first.
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Nebraska could now be the team to beat for the four-star offensive tackle who has continually pushed back making his decision, as Oklahoma looks for others at the position who could be ready to choose and Kansas State still seems like an outlier. The Huskers have been one of the two frontrunners, but with the Sooners sliding it looks like Nebraska could definitely win out.
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Missouri is one of three early frontrunners for the 2025 three-star receiver from Collierville, Tenn., and although he couldn’t attend the Tigers' win over Florida this past weekend, Dodson was in Columbia for their game earlier this season against LSU where he hit it off with assistants Kirby Moore and Jacob Peeler. Tennessee and Cincinnati are the other two to watch early on.
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After Florida State and Heard parted ways, the College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy four-star safety is starting over a little bit in his recruitment. Heard was at Georgia Tech over the weekend and that would be a safe pick since it’s right down the road and the Yellow Jackets have made him a priority. But before any decisions are made, Heard is expected to visit Louisville this weekend.
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Kansas and Nebraska are the two programs that have made the biggest impression on Heath, especially after he was in Lawrence over the weekend and loved the environment. The message form the coaches was that what’s happening in Lawrence is special and that it’s only the beginning, so that stood out to the Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest three-star offensive tackle.
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The South Alabama defensive end commit loved how the Missouri coaches interacted with all the recruits and then how the team played down the stretch during its win over Florida last weekend. The Tigers have not offered Jennings yet, but if Missouri comes through then the word is he’s “leaning toward” a possible flip. Georgia Tech and Louisville are also showing new interest.
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Offers are flooding in for the 2025 offensive tackle from Eureka, Mo., and a weekend visit to Missouri definitely impressed him a lot. Lange saw an “amazing game” as the Tigers beat Florida and the in-state program remains among the early favorites with Nebraska, Kansas State, Kansas and Ole Miss. Notre Dame is one of his newest offers.
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Clemson and North Carolina might have made the biggest impression so far on the 2025 cornerback from Marietta (Ga.) Sprayberry, but Georgia Tech did a great job with Manfred over the weekend. The coaches told him they loved his film and just wanted to get him on campus before offering, and that happened Saturday. Cincinnati is another school to watch.
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Kansas and Kansas State remain among the early favorites for the 2025 four-star defensive end from Overland Park (Kan.) St. Thomas Aquinas, and being in Lawrence this weekend helped Marks see two of his frontrunners in person at the same time. Those two will remain under serious consideration but Missouri, Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee, Oregon and USC round out a long list.
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Ohio State and Penn State have been the top two for the 2025 four-star linebacker from Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola, but after a weekend visit to USC - even in its loss to UCLA - the Trojans have now made it a top three. Miami and Michigan are also capturing Melendez’s attention, but Melendez loved that he’s at the top of USC’s linebacker board and that he could make an immediate impact there.
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Clemson made a big impression on Preston over the weekend not only in its win over North Carolina but also how the coaches talked to him about building him up as a man and being a good person outside football. That meant a lot to the 2025 receiver from Woodbridge (Va.) Freedom as the Tigers are one of the frontrunners along with Wisconsin, Boston College, Pitt, Wake Forest, Penn State and Kansas.
“This experience was one of the best,” Preston said.
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USC, Auburn, Florida State and Texas are the four early leaders for the 2026 athlete from Texarkana (Texas) Liberty-Eylau, but there are others to watch. Prevo could be visiting either Baylor or Illinois this weekend, and then the four-star will also hit up the Kansas junior day in December.
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The four-star running back from Sacramento, Calif., might have gotten squeezed out of the Utah recruiting class since the Utes are going to be stocked at the position, but one school that could benefit from all this is Nebraska. The Huskers have reached out to Radcliffe and shown a good deal of interest. With only weeks to go until signing day, this could be a situation where Nebraska picks up a four-star running back out of nowhere and it benefits the Huskers a ton.
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After backing off a four-month commitment to Boston College in early October, Stephens took an official visit to USC over the weekend and now the Trojans have emerged as a major contender in his recruitment. The people stood out most at USC, and after talking to players, coaches and staff members the Trojans should definitely be watched for the high three-star athlete from Clarkston, Mich.