Recruiting Rumor Mill: News rolls in after wild weekend
It was a wild weekend all over the country with visits and junior days, and even a major junior day wrapped around the Battle Miami tournament.
Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney on what he’s hearing.
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The way Bradford and his grandfather were treated by the LSU coaching staff along with the academic side of things in Baton Rouge stood out the most to the 2026 high four-star. It made him think “playing in the backyard” might be the best decision for the Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic standout as Notre Dame, Texas, Florida State and Oregon also have made a big impression.
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What Brown loved so much on this visit over to LSU was the attention paid to him by the offensive coaches but also from the defensive ones as well since the 2026 high four-star prospect can play on either side of the ball. The Tigers are definitely one of the main frontrunners for the Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab standout but Georgia, Florida State, Florida and Texas are up there as well and more could join the list since a blitz of offers just came in.
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The defensive tackle from Newberry, Fla., has seen his recruitment take off in recent weeks and an early list is coming together with UCF definitely on it after a Friday night visit. He loved the message from the coaching staff that they like him as a player but they like his character even more. UCF, Miami, Florida, Florida State, USC, Penn State, Tennessee, Ohio State and Notre Dame are the ones to watch now.
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Florida State, Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State are the four standouts for the three-star receiver from Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day and his weekend trip to Tallahassee definitely left a great impression. What stood out to Coleman is that “FSU is real” and his talks with coach Mike Norvell especially stood out as the Seminoles remain among the front-runners especially after this visit.
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Oregon made a massive impression on the high four-star safety from Olney (Md.) Good Counsel over the weekend and what could put the Ducks over the edge is that Dan Lanning is his favorite coach in college football. Ohio State and Oregon are the two standouts for Delane especially after this visit.
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Florida impressed the four-star offensive lineman from Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes over the weekend by showing him everything the program could provide on and off the field as the Gators remain in contention. But the word is that Auburn is standing out the most in Dice’s recruitment and could be tough to beat.
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Georgia, Florida State and Tennessee are the three main programs to watch with Farrakhan and five-star QB Dylan Raiola going to Nebraska definitely interest him as well and now Miami can be added to the list as well. The four-star receiver from The Woodlands, Texas loved the Hurricanes’ facilities in Coral Gables over the weekend and now “they definitely are” under serious consideration.
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The four-star linebacker from Highland Home, Ala., committed to Auburn in August and his brother, Keldric, already plays there but Florida State (where his brother had previously been committed) is trying to flip Faulk now as well. Faulk’s weekend visit to Tallahassee went really well as he loved the hospitality, the communication and how genuine the people were he met there.
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The love and hospitality that Gilchrist gets at South Carolina is “unmatched” and it’s pushing the Gamecocks toward the top of his list. The four-star offensive lineman from Virginia Beach (Va.) Salem also likes Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech and “of course” Alabama and Georgia but he has a “home away from home” in Columbia.
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If the four-star interior offensive lineman from Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy picks Clemson, it will be because of the coaches. Gooden loved the Clemson coaching staff over the weekend and that could separate the Tigers from others as Colorado and Missouri are the two other teams to watch closest right now.
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Oklahoma could have been really tough to beat for Haynes anyway and after this weekend visit, the four-star cornerback from Midwest City (Okla.) Carl Albert might be heavily leaning toward the Sooners now. Visits to Georgia, Miami and Stanford are being worked on and the new Texas A&M coaching staff has been talking to Haynes a ton but Oklahoma should be very tough here.
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The Miami visit over the weekend was an “eye-opener” for Henderson especially as he sat down with coach Mario Cristobal and it clearly laid out that he’s the Hurricanes’ top priority at running back. Miami is definitely making a major move up but Penn State should definitely be watched here, too, as he loved his recent visit there and plans to return to Happy Valley soon. But Alabama and especially Auburn along with Oregon and Georgia are in the mix a lot, too.
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What stood out most to Manske at Iowa State over the weekend was how much he liked the coaching staff and what the Cyclones’ offense could be with him leading it. The three-star quarterback from Algona, Iowa has four standouts at this point with Iowa State, Texas A&M, Kansas State and Nebraska leading the way.
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Notre Dame, USC, Georgia, Texas A&M and Stanford are the programs that stand out most to the four-star cornerback from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei but watch the Trojans to make a move here especially after McDonald’s talks with the new coaches over the weekend. McDonald sat down for long periods with new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and new position coach Doug Belk and the four-star loved the vision of USC’s defense in the future.
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The high three-star has been committed to NC State since August but three schools in particular have not stopped trying to flip the Pittsboro (N.C.) Northwood standout. Florida, Georgia Tech and Charlotte (especially position coach Tim Brewster) are still coming hard after Ritchey, who’s still hearing from Penn State, Louisville and Maryland sporadically.
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Florida State looks to be way out in front for the three-star running back from Naples, Fla., and it could take a whole lot to beat the Seminoles. Simeon was in Tallahassee over the weekend days after coach Mike Norvell visited him at school and the Naples standout was blown away “that they treat me like I’m one of their players.” Florida, Utah, Louisville, Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina also stand out but the Seminoles look best for Simeon, who had 2,040 yards and 27 touchdowns this past season.
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Better known as Sandman, Thompson has been committed to Oregon since late May but programs closer to home are making a serious run at him. The high three-star interior offensive lineman from Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie, Thompson was at UCF on Friday night and “they showed love like no other.” The Knights should definitely be watched but Miami and Tennessee are trying to flip Thompson as well.
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The high three-star defensive tackle has nearly 30 offers but Texas A&M should be the school to watch. The Denton (Texas) Guyer standout “loves everything about this new coaching staff” and especially hit it off with position coaches Sean Spencer and Tony Jerod-Eddie. Ukponu has liked the Aggies for many years now and after meeting with coach Mike Elko, they could be tough to beat although some others are still in the running including Texas.
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Visits to Auburn, Miami, Maryland and Pitt are coming up and Vickerson plans to commit on Feb. 7 so the timeline has been worked out. His visit to UCF on Friday night was “really perfect” and coach Gus Malzahn was “ecstatic” to see him since the Knights are one of the top teams. Maryland, Pitt, Miami and NC State are the other ones who talk to him every day so that’s the handful that stand out most.
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Waldrep is an Alabama legacy and Auburn is pushing very hard for the four-star offensive lineman from Phenix City (Ala.) Central but his weekend tip to Clemson was “probably the most interesting visit I’ve ever been on.” From talking with coach Dabo Swinney and position coach Matt Luke to hanging out with other recruits, when Waldrep saw some other top offensive linemen committing to the Tigers, he strongly considered it as well.
“I was very tempted to go ahead and do it,” Waldrep said.