Recruiting Rumor Mill: News still emerging from first big visit weekend

There is such an influx of news coming from the first official visit weekend that a second Recruiting Rumor Mill was necessary this week. Here’s the latest.

MORE: Ten predictions after the first official visit weekend of June | Monday's Rumor Mill | Midwest Rumor Mill

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Michigan State is going to be in Afalava’s top five because of the relationship and trust he and his parents have built with that coaching staff dating back to their time at Oregon State.

His official visit went really well over the weekend and the four-star offensive lineman from Lehi (Utah) Skyridge is excited to see what that staff can do in East Lansing. Do the Spartans get higher than top five? LSU and Oklahoma have been two of many to closely watch.

Getting to South Carolina for his first official visit was big for Alston as “for sure the bar is set” and the Gamecocks stand “pretty high” after the trip. The high three-star outside linebacker from Henderson (N.C.) Vance County loved the connection he had spending time and talking with the players. The message from the coaches was that after the visit there would be no other school he’d want to go to than South Carolina.

Others are still involved and more visits will happen but the Gamecocks could be the program to beat now.

Anding has a great relationship with the coaching staff at Miami and that could pull a lot of weight when it comes to decision time for the three-star cornerback from Ruston, La. The message to Anding over the weekend was that he could come in and play early and get his degree in three years.

TCU, Arkansas and Texas are the other programs mainly involved and some believe the Longhorns have a slight edge.

Alabama has not yet offered the 2026 three-star defensive back from Brandon, Miss., but he camped in Tuscaloosa recently and the feeling is if the Crimson Tide come through then they’d move way up and be a very serious contender in his recruitment.

Ashley loved the message from new coach Kalen DeBoer that the best players are going to play and he loves how the program runs now.

At this point, Florida State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Louisville stand out most.

A recent trip back to Texas was majorly important for the 2026 four-star running back as the Longhorns, USC and Texas A&M are the main programs early in his recruitment.

The Texarkana (Texas) Texas standout has long been a fan of the Longhorns and the Aggies and now the Trojans are another top team to watch in his recruitment but it would be a little stunner if he got away from Austin or College Station.

A couple months ago, Texas A&M remained the leader for Battle with Texas closely behind the Aggies and now LSU is definitely a major contender.

The high three-star defensive tackle from Mansfield (Texas) Timberview had a great talk with position coach Bo Davis, who told me he is a great player as Battle loves the development of Davis over the years.

Development is really important to the high three-star defensive end from Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central and to Illinois’ credit, the staff did a phenomenal job talking about that all weekend in Champaign. From coach Bret Bielema breaking down former NFL players he coached to Clint Sintim and others playing the same position, the Illini definitely made a lot of in-roads during the visit.

Indiana, Michigan State and Louisville are the others to watch in his recruitment.

Working out at Texas over the weekend was a big deal to Chavies especially since he loved position coach Tashard Choice’s coaching style, his high energy and the way he explains things. The Longhorns haven’t offered yet but they liked Chavies’ size and quickness and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

The 2026 three-star running back from Hutto, Texas has Baylor, TCU, Arizona, Cal and Texas Tech as the early standouts but he’ll be at Ohio State and Texas A&M this week.

Iowa, Iowa State and Michigan State are the three standouts for Collier and he loved his time in East Lansing over the weekend especially since he felt the family atmosphere so early from the new staff.

The message to the three-star receiver from Sandusky (Ohio) Perkins was that they definitely want him in the Green and White and it looks like the Spartans could have the edge.

Seeing lots of energy from coach Steve Sarkisian during warm-ups at the Texas camp over the weekend was “amazing” and the message from position coach Tashard Choice that he’s seen a lot of improvement in Edwards’ game were definitely highlights of his trip to Austin.

The Longhorns, Texas A&M, Baylor, USC and SMU are the standouts for the four-star running back from Carthage, Texas.

A visit to Michigan State over the weekend was “top-tier” but that was also expected because Fitzgibbon has loved the recruiting process with coach Jonathan Smith and position coach Legi Suiaunoa and his time in East Lansing was really impressive.

The football perspective of course but also the academics and all the expectations and resources there all made a major impression on him.

The Spartans, Iowa and Kansas are the three favorites for Fitzgibbon, who plans to commit June 25.

Oklahoma, Ohio State, LSU and Texas are definitely four to watch for the 2026 four-star defensive tackle from Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill but a new Clemson offer has now joined that top group as well.

The offer from the Tigers “means a lot” to Geralds, whose father played at Ole Miss, as Clemson is now “definitely a top school” on the four-star’s list.

Ole Miss remains one of the top teams for the 2026 four-star receiver from Columbia (S.C.) Ridge View and after working with position coach George McDonald and Patrick Carter during a stop in Oxford and also meet with coach Lane Kiffin, the Rebels are definitely a contender.

The list remains long for Gidron, though, as Ole Miss, South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Georgia and Clemson stand out most.

Over the last year, Gilbert’s top group has changed numerous times but as a commitment gets closer, UCF remains a main contender to land the four-star athlete from Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass.

“Everything” stood out during his weekend visit to Orlando especially talking with the coaches and even more, spending time with the players from Georgia in the secondary. Louisville and Michigan are the others to watch.

Miami, Florida, Georgia and Florida State have been the mainstays in Hanks’ recruitment - and this could come down to the Hurricanes and the Gators in the end - but Louisville did impress the Miami Booker T. Washington standout.

Hanks thought everything was “great” at Louisville, he loved the coaches there and he “definitely wants to come back” before making a decision.

Getting an offer from Texas A&M is “pretty cool” to Hatton especially since he’s from East Texas as the Aggies offered once they “did their homework” on the four-star Oklahoma commit.

But the Sooners are the only team to get a visit this offseason as the Cibolo (Texas) Steele standout still looks locked in with his pledge but other programs will be involved.

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From last July until March, the four-star offensive lineman from Carrollton, Ga., had been committed to Alaama but with the coaching change from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer, Helton decided to reopen his recruitment.

A few programs got involved but not as many as expected as Georgia has emerged as the front-runner to land Helton now but the word is Alabama is seriously back in this thing and Helton is now only focused on those two programs.

Michigan, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and South Carolina have emerged as some of the top schools for the four-star defensive end from Alpharetta, Ga., but a new offer from Georgia will definitely play a massive role in Holly’s recruitment.

The Bulldogs came through in recent days and Holly loves the proximity of the school and the development within the program. Georgia now “holds a presence” for him.

UCF’s coaching staff made it clear to Hudson that he’s a top priority as they showed him tons of love and talked about taking care of their players and the development there a lot with the three-star defensive tackle from Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland.

Hudson feels like a major priority for UCF as Iowa, West Virginia, Iowa State, Tulane and Maryland are the front-runners with a July 6 commitment coming up.

A recent visit to Alabama only reinforced to the 2026 high four-star edge rusher that the program is still incredibly special and arguably the top team in the country as he gets to know new coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff.

The Crimson Tide, Auburn and LSU are now the top three programs standing out most to the Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s standout.

Florida has shown incredible consistency in recruiting Jones and getting the high three-star tight end from Madison (Miss.) Madison Central regularly back to campus as it’s why the Gators are standing out so much in his recruitment.

Jones loves the culture and how it “feels like family” in Gainesville as LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi State are the others to watch.

UCF, Kansas, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Miami are the front-runners for the high three-star defensive end from Pace, Fla., and a big weekend visit to Orlando was definitely a big deal.

Lee loves the environment and the campus vibe plus he hit it off with all the coaches and thinks UCF is a “special place” for his recruitment.

Ohio State, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Pitt and Penn State are among the favorites for Lennon but Missouri could be making a move as well for the high three-star tight end from Cleveland (Ohio) Gilmour Academy.

Missouri is a “special place” that is already putting together a strong 2025 class as Lennon sees it and so how they’d use him in the offense and what he saw in Columbia puts the Tigers very much in the running.

Clemson has emerged as a main contender after offering Lherisse in recent days as it “means a lot” to him because the four-star athlete from Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie has always loved that program and knows how many defensive players the Tigers have put in the NFL.

Alabama, Kentucky, Oregon and Ole Miss have been the mainstays for Lherisse but now Clemson and Auburn joint hat top list.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz is one of Loftin’s favorites and the entire coaching staff showed a “ton of love” during his recent visit to Columbia so the Tigers will definitely be one of the top teams when it comes to decision day.

Texas A&M, Nebraska and Florida State are the three other standouts for the four-star tight end from Omaha (Neb.) Millard South.

McCutcheon’s visit to Ohio State was “great” as he was told by the coaching staff to be different in his recruitment as the Buckeyes, USC, Florida State, SMU and Texas are battling it out for his services.

If Ohio State can win out for the Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy standout it’s because of the culture on the team and the brotherhood there as well plus McCutcheon continues to build a great relationship with position coach Brian Hartline.

There is some feeling the four-star receiver from Homestead, Fla., could end up at Miami but Clemson continues to impress him every time he’s there and what Mills likes is that “they always treat me like a top priority.”

The coaches there told Miss they would “do everything” to get him there as the Tigers battle the Hurricanes, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Florida for the four-star receiver.

It’s early for the 2027 athlete from Red Oak, Texas but Texas, Baylor and SMU have left the biggest impression so for on McGee and the Longhorns could have the edge after he camped in Austin over the weekend.

A tip about running a better route and not looking back at the quarterback and instead focusing forward so he could accelerate meant a lot to McGee as he keeps his eye on the Longhorns.

"Everything” about his visit to Clemson over the weekend stood out as Mathis appreciated how honest and upfront the coaching staff was with him.

The four-star defensive tackle from Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day felt like a “big priority to them” as Clemson battles LSU, Miami and Auburn for Mathis’ pledge.

Could Florida dip into Miami (Fla.) Central for the four-star receiver? The message from the Florida staff was that he was needed in the Gators’ offense, not wanted, and Montgomery appreciated the coaches being men of their word and being consistent throughout the visit.

Florida “set the bar so high” after his trip to Gainesville as LSU, Penn State and Memphis among others are main contenders.