Recruiting Rumor Mill: Plans crystallizing as National Signing Day nears
National Signing Day is only two days away. We touch on many of the news and those rumors in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill:
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The 2024 four-star defensive back from Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy committed to Tennessee in late October but a recent offer from Colorado has piqued Beasley’s interest. He said he’s “most definitely interested” now in the Buffaloes since Deion Sanders took over as coach and he wants to see how Sanders’ team performs in Year 1 before gauging just how involved he wants to get there.
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Brooks was so ecstatic about a recent offer from Alabama that “words cannot express how happy I am,” as he grew up watching the Crimson Tide and now he has an offer to play in Tuscaloosa. Alabama immediately jumps way up the list for the massive 2025 offensive lineman from Alpharetta (Ga.) St. Francis along with Georgia and Penn State standing out early.
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Georgia, LSU, Oregon, Northwestern, Maryland and Pitt have made the biggest impression on the 2025 cornerback from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances but now Ohio State also joins the list after a recent offer. Humes said the offer is definitely one of his biggest and while it’s way too early for the 2025 recruit to narrow down his list, it’s expected the Buckeyes will play a massive role in his recruiting process.
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The natural progression from Lincoln Kienholz flipping his commitment from Washington to Ohio State would be for the Huskies to target a top quarterback in the class and many felt Johnson could be that guy. It doesn’t look like it’s happening - or no one is saying so yet. The Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln four-star remains committed to Missouri and a source said there’s nothing between Johnson and Washington as signing day nears even as former Mizzou assistant Bush Hamdan, who was close to Johnson, left for Boise State.
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The feeling is that Notre Dame is way out in front for the 2024 three-star defensive end from Bryant, Ark., and the Irish have been one of the top teams for Lindsey early on but a commitment might not be right around the corner. Many SEC teams including Arkansas which is less than a three-hour drive away are coming after him but in the end Notre Dame could be tough to beat.
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Miller committed to Ole Miss in early August and that pledge has stuck but things have gotten interesting in the closing weeks for the Summit (Miss.) Southwest Mississippi C.C. standout. He visited Auburn this past weekend and the Tigers are definitely trying to flip him. One thing to also watch is that Miller has developed a great relationship with position coach Jake Thornton, who went from Ole Miss to Auburn recently, and that could give the Tigers an edge heading into the final days.
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The 2024 linebacker from Tuskegee (Ala.) Booker T. Washington landed one of his latest offers from Alabama and while it was not a dream school growing up it’s definitely a “major” offer for the in-state prospect to consider early on. Things are happening fast as Phillips is getting more attention nationally but so far the Crimson Tide, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee and Penn State have piqued his interest.
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Penn State, Maryland and other programs still need to be watched for the 2024 four-star cornerback from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances but a recent offer from Ohio State is “definitely a game-changer” and one of Obidegwu’s dream schools growing up. The Buckeyes offered a few Mid-Atlantic prospects recently and Obidegwu was one of them. That offer could change the entire scope of his recruitment now.
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The five-star offensive lineman took an official visit to Alabama over the weekend and he’s also been to Oregon recently but the word is that Proctor has already expressed to people that he still plans to sign with the Hawkeyes on Wednesday. Could something change between now and then? Could the Alabama visit have completely changed things? Sure. But Iowa has to like its position right now even after those two major visits.
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The four-star running back from Wichita (Kan.) Wichita Heights has been one of the quietest prospects this recruiting cycle but some rumors are starting to slip out that Utah is the team to beat in his recruitment. There has been Kansas and Kansas State chatter and the Utes are pretty stocked at running back but it still looks like the Pac-12 champs are in the driver’s seat for his commitment.
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The three-star offensive lineman from Orlando (Fla.) Evans has been committed to West Virginia since late November but Colorado recently offered and Saint-Jean is “considering them a little bit,” now in his recruitment. If the three-star decides to sign on Wednesday, the Mountaineers look great but if he waits then things could get much more interesting.
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Shaw made his commitment to Colorado on Nov. 1 but since then there was a coaching change and new coach Deion Sanders has not hidden the fact that there will be drastic changes coming to Boulder. As all that has unfolded, the Downey (Calif.) St. Pius X three-star cornerback has also been heavily pursued by Indiana and the Hoosiers are making a serious run at him. A signing day decision is coming and it looks like the Hoosiers could be trending.
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A new offer from Texas is definitely a big one for the 2024 four-star running back from Longview, Texas who had 1,840 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns in his junior season but first he’s looking to develop a strong relationship with the coaching staff before getting way too serious about the Longhorns. A long group remains up top for Tatum with Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma, USC, Oregon, Michigan, TCU and LSU standing out most. His teammate, four-star receiver Jalen Hale, is committed to Alabama.
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After his decommitment from Western Michigan, the three-star receiver from Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central who had 35 catches for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season has seen his recruitment take off. Kansas State, Michigan State, West Virginia, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee and others have all reached out as Walker now tries to figure out what’s best in his recruitment. A February signing could be in the cards.