Recruiting Rumor Mill: Prospects crossing the country on spring visits
Spring games and visits have prospects out across the country so there is a lot of news and rumors in another edition of the Recruiting Rumor Mill.
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It is shaping up to be an SEC battle for the three-star offensive tackle from New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine who is destined to move higher in the next round of rankings after his performance at the recent Rivals Camp Series in his hometown.
The Texas A&M offer he received over the weekend is “very big for him,” according to a source and he’s really hopeful Alabama is the next to come through. If that happens, the Crimson Tide would be a serious contender. Of course, LSU is seriously in the mix along with Georgia as well. In the end, those four could end up battling it out.
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Alabama and Auburn are coming after the 2024 four-star running back the hardest and his trip to Auburn went well over the weekend as he especially hit it off with position coach Cadillac Williams. That bond could go a very long way with the Andalusia, Ala., standout but he’s also highly interested in Georgia although the Bulldogs haven’t been as aggressive as other schools up to this point. Arkansas and Georgia Tech are two others that have been active. Burnette will be back in Tuscaloosa this weekend.
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Instead of visiting Arkansas as planned, Dowdell headed to Cincinnati and he’s happy he went there because the Picayune, Miss., running back had an excellent time and saw why the Bearcats made the College Football Playoff.
He also likes that Cincinnati is not recruiting many other players from the state of Mississippi so he feels like a priority. The Bearcats are expected to make the top list with Arkansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Tennessee and others but he’s open to everybody and not caught up with only looking at SEC programs.
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The four-star running back from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy who had been committed to Florida early on was at Florida State this weekend. He loved how the players were flying around and especially the coaches who were very active and focused on making everybody better.
Georgia, Texas and Florida State are coming the hardest after Gibson, who could push for the No. 1 spot at running back in the 2024 class.
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Glenn’s real first name is Auburn and now he has an offer from the Tigers following his third visit there. Mississippi State was considered to have an edge over Oklahoma State and Missouri but now Auburn is squarely in the picture and what stood out most about this trip is that Glenn loved the message that they care about family and development most.
Glenn’s grandfather went to veterinary school there, most of his family grew up Auburn fans and his uncle went to school there as well.
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The 2024 four-star safety from Rockledge, Fla., got that “home” feeling when he was at Miami over the weekend and the message he got from the coaching staff was that they’re going to recruit him hard over the next two years with the aim of bringing ‘The U’ back.
That especially stood out to Heyward who has Florida, Miami, Florida State, Arkansas and Tennessee standing out most.
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The 2025 receiver from Pensacola (Fla.) Pensacola Catholic had another great time at Florida State over the weekend and especially loved the atmosphere with the fans knowing the top recruits along with his talks with coach Mike Norvell.
The Florida State coach asked Howard if he could picture himself out there and the Seminoles are really “heating up” for the local prospect. Georgia and Tennessee have also left a big impression. Trips to Florida and Arkansas should be coming up.
“Coach Norvell told me to get used to being around here,” Howard said.
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If Jarrett picks North Carolina, he could team back up with former Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley teammate Travis Shaw for one of the most lethal defensive tackle duos in college football.
Jarrett was back in Chapel Hill this weekend and the visit was great - just like every other trip there - as he especially hit it off with Mack Brown, Lonnie Galloway, Tim Cross and director of recruiting Alex Cross. The word is that Jarrett is weighing all that he likes with North Carolina against all that stands out at Georgia as the two battle it out.
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One commitment is in from Auburn’s A-Day over the weekend and if it’s up to Joiner more will be on the way. The Auburn, Ala., four-star interior offensive lineman was working hard on Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes’ Terrance Love over the weekend and it turned into a commitment Sunday from the four-star defensive back.
The other top targets Joiner is working on include three-star offensive lineman Shamurad Umarov, four-star linebacker Troy Bowles and four-star offensive lineman Vysen Lang.
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The connection McFall has with Texas A&M running backs coach Tommie Robinson could be tough to beat in his recruitment as the Aggies have the lead at this point. The Tyler (Texas) John Tyler 2024 four-star athlete had another excellent visit to College Station over the weekend and his growing bond with Robinson stands out most.
“I love him, man,” McFall said.
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What stood out most to the four-star defensive end from Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College High during his visit to Clemson was the coaches’ emphasis on their philosophy and morals around the program and how he would fit in with the Tigers. It definitely left a major impression on Ojiegbe who has Clemson, North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee and Miami as his standouts.
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Three things stood out to the 2024 four-star linebacker from Tampa (Fla.) Wharton - the environment, the energy and the competition - when he was at Florida over the weekend. The Gators have definitely left an impression along with Miami, Ohio State, Georgia and USC early on.
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The four-star from St. James, La., had an excellent time at Auburn this past weekend and loved the atmosphere and the food as the Tigers try to stay high up in Prean’s recruitment.
After getting a recent offer from LSU, it stands out most in his recruitment and might be tough to beat especially since he knows the new staff well from when many of them were at different schools. It’s no doubt a big offer that could be tough to overcome.
Auburn, Florida State, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi State, Purdue, Tennessee, TCU and Vanderbilt are up there, too.
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More than just the football environment, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive tackle from Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark loved the campus feel at Auburn. He liked the football side, too, especially with how together and tight the coaches are and he loved watching position coach Will Friend get after it with his players.
Auburn and Michigan State are starting to stand out but Georgia and Tennessee have caught his eye as well. Umarov is also hitting it off with Brad Davis at LSU so the Tigers can’t be counted out yet, either.
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The idea that Wayne is a lock to Alabama is way overdone and proof of that came this weekend as the five-star defensive end from Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln visited LSU. Wayne thinks Jamar Cain is a “good dude” and he especially liked the energy from everyone at the workout.
The five-star also hung out with Maason Smith, who gave Wayne some pointers on what to expect if he was coming to the SEC. A Georgia visit is coming up next.
“I could fit in there,” Wayne said of LSU.