It was an incredible college football weekend and a ton of top prospects were on the road. Here’s the latest Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is hearing in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill:
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Georgia and South Carolina are the first two offers for the 2025 defensive tackle from Lake City, S.C., but Adams was at Florida State over the weekend and had a phenomenal time. Adams knows about the legacy of defensive linemen from his home state that played for the Seminoles and he’s seriously thinking about adding to it. He also loves all the tradition around the FSU program. Clemson recently sent him a game invitation and he’s working on a date to get there.
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The outpouring of love and support from coach Bret Bielema and his entire staff made a huge impact on Blackstock during his weekend visit to Illinois and he noticed how much attention they were giving him in Champaign. The Coffeyville (Kan.) Coffeyville C.C. standout felt like he was being treated like a player on the team already. It was a great visit but Blackstock remains “100 percent open” with more visits coming up soon as his recruitment stays busy.
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His brother, Jon, was a star linebacker during the glory years of Florida football a decade or so ago as Bostic has been offered a PWO spot in this Gators’ recruiting class. The Wellington (Fla.) Palm Beach Central athlete is currently committed to Florida A&M but he loved the environment in The Swamp Saturday night and sees coach Billy Napier and his staff turning the program around quickly.
“Give coach Napier a year or two and they are going to be really successful,” Bostic said.
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Florida is the newest offer for the 2025 four-star receiver from Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County after his weekend visit to Gainesville where he loved it and had a great time despite the loss to LSU. The Gators coaches told Cunningham they love the way he plays, how he has speed and how he catches the ball and that he’s a good kid. Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Oregon are also in the mix and the 2025 standout is planning a Miami visit next.
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The 2024 four-star athlete from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson thought the atmosphere at Florida State in its loss to Clemson was “crazy” and the message from coach Mike Norvell and his staff was that he’s a top target in his class and they want to get him back on campus again soon. Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Penn State, NC State and Louisville are the main programs Fox is focused on. He will be in Knoxville this weekend.
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The 2025 receiver from Pensacola (Fla.) Pensacola Catholic was supposed to visit Florida but then changed it to Tennessee and he was happy he did. Howard loved the atmosphere in Knoxville as it was the “best gameday experience I’ve had this season. Definitely moves Tennessee up my list.” The offense fits him perfectly, he can see himself playing there and the “coaches gave me something to think about for sure.” They also compared using him to Jalin Hyatt, who went off in a thriller over Alabama.
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Talking with Florida assistant Jamar Chaney was a highlight of Johnson-Rubell’s trip to Gainesville over the weekend as the two already have a tight relationship and it could be a big selling point for the Gators. He also loved the atmosphere in The Swamp and the message from the coaches was that the new Florida staff wants to keep all the top IMG guys home. The 2024 four-star safety who’s originally from Texas will be at Jackson State this weekend and said all schools are “pretty even” although there are rumors the Longhorns do look best.
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The 2025 defensive end from Pinckney, Mich., had great conversations with assistant coaches Mike Elston, Sherrone Moore and Ron Bellamy at Michigan on Saturday and was told by Bellamy that he’d be stopping by his high school after the season. The Wolverines have already offered and Saturday’s physical domination over Penn State only intrigues him more along with the outstanding game atmosphere. The 2025 standout visited Cincinnati early this season and will be at Wisconsin soon.
“Fans were loud like usual and the coaches just made it even better,” Kanka said.
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If Florida wins the sweepstakes for Lagway, one reason will be because he loves the gameday atmosphere and feel in Gainesville more than other places. The Willis, Texas standout has Texas A&M, LSU and many others pursuing him but Lagway always finds his way back to Florida and his relationship with the coaching staff continues to improve. He will be at Clemson this weekend for its big matchup against Syracuse.
“The [Florida] atmosphere is different from any other place I’ve been to,” Lagway said.
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Tennessee has not offered Lane yet but the 2025 athlete from Pike Road, Ala., had a “mind-blowing” experience in Knoxville on Saturday night and the Volunteers have really moved up among his favorite schools. Lane wants to visit Tennessee again soon and hopes an offer could be coming his way. So far, West Virginia and Mississippi State are his Power Five offers and he visits Starkville soon.
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Lovett lists early offers from Akron and Tennessee and he was inside Neyland Stadium Saturday night, an atmosphere he said was “crazy” and “insane.” He talked with the coaching staff about his season as things pick up for the 2025 athlete from Blue Island (Ill.) Eisenhower who is hearing more from Wisconsin, Illinois, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Ohio State and others.
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The 2025 linebacker from Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian Academy was at Duke over the weekend and even though the Blue Devils lost late to North Carolina, Meese had a phenomenal time in Durham. Meese loved the campus and the facilities, loved talking to the coaches, enjoyed watching the linebackers in pre-game, had some great talks with the coaches and it was “one of the best games I have ever been to.” Meese already has more than a dozen offers.
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The 2024 four-star defensive end from Tampa (Fla.) Wharton was at Florida State this past weekend and loved the no-quit attitude and fight from the Seminoles’ defense in a loss to Clemson. Pickett also noticed how the fans continued to stay in the game as Clemson stretched its lead earlier in the game. Miami, Ohio State and many others are involved as well.
“Their chant is probably the best in college football,” Pickett said. “Loved it.”
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The 2025 four-star safety from Zephyrhills, Fla., loved the “amazing” atmosphere at Michigan over the weekend and one of the messages from the Wolverines coaching staff was to have him come home. Pickett is not from Michigan but he has a lot of family in the Detroit area and it could be a major consideration since Ohio State is also high on his list. Visits to Alabama and Georgia should happen before the end of the season.
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Texas made a big impression on the three-star tight end from Fort Worth (Texas) Crowley especially late in the game with the stadium rocking against Iowa State and he “felt the stands shake on every snap.” Pimpton remains committed to Vanderbilt but Iowa, Auburn and others have offered recently and the Longhorns are showing a lot more interest - and will stay in touch with him - so the Commodores have a lot of competition to keep his pledge.
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The Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day three-star cornerback remains locked in with his Michigan State pledge but his weekend trip to Florida State gave him a lot to consider. Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller made it clear to Pleasant that he’s a top priority for the Seminoles in this recruiting class and that he’s at the top of their board. Plus, the coaches met up with him before and after the game in Tallahassee to make it clear he’s wanted there. Before any final decisions are made, Pleasant will be visiting Michigan State soon.
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The 2024 five-star receiver had never been to a game at Florida before but Saturday night went well even in a loss to LSU. The Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna standout loved the environment at the game, had a “great time” and Smith was told by the coaches that he “was needed” to bolster the Gators’ offense. Ohio State is considered the team to beat but Smith will visit Michigan for the Michigan State game in a few weeks.
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The three-star athlete from Star City, Ark., has been committed to Colorado since mid-April but with a coaching change in Boulder, Turner was looking at a visit to Florida State this past weekend. The rumor was Turner could flip to the Seminoles if he was offered but Turner ended up not making the trip to Tallahassee - yet. The Star City standout who projects as a linebacker in college will be at Colorado for its game against in early November and he’s still trying to figure out a weekend that will work for Florida State as well.
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The 2025 four-star receiver from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy has been committed to Texas A&M since December but he’s taking visits throughout his recruitment and this past weekend he was at Florida State. Originally from the Fort Myers area, the message from coach Mike Norvell and his staff was pretty clear as he soaked in the atmosphere at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“They want me at FSU and I’m the best player in my class so they said I should play for the best,” Watkins said. “The atmosphere was crazy. FSU always is a crazy environment.”
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In recent days, the three-star safety from Piedmont (S.C.) Wren backed off his pledge to Indiana and it looks like Wake Forest and Florida State have emerged as the main contenders in his recruitment now. North Carolina is also “coming along” but it’s the Demon Deacons and Seminoles who look best.
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The family feel was not lost on Wilcox during his visit to Kentucky over the weekend as the coaching staff was excellent and the atmosphere was “insane” during the Wildcats’ win over Mississippi State. With Georgia flipping UCLA RB commit Roderick Robinson, Kentucky could be in even better shape for the Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding standout. A visit to Clemson could be coming up soon before any decisions are made.
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Tennessee has already offered the 2025 prospect who at 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds could play tight end or defensive end and his experience in Knoxville couldn’t have been better. He was especially impressed with how the Volunteers came out quickly and fast and took it to Alabama throughout the game. He will see the Vols again soon as the Folkston (Ga.) Charlton County standout visits Georgia in a few weeks for that huge matchup.
“Tennessee is back,” Williams said.
