Recruiting Rumor Mill: Prospects use spring break to take visits

Spring break is going on around the country but there were still a lot of top teams that had prospects on campus this past weekend. Here’s all the latest Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is hearing in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill:

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A native of Ghana, Acheampong has not played organized football in two seasons because his school didn’t offer it during COVID and he originally came to the United States to play basketball so the recruiting process is new to him. His visit to Michigan really stood out this weekend, though, as he’s looking for the best development as an edge rusher and he is confident the Wolverines’ coaching staff could deliver that to him. He cited David Ojabo’s success as one example. Acheampong also visited Michigan State and loved watching practice but wants to talk more with the coaches to build that relationship.

Originally from Finland and now playing at Windsor (Conn.) Loomis Chafee, Alinen really liked his Clemson visit and enjoyed how different the coaching staff handles the program compared to others. He loved the atmosphere there and that should keep the Tigers very much in the picture but Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State are really battling for the four-star offensive tackle.

Georgia is always going to be a significant player in Bolden’s recruitment and this past weekend’s visit only reinforced that as the 2024 athlete feels like family there, loves the coaches and appreciates that they’re constantly checking on him. There are some tweaks to his favorites, though, as Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Florida State and Notre Dame now look best.

Georgia is the front-runner for the 2024 four-star receiver from Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County especially after another great visit to Athens. Carr loves the energy throughout the building and even more importantly there he feels welcomed by the entire staff. Michigan, Ohio State, North Carolina and others are up there but the Bulldogs could be tough to beat.

Georgia remains the team to beat for the 2024 four-star athlete from Buford, Ga., especially as his relationships with the coaching staff get stronger. He said things are progressing so quickly with assistant coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe that he’s like a “mentor” and that he absolutely loves how coach Kirby Smart runs the program. It would be a shocker to see Edwards end up elsewhere at this point.

Auburn and Florida State have been the two mainstays for the four-star defensive end from Highland Home, Fla., but Florida just made a huge move in his recruitment. Faulk took his first visit to Gainesville since the eighth grade and saw a noticeable difference in the environment with the new coaching staff in place. Faulk was impressed with coach Billy Napier but absolutely fell in love with the energy of defensive line coach Sean Spencer. Watch Florida move up in Faulk’s recruitment after this visit.

What stood out most to the 2024 four-star athlete from Ocala (Fla.) Vanguard at Florida was all the organization he saw from the new coaching staff and how they told him to keep developing and that they’re going to continue to recruit him. That made an impact on Gaskin, who has Florida and Miami battling it out at the top but he also really wants to see Florida State and Alabama soon.

The situation was laid out plainly to Glenn that Florida State has four scholarship quarterbacks and a commitment from Chris Parson in the 2023 class so they could be done with that group for now but things always change especially in the quarterback room and if they do, Glenn would be very seriously interested. The Memphis (Tenn.) Lausanne Collegiate School standout loved his trip to Tallahassee and especially the staff from coach Mike Norvell down. That would be a massive selling point if anything changes with FSU’s quarterbacks moving forward.

What the 2024 four-star safety from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy appreciated the most on his Florida trip was just how honest and upfront the staff was about him being a major target in that class. The love the Gators’ coaches showed and expressed to Graham was a big selling point and puts Florida squarely among the favorites that also includes Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida State and Louisville.

The 2024 four-star safety from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy loves that Auburn is close to home - only about 90 minutes away - and when he was on campus this past weekend he really liked the competitiveness of practice. The coaches were also involved with him as the Tigers remain a serious contender but Florida State still has the edge in his recruitment.

The four-star linebacker from Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale did not make the trip to Georgia this weekend - but it had nothing to do with his level of interest. The Georgia coaches told Herring so many players were coming in that they wanted him to reschedule to give him more personal attention on the trip, a keen recruiting pitch that could get Herring even more interest. Miami, Georgia and Tennessee stand out most right now.

The four-star defensive end from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy loved how experienced the players and coaches were at Florida and how quickly they all gelled together in the program. The message he received was that things are getting turned around and the program is heading in the right direction. That definitely appealed to Hoffler but the rumor is that Ohio State and Clemson still have the edge.

He’s a 2025 prospect but the Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day prospect could be one of the best in the Southeast, if not the country, and his visit to Georgia in recent days especially stood out. Johnson hit it off with coach Kirby Smart and position coach Dell McGee but what stood out even more was the message from freshman Branson Robinson about staying on the grind and focusing on getting better. The Bulldogs are absolutely a very early front-runner along with Arkansas, Alabama, UCF, Florida and some others.

Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama and Georgia among many others have piqued Lagway’s interest - and now Florida could absolutely join that group as well. The coaching staff did not hide their feelings about Lagway’s potential future in Gainesville and told him he could be the “future of their program” and that they think he’s a perfect fit for what they want to do offensively. A return visit in the fall will happen.

Cincinnati, Purdue, Michigan State, Iowa, Ohio State, Indiana, Louisville and Michigan are the top eight for Lauck and his weekend visit to East Lansing went really well. What stood out most were the people at Michigan State and the message to him was that they’re building something special there and they want Lauck to be a part of it. Iowa and Ohio State visits are coming up soon for the Indianapolis (Ind.) Roncalli standout and others should come later.

It was a big deal that the five-star cornerback from Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson visited Florida again this past weekend but the rumor is that it probably won’t make a tremendous amount of difference just yet in his recruitment. Alabama has surged to the top for McClain and an Ohio State visit in early April could be huge to lay out his favorites. Florida will always be there because it was the early front-runner and close to home but the Gators still have some work to do.

The four-star offensive guard from East St. Louis, Ill., is waiting on the Missouri offer but his recent visit went really well, he felt lots of love from the coaching staff especially talking to coach Marcus Johnson and Patterson also liked hanging out with some former teammates and friends. The Tigers would definitely be a major contender in his recruitment and something else stood out: Luther Burden catching touchdown passes.

“But I’m pretty used to that,” Patterson said.

There are still a lot of schools on Robinson’s list but Georgia made a huge impression on him and his family and the Bulldogs will clearly be a major player moving forward. The 2024 four-star cornerback who’s now at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy hit it off with new position coach Fran Brown and Will Muschamp and sitting down with coach Kirby Smart was a huge moment as well. Alabama, Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Miami and Ohio State also stand out but Georgia is right there now as well.

Wedin did not just head to Auburn this past weekend for a good time. The four-star offensive lineman from Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day was paying close attention in the position meetings and watched intently as the offensive linemen moved around. Wedin’s take: The players are gaining muscle, getting faster and look like a transformed group in only a few months. That will be a huge selling point the Tigers in Wedin’s recruitment as the four-star really respects the job position coach Will Friend and the entire strength staff is doing and the plan is for Wedin to return again before making a decision.