Recruiting Rumor Mill: The Early Signing Period looms
With the regular season winding down and the early signing period coming up, there is a lot of news and rumors circulating the country. Here’s the latest in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.
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STING FACTOR: Colton Vasek's flip from Oklahoma to Texas
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It’s still believed that Miami will eventually land the sack master from Miami (Fla.) Central because it’s not only the hometown team but his brother is on staff with the Hurricanes but Auburn has become an intriguing situation.
Playing in the SEC could appeal to Bain and he loved the Tigers’ defensive performance this past weekend by virtually shutting down Texas A&M. There is one request though from the four-star defensive end: Keep Cadillac Williams as coach. He will see Auburn again in a few weeks at the Iron Bowl when the four-star visits Alabama.
“Keep coach Lac,” Bain said.
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The former Georgia Tech commit recently visited NC State, loved the atmosphere there and the message was clear from the coaches in Raleigh that many of their top safeties could be leaving so he’s definitely needed in this recruiting class.
Right now, the Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County standout has NC State and Wake Forest as his two favorites.
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Brahmer has been committed to Nebraska since April 2021 but the rumor is his recruitment is basically now a two-horse race between the Huskers and Iowa State. The Pierce, Neb., three-star tight end wants to see who Nebraska hires as its full-time head coach and he recently took a visit to Ames which definitely intrigued him.
The pitch from coach Matt Campbell and his staff is that the decision is Brahmer’s to make and the ball is in his court.
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Better known as “Stonka,” Burnside made a return trip to Ole Miss this weekend as the Rebels remain under serious consideration by the 2024 four-star athlete from Starkville, Miss.
The coaches talked with Burnside and his mom and told him they’re welcome any time as he’s a priority in that class. Being from Starkville, Mississippi State is also high on the list along with LSU, Florida State, Tennessee and Auburn.
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Georgia is one of the many programs making a run at the 2024 four-star running back who’s been committed to Florida State since February 2021 and during a recent visit he had just a short talk with position coach Dell McGee, who sends spiritual messages to Davis and other top prospects every day.
Florida is also trying to make a serious push with the Albany (Ga.) Dougherty standout and Davis might try to get to Tennessee soon. Alabama, Auburn and Ohio State are three other schools he’s watching.
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Dixon could not make it to Mississippi State this past weekend as the 2024 four-star linebacker from Mobile (Ala.) Mobile Christian is closing in on 30 offers. There are three schools in particular that have made the biggest impression on Dixon so far - and there is clearly an SEC focus to his recruitment - with Alabama, LSU and Auburn leading the way so far.
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The 2024 four-star quarterback from Allen, Texas had a great first visit to Arkansas, loved the atmosphere for the LSU game and he’s hit it off with coach Sam Pittman and the rest of the coaches in Fayetteville.
Hawkins is an Oklahoma legacy, though, so that’s something to watch as the Razorbacks, Sooners, NC State, TCU and Alabama have made the biggest impression so far.
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Georgia is going to be a main contender for the 2024 four-star defensive end from Buford, Ga., anyway and seeing what the Bulldogs did to Tennessee recently will only influence even more.
Houston saw Georgia’s defense play “lights out” the entire game and held the Vols to by-far a season-low 13 points. The high four-star with five-star potential said it does influence his recruitment on how well Georgia is playing right now.
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There are numerous rumors floating around that Texas A&M could be on the verge of flipping the Kansas State quarterback commit but there is some healthy skepticism out there as well.
Not only is the Aggies’ offense playing terribly but a person close to the Maize, Kan., four-star QB says that Johnson hasn’t talked to the Aggies in months.
“Not true,” this source said.
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The four-star offensive lineman from Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic is being pursued by Florida and others and on Saturday his brother, Jermaine, a 2026 defensive end who already has elite size was in Gainesville with Kinsler’s father to see the Gators’ win over South Carolina.
Kinsler, who has been committed to Miami since late July but had previously been committed to Florida as the Gators try to flip him back, couldn’t make the trip.
“Locked in with Miami,” Kinsler said.
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One of the best receivers in the 2024 class is Miller, who’s having a phenomenal junior season with 46 catches for 1,131 yards and 16 touchdowns, and he was at LSU for its win over Alabama a couple weekends ago.
Georgia could have the slight edge for Miller but Texas A&M and Texas are also right there with LSU now joining the fray after he said “it was most definitely the best college atmosphere I’ve ever been to.”
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A recent offer from LSU is definitely huge for the 2025 linebacker from Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff especially since he’s always considered that school ‘LBU.’
The offer also came directly from defensive coordinator Matt House so that was also something that impressed Riggins as the 2025 prospect already has more than a dozen offers.
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Penn State has to be considered the main contender since Sacca’s father, Tony, played quarterback for the Nittany Lions and he’s an in-state prospect at Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s but a recent visit to Georgia made a huge impression.
The Bulldogs have recruited Sacca’s area well for targeted prospects over the years and Sacca saw that UGA was “the true No. 1” when Georgia took down Tennessee.
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The Carolina programs are all going to play a role in Sanders’ recruitment but Georgia made a big early impression on the 2025 No. 1 prospect in its convincing win over Tennessee. From the energy, to the high temp, to how hard the Bulldogs work and how the coaches made it a point to talk with him and his parents while they were in Athens all stood out.
“Georgia’s performance was absolutely amazing,” Sanders said.
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Oklahoma had been considered maybe the early favorite along with some Big Ten programs but Seaton is expanding his list as the 2024 four-star offensive lineman from Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College High wraps up his junior season.
As it stands now, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, Oklahoma, Clemson and USC are the lead group with Kansas, TCU and Texas also making an impression.
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Georgia Tech, Michigan State and Mississippi State are the three front-runners for the three-star cornerback from Stockbridge, Ga., but after a recent visit to Starkville, the Bulldogs are “most definitely” out in front. From the SEC culture, to die-hard fans to how Sharpe views the Mississippi State program and culture, the Bulldogs look best at this point.
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The five-star defensive end from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy committed to Miami in July and remains fully locked in with the Hurricanes despite struggles this season but there could be at least one visit on the horizon.
Word is Wayne could take a trip to either LSU or Auburn in the coming weeks as those programs and others continue to recruit him. Before his commitment, LSU, Alabama and Miami were some of the front-runners and it seems some SEC schools have not backed off.