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Published Sep 8, 2021
Recruiting Rumor Mill: The latest after last weekend's visits
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Adam Gorney  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
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@adamgorney

National recruiting director Adam Gorney is back with his Recruiting Rumor Mill, which features recruiting chatter and news from around the country. Today’s focus is on top recruits who took visits this past weekend across the country as college football season kicked into high gear.

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The 2023 offensive lineman from St. Charles (Ill.) East was blown away by the atmosphere at Wisconsin this past weekend. He said it was an “insane” experience and that the offensive line there is “unmatched.” The Badgers have not offered, but Barrett would be highly interested. In the meantime, he said he’s going to keep doing what he does, which is “putting people in the dirt.” The 2023 prospect plans to visit Iowa, Illinois, Notre Dame and other programs this fall.


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Black loved the “electric” atmosphere at Wisconsin, and really enjoyed the “extremely welcoming” coaching staff during his time in Madison. The 2023 tight end from Urbandale, Iowa, also enjoyed watching the Badgers’ offense in person and considering how he’d be used in the offense. So far, Iowa, Iowa State and Wisconsin have offered.

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Mississippi State might be tough to beat for Blanton but South Carolina did a phenomenal job this weekend as the Madison (Miss.) Madison Ridgeland Academy linebacker had an excellent time in Columbia. The atmosphere was “amazing,” including the Gamecock Walk, and "Sandstorm" playing in the stadium at the start of the game gave him “chills.” Talking to the coaches and getting the gameday feel also made a big impact. Trips to Ole Miss and Mississippi State are coming up before a decision.

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One of the top athletes in the 2024 class, Bolden kept a close eye on Georgia and Clemson this past weekend while in attendance, and he was impressed with both sides of the ball but especially the Georgia defense, of course. The Bulldogs are definitely one of the early favorites. The Buford, Ga., standout loved the atmosphere at the game and said Georgia fans are “awesome.”

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Wisconsin has not yet offered the 2023 defensive tackle from Eldridge (Iowa) North Scott, but Borchers had a phenomenal time in Madison over the weekend. He loved seeing the College Gameday set, called the student section “crazy,” checked out the weight room, the NFL wall and walked through the tunnel, among other things. Being on the field was “surreal,” according to Borchers, who said the Wisconsin coaches told him they want to see how he performs during the season to consider an offer. Visits to Nebraska, Notre Dame, Indiana and possibly Iowa are coming up soon.

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The 2023 four-star weak-side defensive end from Platte City, Mo., closely watched the outside linebackers during the Wisconsin-Penn State game this past weekend and was thrilled with the energy and development of the players at those positions. Bradley saw how well-coached those players were and it made an impact. The four-star was watching both sides, since the Nittany Lions and Badgers are both recruiting him hard. This weekend, Bradley will be at the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry game.

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Auburn did an excellent job impressing the 2023 four-star offensive lineman from Paris (Tenn.) Henry County as Brown loved the people there, the stadium, game-day environment and the campus. Brown definitely plans to return to Auburn at some point, with the Tigers, Florida State, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Clemson standing out the most.

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One of the top 2024 prospects nationally, Brown was at the Clemson/Georgia game over the weekend. He was impressed with both teams and how physical the game went, but the Georgia linebackers especially made an impression. “Really what you would expect from a big-time game,” he said. The Bulldogs could be a frontrunner, but this summer Brown said it was too early to name a favorite.

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The top dual-threat quarterback in the 2023 class was at UCLA this past weekend to see the Bruins beat LSU, and what stood out most was the environment inside the Rose Bowl. Clarkson loved the atmosphere at the game, called it “crazy” and he’s already comfortable with the coaches and other recruits that were there. His relationship with position coach Ryan Gunderson is already strong.

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The 2023 four-star defensive tackle from Jacksonville (Fla.) Westside could not make the Alabama/Miami game this past weekend, but he saw the Notre Dame/Florida State game in Tallahassee and he had a phenomenal time. The fans stood out the most, and the electric atmosphere at the game and how involved everyone inside the stadium was especially stood out to Hall, who has already been offered by the Seminoles.

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Heard has been a Florida State fan since he was 6 years old, and it’s been his dream school, so the 2024 defensive back from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy had an awesome time in Tallahassee for the Notre Dame game. He especially liked FSU’s fight after it went down big and battled back to force overtime. “We haven’t had a hard fight like that since Jimbo Fisher,” he said. “I feel like FSU is back to its old self.” Heard had an opportunity to talk with position coach Marcus Woodson and he plans to return for at least one more game this season.

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The four-star offensive lineman from Hammond (Wisc.) St. Croix Central had another excellent visit to Wisconsin over the weekend and said it was was great getting back down to Madison to see “all the guys and awesome staff.” Hinzman admitted it was not the outcome anyone wanted, but he still had a great trip. He will visit Ohio State this weekend, and then Iowa is trying to get him down for the Kent State game in two weeks. A commitment could be coming by the end of September or the first week of October.

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The 2023 linebacker from Batavia, Ill., made his third trip to Wisconsin this past weekend and everything went “great,” especially as he watched the “Jump Around” tradition heading into the fourth quarter. Jansey has already seen the campus and the facilities, and getting back to Madison for a game was super important. Wisconsin is Jansey’s lone Power Five offer right now.

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The rabid and active fan base at Virginia Tech stood out most to Jarrett during his time in Blacksburg last week, and the Hokies are definitely one of the top schools on his list. Even when the Hokies missed a tackle or had a penalty, the fans were cheering the entire time, and that stood out to the 2023 offensive guard from Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley. Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, North Carolina, Kentucky and Florida are other top teams.

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The 2023 four-star safety from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco had not been to a UCLA game in about four years, but after his experience for the LSU matchup Jones is planning to attend a lot of games in the Rose Bowl from now on. The Bruins definitely impressed him - as did running back Zach Charbonnet. “Zach is a beast.”

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“Amazing” is the word Lee used when asked about his experience at the Georgia/Clemson game. The 2023 four-star cornerback from Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove said he loved the energy on both sides at one of the biggest college football games this season. Georgia and Ohio State remain the top two teams early in Lee’s recruitment.

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The 2023 athlete from Chula Vista (Calif.) Mater Dei Catholic was just recently offered by USC, but after attending its season opener against San Jose State, he already feels like he’s home. McClure had great conversations with coaches and others around the program, was immediately comfortable there and had an “amazing experience” with his family. Arizona, Michigan and others are getting more involved, but the Trojans definitely impressed him a lot this past weekend.

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The 2023 defensive end from Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt Trussville was at the Alabama/Miami game this past weekend and it was “about what I expected” - as in almost complete dominance by the Crimson Tide. Osborne was especially impressed with Alabama’s defense, including Will Anderson, and he saw some bright spots for Miami’s run defense as well. But Alabama was dominant all over the field, and Osborne certainly noticed.

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The 2023 four-star defensive end from Phenix City (Ala.) Central had a great time at Auburn this past weekend and also got a chance to talk with some students and fans, who only said good things about the school outside of sports. That could be important to Parker, who is planning to return to Auburn for the Georgia game in October. He will be at Tennessee this weekend and then Florida the following weekend for games.

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The Pinson (Ala.) Pinson Valley quarterback backed off his pledge to Baylor over the weekend, as Alabama and others show more interest. Pyron attended the Alabama/Miami game, and the word is assistant coach Bill O’Brien asked him to come throw this summer. The Alabama coaches liked him and the Crimson Tide have been keeping in touch. Getting to another Alabama game this season is being seriously considered as Pyron is now back on the market.

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The South Carolina visit went especially well for the three-star linebacker from Huntsville (Ala.) Madison Academy this weekend as he loved the coaching staff and the game-day environment in Columbia. Spurlock liked that the people were welcoming and they love football, and that’s the type of place he’s looking to play. The Madison Academy standout was invited to attend a game at Auburn this weekend, but is unsure if he can make it.

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The 2023 wide receiver from Lake City (Fla.) Columbia loved the energy from the fans and the coaching staff at South Carolina this past weekend and the facility was “top notch.” Tolliver especially built a fast connection with assistant coach Mike Peterson, who’s originally from Alachua, Fla., and that familiarity was important to Tolliver. “I can see myself playing there for coach (Shane) Beamer,” he said.

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The 2024 wide receiver from Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South loved the “nonstop energy” at Iowa this past weekend and was impressed with how the Hawkeyes handled Indiana. Iowa left a big early impression, but more visits are coming up for Williams as he plans to be at Notre Dame the first weekend of October and he would like to visit Northwestern as well.

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The 2023 offensive lineman from Alcoa, Tenn., had multiple conversations with position coach Vance Vice during his trip to Virginia Tech last week as the Hokies upset North Carolina. Talks happened before and after the game and Williams got to sit right behind the offensive line bench, which was big as well. The game entrance and atmosphere also stood out a lot.

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