Recruiting Rumor Mill: The latest on top offensive prospects
National recruiting director Adam Gorney is back with his Recruiting Rumor Mill, which features recruiting chatter and news from around the country. Today he focuses on offensive players.
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The 2023 offensive tackle from Provo (Utah) Timpview had a phenomenal time at Oregon this past weekend, performed well at camp and now the Ducks are definitely one of three frontrunners early in his recruitment. Oregon, BYU and USC are the early standouts for Fano and one of the appealing things the 2023 prospect heard during the weekend is that the Oregon coaches want to continue the linemen pipeline from Utah to Oregon. It could end up happening as the Ducks are an early standout.
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The 2024 athlete from Melbourne (Fla.) Holy Trinity now has a dozen offers, and his latest one could be the biggest. According to a source, Farmer’s offer from Miami is a game-changer and he has always liked the hype around the program. I’ve been told it’s his type of school and that the Hurricanes are going to be one of the favorites regardless. Georgia Tech is also an early standout in his recruitment
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Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Texas State are the four early offers for the 2023 offensive tackle from Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Northridge and he visited with the Rebels at the end of July. They could definitely be considered an early frontrunner, especially after this trip because Formby gets along so well with the coaching staff and he was impressed with the facility upgrades that he was shown. What was also important is that Formby spent a lot of time with current OL Nick Broeker and that went well, too. Ole Miss is in great shape, but the massive offensive lineman is hearing more from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Duke, Louisville, Auburn, Oklahoma, UCF and Alabama.
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An Ohio State commit for nearly eight months, Gosnell backed off his pledge in late July and days later he was at North Carolina. The atmosphere and culture stood out to the four-star tight end who recently transferred to Hillsville (Va.) Carroll County and the sales pitch to Gosnell from the UNC coaches was that he could play offense or defense in Chapel Hill. North Carolina, Clemson and Virginia Tech are now the frontrunners for him.
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Visits to Clemson and North Carolina were definitely worthwhile for the four-star receiver from Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher’s, and he got the hard sell at both places. Greene said he had a great conversation with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and the point being made was that Greene was a great receiver but he could be even better and that if he came to Clemson it would be a lot of fun while being developed for the NFL. At North Carolina, the pitch was that the Tar Heels are only a few players from playing for titles and that Greene could be the missing piece. Each made a big impression as he moves forward in his recruitment.
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At the last minute, the four-star offensive guard from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco figured out a way to visit Georgia, which he wanted to do all summer, and it went really well. According to a source, the Georgia staff members loved him and they were thrilled about Greene’s size, so the Bulldogs will remain a serious contender. The word is that Ohio State still holds an edge in his recruitment, but that Texas is also making a major move. According to one source, “(Steve) Sarkisian is putting on the full-court press.”
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Hurley is a 2025 quarterback, so there is still a massive amount of time left in his recruitment, but the SEC is appealing to the Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy standout, with new offers from Florida and Georgia particularly piquing his interest. Florida head coach Dan Mullen and quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee especially stood out to Hurley, and at Georgia it was coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Todd Monken. The chance to win SEC titles and possibly play for national titles at both programs is definitely appealing.
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The 2023 receiver from Del Valle, Texas, was completely blown away by his recent Clemson visit and the word is “everything” stood out. The family feel, the balance of everything on campus, his relationship with position coach Tyler Grisham and how Clemson is handling NIL all stand out, among many other things. Stanford, Ohio State and Texas A&M also stand out early on.
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The final two visits of July for McVay were to Missouri and LSU, and his trip to Columbia went especially well. The new energy in the Missouri program was noticeable, he connected well with the coaches and the academic opportunities also stood out. There’s no question the Tigers will play a major role in McVay’s recruitment because of those things and because it felt like home there and he trained with some current players. LSU also went well and the tradition and pride around Baton Rouge was telling. The ability of the LSU coaches to develop offensive linemen is also something McVay will definitely consider.
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Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee and North Carolina are the four early standouts for the 2023 offensive tackle from Chester (Va.) Life Christian Academy, but there is still no order of those four favorites. His last visit before August was to North Carolina, and coach Mack Brown made it clear that he was really impressed with Miller’s performance at summer camp and that he would be a priority recruit for the Tar Heels.
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The 2023 all-purpose back recently visited Georgia, which was not considered a major frontrunner early on. But the Bulldogs blew Owens away, especially because position coach Dell McGee was so well-versed on his game and even talked to him about some 7-on-7 footage that impressed him. The facilities and coach Kirby Smart also stood out a lot, so the Bulldogs are definitely a contender. The former Texas pledge was back in Austin on the final weekend of July, and the Longhorns are clearly making him a priority in the 2023 class and the chatter is that they made up ground with this final visit.
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The four-star receiver from St. James, La., had an excellent trip to Alabama, but maybe not as good as his mother, who spent a ton of time with coach Nick Saban as the two hit it off. That could definitely play a big factor as Preston works through his recruitment as LSU and many others continue to pursue him. The standout receiver spent a lot of time with position coach Holmon Wiggins and others, but maybe most important was Preston’s mom spending lots of time with Saban.
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Florida has not yet offered the 2024 wide receiver, but he was at Friday Night Lights and had a great time catching passes in The Swamp. So far, the Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland standout has been offered by Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, South Florida and UCF. He said the Wildcats and the Hurricanes have caught his eye early on.
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The 2023 running back from San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln did not work out much at Oregon’s event this past weekend because of a back strain, but his time on campus was invaluable, especially because of the coaching staff. A quote from coach Mario Cristobal - “How you do anything is how you do everything” - really made an impact on Robinson. He loved how the coaches were on and off the field and the Ducks should be considered the early frontrunner now.
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The 2023 Georgia Tech running back commit remains committed to the Yellow Jackets but a visit to UCF during the last weekend of July definitely made a big impression. Coach Gus Malzahn’s success developing high NFL Draft picks at running back definitely made an impact on Simpkins, and he liked the plan at UCF for life after football. Georgia Tech still has Simpkins’ pledge but UCF is going to be a player here.