Recruiting Rumor Mill: Trevor Etienne faces plenty of twists
National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney is back with his weekly Recruiting Rumor Mill with recruiting chatter and news from around the country.
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It is a four-team race for Anderson, who starts his visit schedule at Texas A&M on the first weekend of June and then has not decided whether he will visit Texas or Alabama on the June 17 weekend. If he goes to Tuscaloosa then he will head to Texas the following weekend. LSU will be an in-season visit. The Longhorns are considered to have the edge, but visits will be crucial.
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Oklahoma was considered the frontrunner for Biddle, but the rumor now is that the Sooners have cooled off a little in his recruitment and no team has the edge for the four-star DB from Garland, Texas. TCU has stepped it up along with SMU, Alabama and Texas A&M as those teams have been in more contact recently, so there’s a little bit of a reset as to favorites for him.
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Committed to Georgia since Nov. 1, there are no serious indications that Bouie is backing off his pledge to the Bulldogs, but he will be taking one important visit this summer. Texas A&M has convinced Bouie to visit early in June, and it’s at least something to watch since that coaching staff can be very convincing. The feeling is that Bouie sticks with Georgia, but it’s an interesting storyline in the coming weeks.
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Arkansas has been considered the major frontrunner for the three-star, in-state defensive end, but the rumor now is that if Davillier’s official visit to Oklahoma goes well he’s going to end up with the Sooners. Staying home and rebuilding the Razorbacks is appealing, but I’ve heard playing for titles and playing at the highest level is pushing him to the Sooners now. He visits Norman on June 18-20.
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Where Etienne’s recruitment heads over the next few months is going to be really interesting. The rumor is that LSU is super high on Trevonte’ Citizen and Le’Veon Moss at the running back position and that Clemson wants to see if it can convince No. 1 running back Branson Robinson to go there before moving on anybody else. Alabama also seems like a viable option, but the Crimson Tide running back board is quite extensive, so there could be a lot of moving pieces here.
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The Winter Park (Fla.) West Orange three-star receiver who could see a bump in his ranking soon is a Florida legacy and the Gators are still a frontrunner, but the rumor is others aren’t giving up. Florida State, Miami, Baylor, Tennessee, South Carolina and Auburn are also staying in the mix. The feeling is that Gibson ends up at Florida, but he will take visits.
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The four-star receiver from Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher’s has official visits set in June for Georgia and North Carolina and the rumor is those are the two frontrunners, although LSU is still right there and Oklahoma is trying heavily to get back involved in his recruitment.
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His first official visit will be to Auburn on the first weekend in June, but the rumor is that Georgia and Miami are standing out the most for the massive four-star offensive tackle from Nashville (Tenn.) Hillsboro. Auburn will have the first crack at Hood, but the Bulldogs and Hurricanes - where he will visit later in the month - seemingly have the edge.
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The five-star cornerback committed to USC in late January. He has a great relationship with position coach Donte Williams and numerous players on the team, but one other visit will happen this offseason. The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei recruit will go to Alabama on June 18-20 and it’s always been a school held in high regard by Jackson. Other visits were considered, and close friend and Michigan commit Will Johnson was trying to get Jackson back to Ann Arbor, but it seems if USC can dodge a flip to Alabama then the Trojans should keep Jackson in this class.
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Kanak has seen an incredible run of offers in recent weeks, with Florida, USC, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Kentucky, Arizona, Virginia, Wisconsin and Penn State all coming in since May 12. Because of that run, it’s nearly impossible to name favorites for the three-star athlete at this point, especially since the rumor is so many more national powers are interested. Reaching out are Clemson, Ohio State, Florida State, Tennessee and Georgia. And that might change his visit schedule as well because Nebraska is guaranteed, but the others he has planned - Iowa and Kansas - might be changed.
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The four-star defensive end who’s originally from Germany but now playing in California has an extensive unofficial visit tour planned in June, with stops at Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M and others, but he’s looking at officials in the fall to Ohio State and LSU and that could be telling in his recruitment. No team leads yet because Kanu hasn’t seen any campuses, but working on trips to Columbus and Baton Rouge will be a starting point for which schools stand out.
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The four-star defensive end from Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian has more than a dozen offers, but four are sticking out: Arizona State, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri. But a decision is not expected anytime soon because Lane won’t take visits to those schools until July or possibly the football season so he can see game-day environments.
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The Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage four-star cornerback might be a Miami legacy but it’s Alabama that is recruiting him the hardest and has his attention the most right now. The Crimson Tide could be considered the frontrunner since they’ve made him such a priority and he’s visiting in June. It wouldn’t be surprising at all I’ve been told if he ends up in Tuscaloosa and leaves the state of Florida.
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The five-star linebacker has a top list and could cut it down even more at some point, but it would be surprising if Clemson or LSU makes the list. The Manassas (Va.) Unity Reed standout visits Alabama first in June, so watch for the Crimson Tide to surge. Oregon has been recruiting him the hardest, and Ohio State and Georgia have been high on the list as well.
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The coaching turnover at Michigan has concerned some prospects and maybe slowed them from taking visits to Ann Arbor, but the five-star defensive lineman is not one of them. The rumor is that the Cordova (Tenn.) St. Benedict standout has the “same interest” in Michigan as before co-defensive coordinator Maurice Linguist left, which is a great sign for the Wolverines. There is still a lot of chatter that Nolen still ends up in the SEC, but Michigan is not out of it because of its coaching shifts.
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Four official visits are planned for Perkins through the month of June as he’ll see Texas A&M followed by Florida, USC and Oregon. LSU is not among the officials yet, but the rumor with the four-star linebacker is that this will come down to a battle between the Tigers and the Aggies. Maybe one of those other schools impresses the Cypress (Texas) Cypress Park standout, but if this isn’t a Texas A&M/LSU final decision it would be a surprise.
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Pinpointing a top list for Robinson, a 2023 safety, is difficult because offers are just starting to fly in and the in-state schools haven’t come yet for the Lake City (Fla.) Columbia standout. But two early offers that caught his attention are Texas A&M and Notre Dame. It’s been a busy couple weeks, but the Aggies and Irish definitely stand out.
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After de-committing from South Carolina recently, two schools have mainly caught Rose’s attention and they are Penn State and Maryland. The Nittany Lions were a finalist the first time around and the chatter is that he likes that coaching staff a lot, but the Terrapins are new and have hit South Florida in recent years. Watch out if Arizona State gets more involved, too, since two teammates have already committed to the Sun Devils.
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Rowell has seen his recruitment take off in recent months as the San Diego Torrey Pines three-star defensive end has nearly 12 offers, but four schools mainly stand out. Those are Michigan, USC, Oregon and Stanford, and after visiting all those schools in June there is a good chance he could make a commitment by the end of the month. The Ducks could be out in front.
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The four-star defensive end from Donaldsonville (La.) Ascension Catholic will visit LSU first in June followed by Clemson and then Texas, but the rumor is this should come down to an Alabama/LSU battle like so many others do in the end. There is an X-factor, though, that makes Tapp’s recruitment unique, because if the Clemson visit goes really well then the Tigers will squarely be right at or near the top of his list. That’s not just a courtesy visit to Clemson.
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The 2023 four-star linebacker from Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln has nearly 20 offers already and he could be one of the top players at his position in his class. A few schools have jumped out and caught his attention. Penn State, USC, Florida State, Miami, Auburn and Vanderbilt have been showing the most interest, although it’s too early to name a clear frontrunner.