Recruiting Rumor Mill: Summer visits wrapping up as preseason nears
The last weekend of July allowed visits one more time this summer and there was a ton of news from across the country. Here’s the latest in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill:
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A new offer from Georgia “shakes things up a little in my recruitment” as the Bulldogs’ success at the linebacker position definitely puts them in the running for the four-star from Vero Beach, Fla. Other programs have a longer standing with Alford and that could play a factor as Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, Louisville, Tennessee, Florida State and Miami are also making an impression but Georgia has now entered the fray.
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Sitting down with position coach Kerry Cooks and watching his film was one of the major standouts to Antoine during his trip to LSU. The New Iberia (La.) Westgate four-star safety is definitely high on the Tigers especially after this visit but Texas, Alabama, Michigan and Miami have also been aggressively recruiting him. A visit to Texas A&M also happened over the weekend and Florida offered as Antoine’s recruitment continues to pick up.
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Alabama is now “strongly in my recruitment now as well” after the 2025 three-star offensive lineman camped in Tuscaloosa recently and loved his time there. The Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick standout loved the business-like approach to the Crimson Tide program and how they could squeeze every ounce of development out of him. Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Michigan State and Duke have also impressed but the Alabama visit was a great one.
“Going to Bama and working out at the camp, you just feel a whole other level of football,” Augustine said.
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The 2025 four-star defensive end lives only about 10 miles from the Auburn campus and he’s been committed to the Tigers since Feb. 1 but Florida is making a major run at Autry and the Gators could have some legs. Autry is the “type of person” Florida is looking for and the Gators’ vision for rebuilding the program has appealed to him. Other visits to Alabama, Georgia and LSU are likely and Florida State is a possibility as all those programs try to flip him from Auburn, where he visited for Big Cat Weekend again.
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Because of some family issues, the 2025 four-star receiver from Lafayette (La.) Acadiana couldn’t make it to LSU but the Tigers are still the early front-runner in his recruitment and a trip to Death Valley should happen soon. Before Babineaux shuts things down, though, especially this early he wants to make other visits with Ole Miss, Florida State, Texas A&M and Auburn on his list.
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The pitch from Kansas State’s coaches is that he could be a “big part” of the Wildcats’ defense because of his skill set and there is an overwhelming feeling of family every time Boganowski visits Manhattan. That has pushed Kansas State right to the front with Oklahoma for the four-star athlete from Junction City, Kan., and then Kansas and Florida State are also in the mix.
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After an offer from Ohio State, the Buckeyes are “definitely in my top four schools” according to Byrne because of the development in Columbus and that it’s “one of the best programs ever.” Ohio State is now right there with Notre Dame, Michigan and Wisconsin with Stanford also being considered by the 2025 offensive tackle from New Rochelle (N.Y.) Iona Prep.
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Early on, Arkansas and Texas A&M have stood out most to the elite 2026 offensive lineman from Nixa, Mo., along with Oklahoma, Kansas State and others but new visits to Alabama and Georgia could broaden his horizons even more. At Alabama, the history of the program and how they do things were the biggest part along with interacting with coach Nick Saban and position coach Eric Wolford. At Georgia, the staff, facilities and how the offensive line operated were the highlights. Both will be major contenders.
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When Debose committed to Georgia in January, the word was that Alabama was absolutely not going to give up on the 2025 high four-star offensive tackle from Prichard (Ala.) Vigor and that remains the case although the Bulldogs have kept him locked in. There will be a new contender for Debose, though, because after an offer from Ohio State, Debose is “very interested” in the Buckeyes and that was an offer Debose has been waiting on.
“I thought they were never going to offer,” Debose said.
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As has long been expected, the 2025 four-star safety from Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass has backed off his Ohio State pledge as he’s been very open that many other programs interest him and it seemed like the Buckeyes were especially slipping in recent weeks. There are now seven or so programs making a big pitch to Gilbert but if there’s one that has really caught his attention so far it would be South Carolina especially after another visit to Columbia in recent days.
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Louisville, Michigan and Missouri remain the front-runners for the 2025 four-star athlete from Belleville (Ill.) Althoff and the Cardinals definitely impressed him in recent days. The passion and the message from first-year coach Jeff Brohm and his staff really made the biggest impression and could be moving the Cardinals even higher on his list now.
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One of the fastest risers in Georgia’s 2025 class is the cornerback from Eastman (Ga.) Dodge County and some top schools are starting to emerge. Right now, Johnson likes Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Oregon and UCF the most but there’s one offer to watch: If Georgia comes through and offers the Dodge County standout then that would make a “big impact” and could be the team to beat.
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After Alabama offered the three-star cornerback from Gadsden (Ala.) Gadsden City, is Kirkpatrick’s recruitment pretty much wrapped up? Auburn, Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi State are others to watch but it’s hard to believe Alabama won’t be tough to beat especially since his father by the same name starred in Tuscaloosa, was a first-round pick and then played in the NFL for a decade.
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Ole Miss has now joined Notre Dame and Tennessee on the top of the list for the 2025 standout lefty quarterback from Lucedale (Miss.) George County after his visit to Oxford in recent days. It remains to be seen if Ole Miss can overcome Knight’s previous top two but coach Lane Kiffin was pushing for the best in-state kids to stay home plus his development of quarterbacks and Knight also hit it off with position coach Charlie Weis Jr.
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Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State along with Florida have made the biggest impression on Merritt so far and being back in Tuscaloosa was huge for the 2025 four-star defensive end from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy standout. He worked out for Saban, whose message was that Alabama needed Merritt’s athleticism off the edge and so Merritt will return for the Texas game in September.
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The 2025 four-star receiver from West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman didn’t make it to LSU’s Bayou Splash on Friday but he was on campus Saturday and it was “mind blowing.” The Tigers have moved to the top of his early list and they’re now the team to beat since Montgomery loved the culture and the coaching staff in Baton Rouge as Miami, Penn State, Florida, Texas A&M and Ohio State are definitely others to watch.
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LSU has definitely made a major move up for the 2025 four-star defensive tackle from Hattiesburg, Miss., especially after the coaches in Baton Rouge talked about the high standard and development inside the program. The Tigers are now way up there but Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Michigan are high on the list as well.
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The Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian three-star defensive end committed to Texas A&M in late June and that school “definitely has my heart” but a new offer from LSU is definitely something he’s going to consider. The coaching staff is making an aggressive push for Reliford and would like to get him to Baton Rouge as soon as possible to gauge exactly where things stand - and see if a flip is coming. A trip hasn’t happened yet but it should during the season.
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The feeling on the five-star defensive end is that Texas is going to “throw the kitchen sink at him” and that could be very significant - plus he’s closer to family in Austin and that might be a considerable factor but LSU is not going to give up and getting him on campus over the last few days could re-energize the Tigers in his recruitment. Texas A&M is also now making a run and while traction hasn’t been there before, the Aggies are still coming after him hard.
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The 2025 four-star running back from Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist Academy had another great visit to LSU where there wasn’t a ton of football talk, just time to spend around the staff and other recruits and have a good time. The Tigers will definitely be right there but Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Notre Dame and Oregon are also high and Simon wants to visit Florida as soon as possible with the Gators making a move, too.
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Louisville made a compelling argument to the 2025 three-star interior offensive lineman during his trip there in recent days especially as he already felt like family, was welcomed in by coach Chris Barclay and the pitch was to stay home and play right down the road. The Cardinals are definitely going to play a major role for the Louisville Male standout but Kentucky and South Carolina are also high on the list.
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The 2025 four-star receiver from Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek loved his visit to LSU and got more comfortable with the surroundings there as the Tigers continue to push as one of his top teams. As it stands now, LSU and Texas could be battling it out for Watson early on with Houston, TCU and Oregon also high.
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A long list remains for the 2025 four-star defensive back from Los Alamitos, Calif., with Ohio State, Maryland, Penn State, USC, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Notre Dame, BYU, Georgia, Texas A&M and Tennessee on it but Louisville will be a contender as well. White visited in recent days and the message from coach Jeff Brohm was that White is an elite player and early playing time is very possible plus White sees the old Louisville coming back under Brohm.
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After the Bayou Splash at LSU, the Tigers are definitely a major contender for the 2025 four-star receiver from Red Oak, Texas and now it will be up to the staff to continue that momentum as Williams heads into his junior season. Texas, Michigan, Nebraska, Miami and Ohio State have also made a big impact there.
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If the 2025 four-star defensive end from Shawnee (Kan.) Mill Valley ends up at Kansas State it’s going to be because of his relationships with the people there. That’s what stands out most to Woods when he’s in Manhattan and it could be something considerable to watch as he lays out his favorites with the Wildcats, Baylor, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi State, Penn State, Oregon and Tennessee among some other standouts.