Rivals Camp Series Atlanta: Recruiting Rumor Mill
ATLANTA - There were a bunch of elite prospects and up-and-coming standouts at the Rivals Camp Series in Atlanta on Sunday – and a lot of recruiting news and rumors. Here is the latest Rumor Mill from the third stop on the camp circuit.
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South Carolina, Texas, Georgia and Florida are just some of the schools that are pursuing Gaston. Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer and Longhorns offensive line coach Kyle Flood have been in close contact with Gaston recently.
He likes how well the Gamecocks have been recruiting offensive lineman and how they’re building a family environment. He really liked what he saw when he was on campus. Look for Gaston to make a trip to Texas this summer.
Florida and Georgia both hosted him recently and Gaston felt very comfortable talking with head coaches Kirby Smart and Billy Napier.
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Georgia, USC and Texas are the most recent visits for the superstar 2026 prospect. He was on campus in Athens over the weekend taking in George’s spring game. He enjoyed talking to defensive line coach Tray Scott and was really impressed by how big the defensive linemen were and how well they moved for their size.
At USC a few weeks ago, he really bonded well with the coaches and enjoyed this time there. At Texas earlier this offseason Stewart had a great time being around a lot of the players and coaches that he’s very familiar with. It was obvious that Stewart feels very comfortable with the people in and around the Texas program.
Look for Stewart to make his way up to Ohio State and Michigan to check out both programs and how they develop defensive lineman.
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Merritt is nursing a wrist injury but that didn’t stop him from coming out to the camp on Sunday to support a lot of his friends and teammates. Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Florida State and LSU offers really stand out to him at this point, and the offer from LSU surprised him.
Merritt has a very good relationship with coaches at Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Ohio State and Tennessee. He was recently in Columbus to check out the Buckeyes and really enjoyed learning about the program and how they develop their players. He had memorable conversations with head coach Ryan Day and defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who went over Merritt’s game film with him.
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Four schools are making Jacobs feel like a priority at this point, but a decision does not seem imminent. Tennessee, Georgia, Penn State and Clemson are working hard to eventually land his commitment. Jacobs likes the offensive line coaches at all four schools but was struck by how well Tennessee developed Darnell Wright while he was in the program.
He's had very good conversations with Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels and likes how Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin works with his players. The atmosphere at Penn State was very memorable for Jacobs, who was last on campus for the Nittany Lions' spring game last year.
At this point he does not have any other visits planned but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take a few more trips before the season starts.
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Gilbert has been committed to Ohio State since July but that hasn’t stopped him from taking multiple trips. He’s had many conversations with the Buckeyes' coaching staff about these trips and they are all on the same page.
Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Alabama and Georgia are all schools that he’s taking a close look at. He got an up-close look at South Carolina for its spring game. Gilbert really loved the atmosphere there and had a great time bonding with defensive backs coach Torrian Gray and head coach Shane Beamer. Gray and Ohio State defensive backs coach Tim Walton are the two coaches he feels closest with right now.
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It’s early in the process for Peterkin, but three schools are doing very well with him right now. South Carolina, Duke and North Carolina seem to be making their presence felt more than the other teams that have offered him so far.
Receivers coach Lonnie Galloway at North Carolina has made a very strong impression at this point. Peterkin really liked the spring practice he saw in Chapel Hill. Look for Peterkin to make his way to Duke for its spring game, and he’s working on visits to South Carolina, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
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Abdullah is one of the most heavily recruited prospects in the 2025 class, but he is taking his time to make sure he makes the right choice. Clemson, Florida State, Tennessee, LSU and Alabama are doing a good job with him right now. Abdullah mentioned strong relationships with coaches at Clemson, Florida State and Alabama.
He is planning on visiting Tennessee this coming weekend and expects to lock in additional visits for this spring and summer.
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Flynn has been a well-known prospect for the last couple of years, and teams all around the country have stayed in touch with the Georgia offensive lineman. Right now it seems like UCF has prioritized him above all others, and he has an official visit already set for June 2. He is very close with those coaches and looks forward to getting back on campus.
Michigan, Michigan State, LSU, Oregon and Tennessee have all been in close contact. Tennessee, LSU, Texas A&M, Texas and UCF have all hosted him in the last few weeks. In addition to UCF‘s official visit, Flynn mentioned potential official visits to Oregon and Texas A&M, but he is hoping to take a number of them thanks to the new rule allowing players to take unlimited official visits.
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Grady hasn’t been totally engaged with the recruiting process yet but he has taken a couple of visits recently. Georgia and Alabama were able to get him on campus and he really enjoyed taking in their spring practices. He commented on the intensity of each practice but specifically mentioned getting to talk to and watch Qua Russaw at Alabama.
Coaches at Florida State have done a good job building relationships with Grady and they’re pushing to try to get him back on campus in the near future.
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Teams are still gathering more information about Campbell, but some are already prioritizing him. North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina, Virginia, Duke and Clemson are all in the mix right now. The Tigers have yet to offer but have remained in close contact.
Each team involved with Campbell emphasized his scheme versatility along the defensive line. Look for Campbell to work out at North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina and Clemson again this summer.
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Stone has been committed to LSU since July, and he is working to bring some other big-time players with him to Baton Rouge this year. At the top of his list are Colin Simmons, Bredell Richardson and Waltclaire Flynn. That being said, Stone hasn’t been shy about taking visits to other schools.
He was wearing Florida gloves at the camp on Sunday and he expects to visit Gainesville again at some point this offseason. Miami, Louisville and Oklahoma should also be getting visits. Louisville could be hosting him for an unofficial visit at the end of this month, and he expects to return to Baton Rouge for an unofficial visit next month. Either way, look for Stone to take all the official visits he possibly can.
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Atkinson knows it is early in his recruiting process and he is still taking everything in. Some of the early standouts are Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, LSU, Clemson and a bunch of others.
Atkinson visited Clemson most recently. He had a great time and could feel the love from the Clemson staff. He plans on camping at both Georgia and Alabama this summer. Atkinson does not have a commitment timeline, but he would like to be an early commit.
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The NFL legacy is focused on grinding to get to where he wants to be as a football player and that is where his focus lies first and foremost right now. He says that he is open to all schools that show interest and his recruitment will remain open.
Bettis Jr. plans on going to Notre Dame's spring game this upcoming weekend. He has been to South Bend a few times and is focusing on getting to know the coaching staff better on this upcoming visit. He may make it to Oregon's spring game the following week, but is still figuring everything out logistically.
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The newly minted four-star currently has offers from Arkansas State, Jackson State and Central Arkansas, but after Sunday's camp performance his offer list is likely to grow. Jones recently visited Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Mississippi State and Ole Miss – all of which have given him great feedback and could potentially offer.
Depending on how the spring evaluation period goes, he may decide to hit a number of Power Five camps to earn the offers in person.
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The nation's No. 68 overall player in the 2025 class is already pushing 25 offers and is keeping his recruitment wide open. Hill says that he is talking with Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Texas and a bunch of other schools on a daily basis. No school in particular stands out above the others right now.
Clemson, Auburn and Alabama are three schools that Hill has visited in 2023 and he had a great experience at all three. He would like to make his commitment after the upcoming season and is looking for a school that can develop a quarterback like him. Location is not likely to factor into his decision.
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The Michigan commit said that he is as solid as can be with the Wolverines and loves the connections that he has made in Ann Arbor. His focus has turned to recruiting players from the South to join him at Michigan. Walker plans on enrolling early, and Michigan is the only school that he plans on visiting officially when it is time.
His pledge has not stopped other schools from pursuing him as Miami, LSU, Tennessee and others are trying to get him to visit campus. He could check out some other schools for fun, but that doesn't change where he stands with his commitment to Michigan.
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The four-star Alexander City (Ala.) Benjamin Russel athlete said Arkansas, West Virginia, Central Florida and Liberty stand out right now. He said that he will likely take his first official visit to Liberty this summer and is really looking forward to that.
He has also taken visits to Alabama and Army, where he enjoyed his interactions with both coaching staffs. Simmons would like to narrow his list sometime early in the summer and then announce a decision prior to his senior season.
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