FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Rivals Camp Series stop in South Florida started with big-on-big and good-on-good with the offensive and defensive lines working out before the skill prospects showed up.
As usual, competition was intense and splashes were made by a large group of coveted recruits. Rivals takes a look at top prospects' recruitment ahead of a busy stretch of spring visits and offseason decisions.
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MORE FROM MIAMI: OL vs. DL Part I | Ten more impressive prospects | How RCS Miami will impact rankings | Top plays | QB Rumor Mill | RB Rumor Mill | WR/TE Rumor Mill | Garcia's takeaways | Position MVPs | Garcia & Friedman break down camp | Marcus Harris interview | Hylton Stubbs interview | Vernell Brown III interview | Winston Watkins interview | Floyd Boucard interview | Ziyare Addison interview | Javion Hilson interview | Wilnerson Telemaque interview | Davion Davis interview | Loaded camp impresses analysts | Top Combine performers
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Addison released a top 12 in March and he contends all of those programs have a shot at his verbal commitment. Clearly, though, some programs have more momentum than others and the blue-chipper is fresh off of a trip to Miami that went very well.
Florida State was in early on the lengthy athlete and remains in solid shape to potentially keep him within state lines while Florida has the next trip.
Oregon – he was sporting its gloves on Sunday – along with UCLA, Colorado and Penn State also feel like momentum is on their side.
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The big local star has long been most comfortable and potentially most desired by the Miami Hurricanes but a pair of programs are challenging The U for the lengthy defensive lineman.
Penn State just locked in an official visit date with the four-star and Louisville is working to do the same. Should the Cardinals prove successful with their logistics, this could become a three-team battle with a summer decision expected.
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A Rivals250 sophomore who walked away with a golden ball for a strong performance Sunday, Barclay is fresh off of good trips to Miami and South Florida. He’ll have an even busier week going forward, expecting to get to Florida, Penn State and West Virginia for unofficial visits.
The trip with the Gators could be big for Barclay, who admits the program is very high on his list but it has transitioned within its assistant coaching staff. Darnell Stapleton is out and Jonathan Decoster is in along with Rob Sale so the current duo will get its chance to build with the big blocker in what could ultimately be a Gator-Hurricane battle.
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Purdue and UCF have been the standards for some time with the Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit standout, who has also frequented Clemson as a prep recruit. The new name in the conversation, and there is momentum here, is the Missouri Tigers. The SEC program offers a unique angle for the power interior lineman and more time with that coaching staff could flip the pecking order of this recruitment.
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A fast-riser now at Miami (Fla.) Central, Boucard has become a frequent visitor to Miami and the Hurricanes have prioritized him as an interior defensive line target. Many others have jumped in of late, and plenty of visits are to be taken, but it appears as if Penn State, Oklahoma and Florida are among the top challengers.
James Franklin’s program will be Boucard’s next trip before more plans are to be locked in for official visit season. Colorado, LSU, USC and others could get him on campus before a likely verbal commitment during July.
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There is a top group being formed for one of the top guard recruits in America following a Saturday visit to Miami. The Hurricanes have stamped their place on his list and fellow in-state program Florida State has also made a strong, recent impression following an unofficial visit.
Clemson, Ole Miss and Penn State round out the group ahead of what will be a busy official visit season. Buchanan, who took home MVP honors Sunday, will likely come off the board prior to his senior season at loaded Sanford (Fla.) Seminole High School.
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The in-state programs are the beginning of the conversation for the Floridian. Miami, Florida, Florida State and UCF should have staying power in this increasingly competitive recruitment.
Outside of state lines, Penn State, Ohio State, USC and Colorado are among those in the mix and Carter is trying to get out to some of the campuses further from his Sunshine State home come official visit season. A decision is expected closer to the start of the 2024 football season at this point.
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The twins are still very firm on their plans to present as a package deal, and it won’t be easy to pull them out of the state of Florida. Florida State, UCF and Miami, potentially in that order, have been among the most consistent with the twins to date.
The Seminoles are the most recent scholarship offer to each and it came on the heels of a detailed unofficial visit that paired with a strong impression. The duo wants to come off the board this offseason and aren’t against out-of-state options Pitt or Texas A&M, among others.
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The first verbal commitment for Notre Dame in its massive, top-ranked 2025 class, Dixon feels slightly responsible for the momentum. He bought in to Marcus Freeman’s program early on and has rarely looked back, though some trips to local Miami last year began to increase potential flip chatter.
It has since quelled, as Dixon sees the Irish’s sell on and off the field as one that won’t be easy for any program to compete with in the end as Miami, Ohio State and others continue to inquire.
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The Canadian and rising senior is getting to a critical point in his recruitment and the next two trips could go a long way toward establishing leaders for his pledge ahead of spring football.
Penn State is first up for the swing prospect, who could work either guard spot at about 6-foot-3, 290 pounds. Syracuse is to follow and the Orange have legitimate momentum in 2025 with the No. 10 class in the country for 2025 – but with just one offensive lineman on board to date.
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The barrel-chested blocker from the Florida Panhandle has a growing offer list early on his recruitment and the in-state Miami Hurricanes have made an impression. Green says the Canes are recruiting him the hardest to date but some SEC trips are upcoming that could begin to expand the early favorites for him.
Ole Miss hosted Green on Tuesday and he’ll stay in the Magnolia State to see Mississippi State this weekend.
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The Notre Dame offer that came during Pot of Gold Day continues to carry plenty of weight with the Virginia native, now in Florida at IMG Academy. The Irish will likely host him for their spring game later this month to potentially build a lead for the versatile defender.
North Carolina and Virginia Tech have come in with scholarship offers and each is trying to line up visits with the early four-star talent. Golden won’t rush into a decision, but he has admitted a desire to get back north for his college football.
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The battle for the No. 1 weakside defensive end is on. Hilson, who ran away with defensive line MVP honors on Sunday at the Rivals Camp Series in Miami, has been committed to Florida State since earlier this year. He has since returned to Tallahassee and the Seminoles are in line to get an official visit out of him this summer, though others are getting trips as well.
Alabama, where Hilson was originally committed until Nick Saban retired, has reshuffled the deck and impressed Hilson at many turns. He’s back in Tuscaloosa this week and it may not be his last trip back to ‘Bama before all is said and done. Florida, UCF, Georgia, Syracuse and Colorado were also named as contenders by the twitchy pass rusher.
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Another camper who was at Miami the day prior, Kreul added the Hurricane offer after meeting with Hall of Famer Jason Taylor – and he couldn’t have been more excited about it. While the relationship with The U is developing, programs such as Oklahoma, UCF and Duke have been strong with the crafty pass rusher for some time.
Kreul is in no rush to make an early verbal commitment and he anticipates a busy spring as his profile as a pass rusher rises.
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The Canada native, who will be transferring to the Baylor School in Tennessee for his junior season, is visiting Syracuse on April 20. The Orange have picked up momentum in 2025 with a lot of Northeast recruits and it’s caught the attention of this riser in 2026.
Osenda is also working on a return visit to Florida, where he has considerable interest but no offer on the table just yet. Coming off of a season-ending injury in 2023, the spring will be big for the near 6-foot-7, 330-pounder.
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Another trenchman looking to make a preseason verbal commitment, Simon is wide open within some of his top options across the country. USC, Texas, Colorado, NC State, Rutgers and Pitt are among the programs giving chase.
A trip to see Rutgers and Pitt should commence in mid-April and Colorado could get him on campus for the first time thereafter. Simon is working on his official visit schedule for the summer, too.
