Rumor Mill: East Coast standouts mapping out visit plans
HACKENSACK, N.J. – There was a lot of talent from across the Northeast in New Jersey this weekend for the Under Armour camp. Get the latest from several prospects in attendance on their recruitment, upcoming visits and commitment dates.
MORE FROM NEW JERSEY: Top Northeast prospects compete in New Jersey
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Brickle, a four-star defensive lineman from Pennsylvania, has a lengthy offer sheet but one program that has begun to stick out to him is Oklahoma. The efforts by Sooners defensive line coach Todd Bates to maintain and build a relationship with Brickle have caught his attention. Brickle is hoping to take a handful of visits before the season starts, with Penn State, Alabama and Ohio State as potential destinations. Look for a top 10 from Brickle during the upcoming season.
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Byrne’s spring was full of unofficial visits and now he is preparing for official visits Florida State will get Byrne for an official visit. It is currently scheduled for June 14 but he might move it to June 7. Penn State has Byrne locked in for an official visit on June 21. The Seminoles and Nittany Lions, Byrne said, are in his top tier. Texas A&M, Michigan State and Clemson could get Byrne for official visits as well but those plans are not finalized right now. Byrne wants to get to know the players at each of the programs he takes official visits to and get a feel for how he fits in there before making a decision, which should be coming in June or July.
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Official visits are right around the corner for Cyrus. The Pennsylvania native will take an official visit to Penn State on May 31 followed by an official visit to South Carolina. It’s fair to say those two programs are at the top contenders for Cyrus but Oregon, Miami, and Texas A&M are also in the mix to get official visits.
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One of the most important pieces of the Rutgers 2025 recruiting class, Dorilas pulled the trigger on his commitment at the end of March. He loves the in-state program and feels like it’s a great fit for him on and off the field. Dorilas said he has a great bond with the coaching staff too. He’ll take his official visit on May 31 but is also planning to visit Miami on June 8. That trip to Coral Gables will be an unofficial visit. The Canes recently offered and both sides are still learning more about each other.
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Dembele is getting close to ten Power Four offers but it’s likely he commits before reaching that threshold. The defensive tackle out of New York has official visits planned for Boston College (May 31st) and Wake Forest (June 21st). Keep an eye on Duke and West Virginia as June gets closer. Both schools could be close to getting him scheduled for an official visit. Look for a commitment from Dembele in July.
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Forster’s recruitment is about to hit another gear. The four-star running back from New Jersey will begin his official visit schedule with Rutgers on May 31. The next weekend Forster will head to Illinois for his official visit and then he’ll make the trip to Wisconsin on June 14. He’ll end the month with an official visit to North Carolina on June 21. Expect Forster to announce a commitment at some point this summer.
Wisconsin and Rutgers should like where they stand with Forster right now. The in-state program has very strong connections to Forster and he is comfortable on campus. Forster was in Madison for an unofficial visit to Wisconsin a few weeks ago and he really liked what he saw. The practice was physical and efficient and the offensive linemen impressed him too.
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Funke is one of the most promising defenders out of New England in the 2026 class. Wake Forest, Boston College, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Syracuse are doing well in his recruitment thus far. Funke likes the coaches at Wake Forest and Rutgers. His brother plays for Boston College and the new staff in Chestnut Hill have been hitting the right notes for Funke so far. Funke visited Syracuse this spring and he liked how intense new head coach Fran Brown’s practice was.
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Teams throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are already familiar with Hiller and teams around the country will soon turn their focus to the 2027 offensive tackle out of Pennsylvania. Penn State, Pittsburgh, Maryland, and West Virginia are just some of the teams currently pursuing him and Syracuse threw their hat into the ring shortly after the camp on Sunday. Penn State, South Carolina, and Maryland are just some of the schools Hiller has visited thus far.
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Jin should see his stock rise as the football season gets closer. Originally from Washington D.C., Jin is a wrestling standout making the move from the defensive line to the offensive line. Boston College hosted him for a visit during their spring game and Jin came away with an offer. Interest in Jin will increase in the coming weeks as coaches hit the road to take a look at prospects in the Northeast.
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Kinsler has built up an impressive offer sheet but the 2026 prospect has yet to really attack the recruiting process. He’s taken a couple visits to the Florida schools (where he’s originally from), Duke, and Rutgers but there will be plenty more in the months ahead. Kinsler has not yet mapped out his summer visit schedule but did mention the teams he’s had recent contact with are Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Michigan.
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Penn State picked up a commitment from McClary back in September but a lot has changed since then. The Nittany Lions have a new defensive coordinator in Tom Allen, who replaced Manny Diaz when he left to take the head coaching position at Duke. Diaz did most of the heavy lifting to get McClary to commit so Allen and the other Penn State coaches have been working to rebuild those bonds. In the meantime, McClary took a visit to Syracuse earlier this offseason and they’re pushing to get him back on campus for an official visit. That is still a work in progress but McClary does have an official visit scheduled to Rutgers on May 31st. The in-state school would love to flip him away from their conference rival but the Nittany Lions also have McClary scheduled for an official visit on June 14th. Michigan is also involved and could end up with an official visit.
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Programs around the country have already started making Merrill a priority in the 2026 class. The four-star out of Pennsylvania highlighted spring trips to Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia and Michigan as his favorite visits thus far. He liked getting a feel for the daily lives at each of the programs. Michigan will get him back for a visit during their its BBQ visit weekend this summer but that is the only visit Merrill has scheduled thus far.
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Penn State, Duke, Illinois, and Boston College are doing well in Pritchard’s recruitment thus far. The 2026 offensive lineman had an impressive performance on Sunday and his recruitment is poised to see a jump. At 6-foot-5, 270-pounds, Pritchard’s blend of size, agility, strength, and fairly advanced technical abilities should attract more attention from college coaches.
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Ohio State added Stewart’s commitment at the end of March and he hasn’t looked at another program since even though Michigan State, Penn State and Florida are still showing interest in him. Stewart is consistently communicating with the Ohio State coaching staff and is engaging with their fan base more often. Look for Stewart to take his official visit to Columbus on June 14 or 21.
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Thomas was a standout at the Rivals Camp Series in Charlotte earlier this offseason and has picked up offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma since then. On Sunday, Thomas said he is really excited about all four programs and wants to learn more about each program. It is still early in his recruiting process though. Look for Thomas to take a lot more visits before getting serious about his contenders. Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are just some of the programs he wants to visit.
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Washington is preparing for the homestretch of his recruitment. His official visit schedule begins with UCF on May 31 followed by Syracuse on June 7 and Maryland on June 21. An official visit to Baylor on June 14 is in the works but isn’t locked in yet. Washington is looking at committing in early July, soon after his official visits. He doesn’t claim a leader at this point but he is very high on Virginia Tech after taking an official visit to Blacksburg in mid-April for their spring game.
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Williams committed to Syracuse in March and he intends to stick with the local program. He is in touch with the coaching staff frequently and feels like they really love him. Williams really likes new head coach Fran Brown and the entire coaching staff. Since his commitment, Purdue and Vanderbilt have offered and Rutgers and Virginia are staying in contact with him. Williams isn’t shutting down communication with other programs just yet but he says he remains locked in with Syracuse.
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Zollers continues to impress with each performance this offseason. He was outstanding on Sunday in rough weather conditions and Missouri fans are rightfully excited about what he’ll bring to Columbia. Since committing a little over a month ago, Zollers has turned into a recruiter for the Tigers. Rivals250 receiver Jayvan Boggs has been one of his top targets and, on Sunday, Zollers mentioned he’d like to recruit tight end Andrew Olesh to Missouri as well.