Tuesdays with Gorney: Buying and selling recruiting rumors
There are so many rumors this time of year as spring games and visits consume the recruiting landscape. Here is chatter on 10 topics that Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is hearing and whether he buys the rumor or not in this week’s Tuesdays with Gorney.
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RECRUITING RUMOR MILL: Frenzy of activity surrounding spring games
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RUMOR: USC and Nebraska are fading for five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola.
NOT BUYING IT. There is no doubt that Georgia is a major contender for the five-star quarterback and if I had to pick today I’d go with the Bulldogs. But Raiola still likes a whole lot about the Trojans and the Huskers in his recruitment.
Having coach Lincoln Riley and now Kliff Kingsbury on staff at USC, plus he’s super familiar with the area since he trains in Southern California and all the success Riley has had with quarterbacks is a huge draw.
The plan Nebraska coach Matt Rhule has in place and the idea of bringing back his father’s alma mater to national relevancy is playing a big role.
I’d pick Georgia right now and the five-star could end up in Athens but I wouldn’t count out the other two yet.
MORE: Dylan Raiola's father, Dominic, joins Gorney's podcast
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RUMOR: There’s a good chance five-star WR Jeremiah Smith flips to Georgia.
NOT BUYING IT. I was just talking to a source about this over the weekend and the sense I got was that something drastic would have to happen for the five-star receiver from Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna to flip from Ohio State.
The scenarios laid out were coach Ryan Day getting fired if he loses to Michigan again (which would be an absurdity based on his success there), a surprisingly bad season or position coach Brian Hartline leaving for a head coaching job. The third one seems most likely so it’s something to watch but one other to watch would be if Raiola ends up at Georgia, would Smith be intrigued enough to flip? I’m told no, as it stands now.
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RUMOR: Florida is starting to emerge more for five-star DE Colin Simmons.
NOT BUYING IT - YET. This still feels like a battle between LSU and Texas with a recent visit to Texas A&M also going very well and now the Aggies could become a real contender in his recruitment. The Duncanville, Texas, star defensive end is also looking at Alabama and Georgia. He recently took a visit to Florida and spent a lot of time with Florida commits DJ Lagway and Xavier Filsaime, who are also from Texas.
I asked a source about Simmons and Florida, and there were some positive vibes coming out of the visit but not enough to convince me once the post-visit high wears off that he ends up in Gainesville yet.
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RUMOR: Miami is becoming a real player for five-star DT Justin Scott.
NOT BUYING IT - YET. Did Scott love his Miami visit? Absolutely. Did he spend a lot of time around Miami’s excellent staff and a ton of recruits? Yes. But this has been Notre Dame’s recruitment to lose and I’ve heard numerous times that his family would love it if he stayed closer to home as the Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius standout works through his recruitment.
If there’s one major threat to the Irish, it would be Georgia at this point. Everything about the Miami visit went well and the Hurricanes are doing everything to steal the five-star defensive lineman but I’m not yet convinced it will happen.
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RUMOR: Alabama or Ohio State could flip five-star Georgia pledge Peyton Woodyard.
NOT BUYING IT. When I talked to someone close to Woodyard about these “surprise” visits to Ohio State and Alabama the word I got was that the five-star had never seen Ohio State practice and that Woodyard wanted to get out and see the Buckeyes in action. He also wanted to get down to Alabama for the same purpose since those schools were involved in his recruitment for such a long time.
But after seeing Ohio State and Alabama, Woodyard was back in Georgia for its spring game this past weekend and what I’ve heard is that it’s only reinforced his thinking that the Dawgs are the right spot for him. Ohio State still feels like the main contender if a flip happens but I’d be surprised if it did now.
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RUMOR: Five-star WR Joshisa Trader wants to join Smith in Ohio State’s recruiting class.
BUYING IT. The other five-star receiver at Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna is Trader and he's also very familiar with Ohio State. If it was completely up to him then my guess is he would play for the Buckeyes. Trader is a really interesting prospect because there’s an argument to make that he’s an even better defensive back – and he’s a five-star receiver already.
Miami would be the team to watch and the Hurricanes are recruiting him very hard but Trader did make it clear to me at OT7 Phoenix that his comments were misconstrued when there were reports that Miami was the team to beat. This feels like a two-team race right now – go to Ohio State or stay home in Coral Gables.
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RUMOR: Michigan State is done with five-star DT David Stone after coach departures.
NOT BUYING IT. Losing pass rush specialist Brandon Jordan and defensive line coach Marco Coleman definitely dented Michigan State’s chances with Stone but after trading some messages with him over the last few days, it’s clear he still has a ton of love for the Spartans.
What really sold the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout on this visit to East Lansing (he’s been there so often I lost count on how many trips) was a conversation he had with coach Mel Tucker. Recruits love Tucker and while Oklahoma is absolutely a major player and Texas A&M should be watched, Stone just can’t quit Michigan State.
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RUMOR: Alabama could surprise on four-star DB Jordon Johnson-Rubell.
BUYING IT. Maybe the high four-star safety from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, who’s originally from Texas, is already a lock to the Longhorns and maybe he was just being complimentary of the Alabama program after his visit to Tuscaloosa.
But, wow, he really liked what he saw in Tuscaloosa.
Will it be enough to compel him to commit to the Crimson Tide at some point? Texas has to love where it stands but maybe not as much after this past weekend.
Coach Nick Saban and position coach Travaris Robinson told Johnson-Rubell they see him in the mold of Minkah Fitzpatrick or Brian Branch and that absolutely struck a chord.
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RUMOR: Oregon is emerging big-time for four-star WR Aaron Butler.
BUYING IT. There was a time a few months ago that it looked like it was only a matter of time until Georgia landed Butler’s commitment and I was even making preparations for that inevitability. It no longer feels that way.
Maybe Georgia slowed down a tad on the four-star receiver from Calabasas, Calif., because the Bulldogs already have commitments from Ny Carr and NiTareon Tuggle with many other targets out there. But it’s also because Oregon has dramatically stepped it up with him.
Butler had a phenomenal trip to Eugene over the weekend and now the Ducks probably have the slight edge for Butler, who impressed at the recent Under Armour Los Angeles Camp.
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RUMOR: Ny Carr could join teammate Landen Thomas by flipping to Florida State.
NOT BUYING IT - YET. His teammate at Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County (Landen Thomas) just flipped from Georgia back to Florida State. Tallahassee is 90 minutes away and Athens is nearly four hours away. The Seminoles are working on flipping Carr, one of the top receivers in the 2024 class. But the people I talked to are still confident that Carr is locked in with the Bulldogs and his commitment is going nowhere.
Sure, strange things happen in recruiting all the time and this one would actually make sense since his teammate is going to play for the Noles, but I still like Georgia to sign Carr. It’s one to watch, though.