Published
Sep 11, 2024
Recruiting Rumor Mill: More feedback rolls in from big weekend visits
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So much was going on through the weekend and in the last few days that a second Recruiting Rumor Mill was needed this week. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.
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The Ohio State commit visited Miami over the weekend as the Hurricanes are making a very hard push for the four-star linebacker from Vero Beach, Fla.
He was especially impressed that the Miami linebackers had three picks in their win over Florida A&M. Alford was also told he’s a need on the team, not a want, but as of now he still remains “locked in” with the Buckeyes.
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After the world watched Miami dismantle Florida in Week 1, Anderson was in Gainesville over the weekend to see five-star freshman quarterback DJ Lagway put up huge numbers in the Gators’ win over Samford.
The 2026 three-star athlete from Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange loved to see how hard Florida played in a bounce-back setting.
The Gators, Michigan State, Missouri and Minnesota stand out most.
Notre Dame and many others are making a serious push but there was something special about Anderson’s visit to Illinois over the weekend when the Illini took down Kansas.
The Mt. Zion, Ill., four-star tight end lives only about an hour from Champaign and he was there with all his family and friends. The coaches were pushing hard about staying close to home and being the guy in Illinois’ recruiting class and not just another player somewhere else.
Despite Texas’ convincing win over Michigan this past weekend, Bowman loved to see the investment in the Wolverines’ football program and also the message from the coaches that they develop great football players but also great people.
That made a big impression on the 2027 athlete from Brentwood (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy as Michigan, Missouri, Michigan State, Tennessee and Ole Miss stand out most.
The environment was “very cool” and the Nebraska fan base is “very big and prevalent at the games” and so that could be a huge consideration as the 2026 five-star offensive tackle looks at his recruitment.
The Nixa, Mo., standout will visit Missouri in a couple weeks and a few SEC programs are very involved as Cantwell’s recruitment is taking more shape. NFL development is going to be a major consideration in his recruitment which should go at a deliberate pace.
The 2026 high three-star offensive guard from Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius not only watched the Texas-Michigan game in person but was keeping a close eye on how position coach Grant Newsome operated on the sidelines and he loved how Newsome was “actually coaching” his unit.
That could be a big factor for the Wolverines moving forward as USC, Oklahoma, Missouri, Florida, Ohio State and Miami have been reaching out a lot lately.
Illinois has taken the lead in Grant’s recruitment especially after he experienced the Illini’s win over Kansas this past weekend and had an excellent time in Champaign.
Some other Big Ten programs are involved but the DeKalb, Ill., standout “can’t express” how good it was being at the game even though there wasn’t a clear message from the coaches because he was “too busy celebrating the win.”
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway told Hauser to come to play for the Gators and another highlight for the 2027 athlete from Buford, Ga., was meeting with assistant coach Will Harris and staffer Beyah Rasool who stressed playing physical and fast with attitude. Hauser loved the “electric” atmosphere inside The Swamp.
Florida, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Auburn and Alabama have made the biggest impressions so far.
Oklahoma has been right in Higgins’ recruitment since the beginning and now Nebraska is right at the top as well after his visit to Lincoln this past weekend totally blew him away. The four-star defensive end from Wichita (Kan.) Maize South loved how the Nebraska pass rush looked against Colorado and he’s noticed just how involved the entire coaching staff is in recruiting him.
More than anything, the fan base made a huge impression as Kansas, Kansas State, Purdue, USC and Michigan are also on the fringes here.
Ohio State and Georgia are definitely two other programs to watch but Michigan will remain high on the list as well even after seeing Texas beat the Wolverines over the weekend.
Keyes plays at Saline, Mich., but he lives in Ann Arbor and so staying home could be a major draw for the 2026 four-star tight end. Other major powers are after him as well.
The three-star cornerback from Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett was at Auburn over the weekend and despite the loss to Cal, Jordan had some great talks with assistant coaches Charles Kelly and TJ Rushing while he was there.
Auburn and Georgia Tech are the main two contenders in Jordan’s recruitment and Auburn’s loss doesn’t have a negative impact since Jordan sees what the Tigers are trying to build.
LSU has stood out for a while with Tennessee also pushing hard along with Florida State and . Despite the loss to Cal this weekend, Auburn also left a great impression on the 2026 four-star receiver from Hattiesburg, Miss., and the Tigers remain “pretty high” on his list.
His talks with coach Hugh Freeze, position coach Marcus Davis and assistant director of player personnel & scouting Grant Miller all left a great impression moving forward.
Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and others have made an impression but maybe no program more than Nebraska as McGregory had a great time with coach Matt Rhule this summer and now he was blown away by the game-day experience over the weekend.
The 2026 four-star safety from West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley loved that the stadium was filled up and he is “consistently” in contact with that staff as the Huskers continue to be one of his favorites.
Florida State, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Alabama are teams to watch, especially the Longhorns.
But Michigan made a big impression on him even though the Wolverines lost to Texas this past weekend and he saw it in person. The 2026 four-star running back from Forney, Texas, saw the Longhorns dominate (which could help) but he loved that the Wolverines stuck to running the ball despite being down a few touchdowns.
Nebraska is “definitely” one of the top program for Patrick along with Michigan State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Penn State rounding out his top list. The 2026 four-star offensive tackle from Portage (Mich.) Northern was at Michigan over the weekend and loved the environment there and appreciated the coaches talking about what they could’ve done better. But it seems a few programs could have an edge on Michigan right now.
A weekend visit to Oregon went really well and now the 2026 four-star receiver has a lot more to consider in his recruitment. The Red Oak, Texas, standout was at Texas A&M to start the season and has trips coming up to Missouri, SMU and now Texas in October.
The Ducks’ offense and how they’d want to utilize him in their passing scheme got Robinson very intrigued.
There have been some high-profile decommitments at Florida State after a shocking 0-2 start but the 2026 five-star quarterback from Newbury Park, Calif., still seems very locked in with the Seminoles.
Smigiel has “trust” in coach Mike Norvell and the coaching staff, as UCLA and Washington have been working on trying to flip the five-star commit.
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Even though Auburn lost to Cal, Wooten had a phenomenal time on The Plains and the word is that the Tigers will be at the top of his list when it’s time to make a decision.
The 2027 defensive tackle from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson still has a lot of time left in his recruitment but Wooten is already highly interested in the Tigers.
