Recruiting Rumor Mill: More chatter rolls in from Week 1 visits
There is so much going on in the recruiting world that a second Recruiting Rumor Mill was needed this week. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.
Even though the game was played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Fogle loved Georgia’s “electric” fan base and it impressed him how consistent and strong the Bulldogs were in their convincing win over Clemson. Georgia is standout out most to the 2026 high three-star tight end from Lexington, Ohio since he talks to assistant coaches James Coley and Todd Hartley so much.
The 2026 four-star defensive end from Gainesville, Ga., remains happily committed to USC but there’s no secret Georgia and others are still working to flip Griffin as his recruitment continues. He was at the Georgia-Clemson game over the weekend and loved seeing KJ Bolden getting so much early work plus the “insane catch” Malaki Starks made as the four-star talks with defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann once a week.
One of the top 2027 prospects in Georgia is Jacobs from Roswell Blessed Trinity and he “loved watching” the Bulldogs play on defense in their easy win over Clemson at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Bulldogs are definitely one of the early frontrunners with Tennessee also very high along with Georgia Tech and Ohio State.
After his decommitment from Miami in recent days and his subsequent visit to Auburn, the Tigers are looking in perfect shape to eventually land Melendez’s recruitment. The four-star linebacker from Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola loved the “family vibes” at Auburn especially among all the commits and it looks like it’s only a matter of time until he could join that group as well.
The high three-star receiver from Bay Minette (Ala.) Baldwin County was at Auburn over the weekend and while the Tigers haven’t offered yet they’re looking at midseason as a time when that could come through. Mims loved the connection the receivers have there with the quarterback and the Tigers could shoot way up his list with an offer. Right now, Ole Miss is looking strong along with South Alabama, Tennessee, Troy and Southern Miss since his brother goes to school there.
The three-star receiver from Orlando (Fla.) Boone remains committed to Arizona but last week Mizell was at UCF’s season opener and he loved how explosive the Knights’ offense was and how he’d fit in the scheme. The Wildcats still have his commitment but the word is UCF is now a very close second.
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Michigan is a “big player” in Osborne’s recruitment along with Florida State, Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame and Alabama but now Texas A&M is also one to watch after he was in College Station over the weekend. Despite the loss, the 2026 four-star running back from Forney, Texas loved the crowd at Texas A&M and how “electrifying” it was all night. It was made clear to Osborne that he’s a “top priority” in the 2026 class.
UCF, Florida, Miami and Tennessee are the four standouts for the massive 2026 three-star offensive lineman from Orlando (Fla.) Jones and a recent visit for UCF”s opener was definitely a big deal. It was made clear to Payne from offensive line coach Herb Hand that they want to build the offensive line room around Payne and that definitely left a major impression with him.
The three-star cornerback from Greenville, Ga., has been committed to South Florida since June but Alabama had him on campus over the weekend and now he’s a serious target for the Crimson Tide. Richardson loved how the coaches greeted him in Tuscaloosa and made him feel comfortable there and now the word is that Alabama has a good chance to flip him at some point.
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USC has been a mainstay in Sermons’ recruitment since the Trojans have made him a top priority and he’s a legacy plus he was at the Trojans’ win over LSU in Las Vegas and loved it. It was an “amazing” trip for the 2026 four-star defensive back from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and what stood out most to him during the trip was just seeing how improved USC’s defense was compared to last season. Oregon and many others are involved but it feels like USC is the team to beat.
The four-star receiver from Decatur (Ga.) Southwest DeKalb was at Georgia’s win over Clemson on Saturday as Turner remains happily committed to Georgia Tech and has loved how the Yellow Jackets are playing to start the season. Georgia is still “high” on Turner’s list but the top two right now are Georgia Tech and Alabama. Is Georgia third? Not really because the word is that Texas A&M is starting to intrigue him even more.
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Many others are definitely in the running for Vitti’s commitment but Purdue offers him a ton he likes. The 2026 four-star safety from Detroit (Mich.) Divine Child got a chance to spend a lot of time with coach Ryan Walters and a bunch of assistants, he loves how they have produced NFL defensive backs in their careers and Vitti is also intrigued by playing for a program on the rise. He’s expected back for the Notre Dame game in a couple weeks.
Illinois is making a serious run at the 2027 offensive tackle from St. Joseph (Ill.) St.Joseph-Ogden and he was in Champaign for the Illini’s first game where he loved the family-oriented culture and “awesome hospitality” there as he lives only about 20 minutes from campus. That will be something to watch moving forward as Louisville and Miami (Ohio) have also offered and he has visits scheduled to Wisconsin and Oklahoma coming up.
The four-star linebacker from Jesup (Ga.) Wayne County committed to Arkansas over Georgia, Florida State and Florida in July as the Razorbacks made him a top priority from the beginning and landed his commitment. But the word is Florida is working hard still to flip him so it will be something to watch – depending on how the Razorbacks and the Gators perform this season.
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The 2026 four-star safety from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman was at the USC-LSU game on Sunday and was highly impressed by the Trojans’ defense and their final drive but since they haven’t offered yet he cannot seriously think about them much in his recruitment. The Trojans “can be” among Washington’s favorite but Kobe Bryant’s nephew so far has Alabama, Oregon, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas, Michigan and Washington standing out most.
The 2026 four-star linebacker who has already backed off of commitments to Louisville and Syracuse and is now focused on staying closer to home tried to make a pledge to Florida over the weekend but was told to hold back a while. That means the Tavares, Fla., standout is now more focused on Florida State (where he was expected to visit for Monday’s game) and Miami as both in-state programs have been coming after him.
The 2026 four-star Clemson commit was at the Tigers’ game against Georgia and said it was a great game “at the beginning” before things started to get out of hand in the Bulldogs’ favor. Still, the Knoxville (Tenn.) Webb School remains happily committed to Clemson but others are not backing down as Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Miami and “a couple more” are working on getting him.
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