So much is going on in the recruiting world that a second Recruiting Rumor Mill is needed this week. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.
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Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and a whole host of other programs are going to be involved with Alston but a new offer from Ohio State could be a game-changer.
The Buckeyes are “definitely in the mix with the top schools” for the 2027 four-star defensive back from Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson. If the momentum continues this way, Ohio State does look strong for the local recruit.
The 2027 defensive back from Birmingham (Ala.) Oak Mountain has seen his recruitment take off recently which makes things even more fluid, but two programs are standing out most early on: USC and Georgia.
Aparicio-Bailey just got back from a great visit to USC where he has built a strong relationship with position coach Trovon Reed. He also has a fantastic bond with UGA position coach Donte Williams.
Those two stand out now, but Vanderbilt and others should be watched as well.
Texas A&M continues to be a major player in Arrington’s recruitment but a source close to him disputes that the Aggies are the clear leader right now. The Spring Valley (Calif.) Mount Miguel five-star loved his weekend visit to College Station where he keeps building a strong relationship with coach Mike Elko and his position coach.
But USC could be surging as it’s been his dream school and he’s visiting Oregon in a couple weeks.
Georgia might be impossible to beat but a host of SEC programs, Clemson and others are involved with the five-star linebacker.
However, he’s just returning from a great visit to USC as well. The NFL knowledge on the coaching staff and the opportunities in Los Angeles from an NIL perspective are considerable. The coaches feel the Loganville (Ga.) Grayson standout is a “key piece” to the defense but can anyone beat the Bulldogs? Ohio State will host him for a multi-day visit this week and the Buckeyes are up there, too.
A new offer from Michigan is huge in Bernhard’s recruitment and he’s going to learn more about that situation with the Wolverines in the coming days. But one other program is interesting as well.
Minutes after getting his Michigan offer, the three-star QB from Ashland, Ohio, was contacted by Ohio State. After Sunday’s Elite 11 in Columbus, Bernhard should learn more about exactly where the Buckeyes stand with him.
Oklahoma has been the front-runner for Branch and the Sooners continue to be right there but Penn State is surging in his recruitment, especially after visiting over the weekend and hitting it off with coach James Franklin and position coach Phil Trautwein.
The Taylor (Pa.) Riverside offensive lineman feels like a “top priority” by the Penn State coaches and now the Nittany Lions are “very high” on his list.
The four-star receiver from Tuskegee (Ala.) Booker T. Washington doesn’t talk much about his recruitment but the word is that Auburn and Florida are standing out most. The overwhelming feeling, though, is that the Tigers lead significantly here and his former teammate, Joe Phillips, is already on The Plains.
A big step recently happened in Gaston’s recruitment as his father had the opportunity to take time off work and visit Georgia with him since it’s the leader in his recruitment. The four-star offensive tackle from North Augusta, S.C., and his dad hit it off again with position coach Stacy Searels who “acts just like my dad” as the Dawgs continue to push very hard as the leader in his recruitment.
Maybe Michigan with star quarterback Bryce Underwood there now will be too much to overcome but the 2027 four-star receiver had an awesome time at Oregon over the weekend and now the Ducks are near the top of his recruitment.
The coaching staff made it clear that Guerrant was No. 1 on the receiver board and new position coach Ross Douglas told Guerrant he’s going to make Oregon ‘WRU.’ The Ducks definitely moved way up after this trip.
South Carolina is going to battle until the end and his relationships in Columbia are fantastic but a recent visit to Ohio State made a massive impression on the high four-star offensive lineman from Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher’s.
Gray has known new position coach Tyler Bowen for years so that’s going to help the Buckeyes immensely and the “people in the building” really impressed him.
LSU and Tennessee are the others to watch in a top four right now.
There has been a ton of talk around Alabama as the team to beat in Hall’s recruitment and Florida State is right there as well. But a weekend trip to Florida went really well. He loved the interactions between the coaches and players, and really got a better understanding of how he’d be used by position coach Vinnie Sunseri.
The Gators are “definitely one of my teams in the final five” and will get an official visit.
South Carolina and NC State are the two standouts right now for the high four-star defensive end who wants to play with his brother, Andrew, in college. Ohio State had been considered the clear front-runner but things with the Buckeyes have slowed.
The Gamecocks and Wolfpack look best for the Matthews (N.C.) Weddington standout but other visits should happen, too.
Cal and others are going to make a major play for the Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne defensive lineman but Arizona is now the team to watch. Harris has totally hit it off with position coach Joe Salave’a and that could be the determining factor for the four-star defensive lineman when he’s ready to make his commitment.
Ohio State has not offered yet but if the Buckeyes do come through then they could be tough to beat for the 2027 safety from Cibolo (Texas) Steele.
Oklahoma, TCU and others are already very involved but Johnson’s visit to Columbus was great. He thought the tempo of practice was like watching the Buckeyes play in a game and he hit it off with position coach Matt Guerrieri.
Oregon is the front-runner for the 2027 offensive lineman from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei who was excellent at the Rivals Camp Series event in Los Angeles. After visiting Eugene recently, Mailangi loved watching the practice most and saw how organized and intense everything was which was a major selling point for him.
Tennessee and Alabama are also sticking out early on but the Ducks are on top.
Texas A&M is definitely a major standout for the four-star offensive tackle from Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point, especially after recently visiting College Station and seeing how technical position coach Adam Cushing is with his players.
Morcho thinks Cushing is an “amazing coach” and coach Mike Elko told the four-star to keep visiting as much as possible.
SMU, Florida State, Alabama and TCU also stand out but Texas A&M is the one to watch.
Tennessee is the clear front-runner for the 2027 running back from Montezuma (Ga.) Macon County, especially after his weekend visit to Knoxville. Parker loved how much excitement and energy he was shown during his visit and just sitting in the running back room was a huge deal to Parker, who has also liked Florida State and others in the past.
After visiting North Carolina over the weekend, Seck believes the Tar Heels will be one of the best teams in the country in three or four years and that could be a major draw.
But right now, Auburn is the leader for the massive interior offensive lineman and then the Tigers are followed by Syracuse.
Days after committing to UCF, the three-star receiver from Sarasota (Fla.) Booker landed an offer from Georgia and is now considering the Bulldogs. Wortham had a great first talk with position coach James Coley and he believes coach Kirby Smart is “one of the best coaches to ever do it” so while Worth loves UCF and coach Scott Frost, if Georgia pushes this could be one to watch.
