Recruiting Rumor Mill: Prospects preparing to hit the road
The dead period is over on Monday and tons of recruiting news will be flowing in the coming weeks but there is still a significant amount of information coming in for this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill:
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South Carolina could have the edge for the three-star defensive end from Sumter, S.C., since the Gamecocks have already offered and shown a lot of attention but a big round of visits is coming up for Addison, who will see Florida State, Duke, South Carolina, Georgia Tech and Georgia in the coming weeks.
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One of the best-looking tight ends in the entire 2025 class, Auburn was the first program mentioned by Armstrong but Texas A&M, Texas and LSU are right in the hunt as well. Many believe the Aggies could end up landing the Jasper, Texas standout but out in East Texas he’s pretty equidistant to College Station and Baton Rouge and it’s not that much further to Austin. The Longhorns are an interesting team to watch because his first cousin and former teammate Ty’Anthony Smith signed there after being committed to the Aggies.
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The College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy three-star receiver is a well-known Notre Dame legacy and he’s returning to South Bend for another trip later this month as the Irish remain a strong - some would say, very strong - contender in his recruitment. Cal, Duke, Texas A&M and others remain in his recruitment as well.
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Purdue is the first offer for the 2026 defensive back from Houston (Texas) North Shore who’s supposed to be the next big thing at the powerhouse program but Calicut also has his eye on other top programs. An offer from Florida State or Georgia would be the biggest to Calicut, who can play cornerback but might grow into a safety as well. Even though those programs haven’t offered, Calicut said that’s his top two.
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The list for the three-star running back out of College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy is getting longer but Missouri remains one of the main contenders for Farrington as Texas A&M, Auburn, Miami, Louisville, Duke, Arkansas and Georgia Tech are also high on the list. Farrington is also looking forward to an upcoming trip to Colorado as the Buffaloes are pressing now as well.
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Miami was the dream school growing up for Jackson and remains a top contender for the three-star athlete from New Iberia (La.) Westgate as he doesn’t have an LSU offer yet. Jackson loves the city of Miami and the history around the program especially at defensive back with players like Ed Reed and Sean Taylor standing out. Right now, it would be a surprise if Jackson went anywhere else if he committed today.
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The Memphis (Tenn.) Sheffield high three-star receiver had nearly 700 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns this past season and could see his recruitment take off even more in the coming months but four programs are especially standing out right now. Jackson likes Oregon, Tennessee, Florida and Auburn but many more offers could be coming his way.
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The departure of esteemed running backs coach Dell McGee from Georgia to become head coach at Georgia State will not in any way affect Johnson’s love for the Bulldogs as they’re one of the top programs on his list. The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star running back has been riddled with injuries but the Bulldogs, Florida State, Ohio State, Tennessee and USC are the handful of front-runners.
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Auburn is trying really hard to stay involved with the four-star quarterback from Saraland, Ala., and Oregon and Ole Miss are offering different pitches as well but it would be really surprising if Lacey backed off his Texas pledge if the coaching staff stays in place. Lacey just seemed more locked in than ever with the Longhorns and the word is that the new Alabama staff hasn’t been reaching out much at all after former coach Nick Saban and his coaches kept telling Lacey he was still a top priority.
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The three-star safety from Chattanooga (Tenn.) McCallie School remains committed to Vanderbilt but a whole lot of competition is coming for the Commodores to keep that pledge. Lawrence is planning spring visits to Miami, Tennessee, Duke, Virginia Tech and West Virginia and then the three-star will take one more look at where his recruitment stands before making a final decision.
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Two visits are already booked for the high four-star defensive end from Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick with Illinois in early June and then Miami during the third weekend of that month as Marshall will also schedule trips to Tennessee, Auburn and Oregon. Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State remain in the mix as Notre Dame was considered an early favorite but it now looks like the Irish are not involved here and that the Illini and the Hurricanes could have an edge at this point.
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A four-star receiver who hasn’t received as much early national recognition, Miller has nearly 20 offers but the word is that he likes Tennessee a lot and has his eye on the Volunteers. The St. Louis (Mo.) Cardinal Ritter standout is also going to be serious about Missouri and other Midwest programs will be in the mix but Tennessee could be the team to watch.
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Tennessee is going to play a huge role in Morgan’s recruitment since the four-star cornerback from Rockvale, Tenn., is an in-state recruit and familiar with the coaching staff but the first program mentioned in his recruitment was TCU. The Horned Frogs, the Vols and then Florida, Purdue and Ole Miss are also standing out.
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Ohio State and Oklahoma have the slight edge for the four-star tight end from Washington, Okla., but he’s going to visit those two schools and then take official visits to those two along with Oregon, Penn State and Ole Miss before making his decision. It’s likely that the Buckeyes or the Sooners land Roberts but if there’s one team that could sneak in there and surprise right now it would be the Ducks.
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The top-ranked 2026 quarterback has Notre Dame and Oregon among the favorites but a new offer from Ohio State is definitely intriguing especially since Smigiel will visit Columbus probably in June. At the end of March, Smigiel will see Florida, Miami and Florida State. Washington will get a trip in April and then a summer swing to Michigan and Ohio State is expected. Not taking a visit back to Eugene should not be taken as a sign that the Ducks aren’t very high on Smigiel's list because they are.