Recruiting Rumor Mill: Decisions coming into focus after key visits

With signing day getting closer, there is no better time for a Recruiting Rumor Mill. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney after another busy weekend.

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The 2026 two-way standout from Spring Valley (Calif.) Mount Miguel had a phenomenal visit to USC over the weekend, one of his favorite programs growing up, and he appreciated how much love and attention the entire coaching staff showed him.

The Trojans are definitely moving higher on his list along with Oregon but the word is that Texas A&M still looks strongest, along with Oklahoma for now.

After backing off his pledge to Alabama in recent days, Barney was back at Texas A&M over the weekend and the Aggies are now the top program on his list. The 2026 four-star cornerback from Carrollton, Ga., loves how the coaches treat him in College Station and while many others heavily pursue him as his recruitment continues, Texas A&M is the team to beat.

USC and a bunch of other top programs have all shown interest in Benjamin but the word is that Oregon is starting to distance itself in his recruitment.

The talented 2026 four-star cornerback from Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian has been highly involved in the Ducks since early in his recruitment and it has only gotten stronger as Oregon is definitely the team to beat right now.

Big visits have taken place through the fall and the top tight end in the 2027 class has two main front-runners in his recruitment heading into the offseason. Georgia and Texas have taken the lead for the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout and those two powerhouse programs have been the two leaders for a while.

The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive tackle has been committed to Alabama since June but a snap decision to visit Colorado over the weekend is now something to really closely monitor heading toward signing day.

The chatter I’m hearing is that some people close to Carroll are still pushing the Crimson Tide but it’s his decision to make and the Buffaloes definitely have his attention now. This was not just a visit for visit’s sake.

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The 2026 five-star athlete was committed to Georgia for a few days over the summer but backed off that early pledge as Miami, Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State and Penn State continued to push with a watchful eye on the Hurricanes as the potential leader. That could remain the case with Miami but the Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna standout had one of his best visits back to Athens this weekend as the Bulldogs are re-emerging as a serious contender again. Maybe Cooper just can’t quit the Dawgs.

Georgia Tech continues to climb up the charts for the 2026 four-star linebacker from Hampton (Ga.) Lovejoy especially because of his great relationship with position coach Tyler Santucci and because his experience at the win over Miami was excellent.

The Yellow Jackets are “high on my list” with NC State, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Kansas and Indiana as well.

The 2027 five-star receiver was at SMU over the weekend and that program has the money to pony up for a receiver of his quality in the NIL space plus they’re winning tons of games. But the word is that LSU, followed by Texas, remain the front-runners.

Originally from Shreveport, Feaster is now playing at DeSoto, Texas, but he’s always followed the LSU receiver history closely and he is definitely heavily interested in the Tigers.

Oklahoma, Ohio State and Alabama have been the three programs that have piqued Geralds’ interest the most early on but Ole Miss (his dad’s alma mater) might be inching up the list and a recent visit to Miami could have the Hurricanes surging as well.

The 2026 high four-star DT from Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill loved the defensive scheme along the line and even some of the Canes’ calls are similar to his high school.

It’s still very early for the 2027 four-star linebacker from Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit but a recent visit to Ohio State put the Buckeyes toward the top of his list, if not the top team right now. Henderson met with coach Ryan Day but he especially hit it off with position coach James Laurinaitis and that could be a big selling point moving forward.

There will be a lot of SEC involvement here but the Buckeyes could have the lead.

The No. 1 junior college prospect was at Kansas State over the weekend and despite the Wildcats flopping on the field in a loss to Arizona State, Mickell “loved” his time in Manhattan and it was made clear to him the Wildcats need interior defensive linemen.

Kansas State, South Carolina, Tennessee and TCU are the teams to watch.

Ole Miss is definitely standing out to the 2027 offensive tackle from Jackson (Miss.) Jackson Academy, who has some impressive SEC offers already. The Rebels took an even bigger step forward after their recent win over Georgia.

Alabama, LSU and Nebraska are the three other standouts but they’re chasing Ole Miss.

After backing off his pledge to Alabama over the weekend, the word is that Ohio State and Georgia are the two main teams in his recruitment and that Rogers will wait until signing day to announce his destination.

The Buckeyes have been pegged as the new frontrunner for the Montgomery (Ala.) Carver four-star all-purpose back but Georgia is there and others have a few weeks to get involved down the stretch.

A commit to USC since early August, there has been a ton of chatter that Smith is preparing a flip to Colorado at any point. That could very well happen as the Buffaloes are working hard to land the four-star offensive tackle from Mobile (Ala.) Williamson but the word I’m getting is that Smith is legitimately torn between sticking with USC or changing to Colorado after an early Auburn pledge.

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The four-star Tennessee wide receiver commit was at Georgia over the weekend as the Bulldogs continue to pursue Smith – and UGA beat the Vols handily – but the word is that Smith is sticking with his Tennessee pledge.

The Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake standout loved watching a great game between two playoff contenders but he’s an early enrollee and he’s “locked” in with the Vols at this point.

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Georgia has offered the Mississippi State four-star quarterback commit but it sounds like the Macon (Miss.) Noxubee County is heavily leaning toward sticking with the Bulldogs. Part of the chatter is that Taylor wanted Georgia to offer his brother, Jaiden, and that hasn’t happened yet.

Mississippi State offered in recent days so it looks good for the Bulldogs with the in-state, long-time commit who likes coach Jeff Lebby a lot.

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Penn State has emerged as the front-runner in Watkins’ recruitment especially after he was in Happy Valley recently for the White Out win over Washington. The 2026 four-star tight end from Port Huron (Mich.) Northern had an “amazing experience” at Penn State and the Nittany Lions’ use of tight end Tyler Warren definitely stands out as well.

Miami, Minnesota, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Pitt also are in the hunt. Watkins will be at Ohio State for its big showdown against Indiana this weekend.

Penn State and Ohio State are making big plays for Weatherspoon but a recent visit to Notre Dame went really well and the Irish have definitely made up some ground on the Buckeyes, the perceived early leader.

The alumni tree at Notre Dame and his talk with multiple Hall of Famers definitely stood out along with the brotherhood of the entire program. If Notre Dame can keep up that momentum it could get interesting with the 2026 four-star cornerback from Avon, Ohio.