Recruiting Rumor Mill: News Flowing Fast Despite Break In Calendar

It was not a busy weekend for visits around the country but there was still a ton of recruiting news and Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has you covered in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill:

Miami, Louisville, Pitt and others are still coming after the four-star defensive end from Miami (Fla.) Central but Penn State has been the leader for some time and the Nittany Lions are still “definitely standing out” in Adirika’s recruitment. A commitment could coming sometime in the spring and right now it looks like Penn State is far-and-away the leader.

The high three-star running back has been committed to Penn State for more than a year but he’s also moved around a lot from Arkansas to Texas and then a brief stop at Miami (Fla.) Central before now returning to Beebe, Ark., for his senior season. The Nittany Lions still have his commitment even as four-star running backs Alvin Henderson and Tiqwai Hayes have pledged to the Nittany Lions. Arkansas, USC and Duke have been trying hard to flip Barker, who’s originally from Southern California, and Colorado offered over the weekend.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH PURDUE FANS AT BOILERUPLOAD.COM

After a commitment to LSU didn’t work out and Bell backed off that pledge in February, four programs have emerged for the four-star cornerback from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson. Indiana, Penn State, Boston College and South Florida are looking best now for Bell, who remains open to other programs as well.

The four-star receiver from Cocoa, Fla., backed off his pledge to Ohio State in March and since then Missouri, Georgia, Notre Dame, UCF and Texas have emerged as the five to watch for Boggs. The Rivals250 standout had 93 catches for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.

After recently backing off his Baylor pledge, the three-star offensive guard from Gadsden (Ala.) Southside has seen Vanderbilt, Duke and Georgia Tech emerge as the main contenders in his recruitment. But the word is that Auburn and Mississippi State have been reaching out and are now showing more interest as well.

There has been some chatter around Michigan and the Wolverines could still be one to watch but Penn State, Kentucky, Purdue and Syracuse are the four programs recruiting the Columbus (Ohio) Franklin four-star cornerback the hardest at this point.

The 2026 three-star defensive end from Pensacola (Fla.) Pensacola Catholic has seen his recruitment take off in recent weeks with LSU being the latest offer. The Tigers join Georgia, Florida State, Wisconsin, Auburn, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt as the schools Henderson is closest with now in his recruitment.

Florida and Memphis are the two main contenders in Hill’s recruitment but the four-star quarterback from Warner Robins (Ga.) Houston County does remain open to other programs and hasn’t shut it down to just those two teams. The Gators are still looking for a top QB in this class after others committed elsewhere and Hill’s recent visit to Memphis really blew him away so the Tigers are a serious contender.

Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State are going to get official visits from the four-star running back from Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela St. Joseph and the feeling is that the Buckeyes have the edge in his recruitment. There could be a delicate balance struck here by the Ohio State staff since five-star Jordon Davison is the top priority but the word is the Buckeyes will take commitments from both and won’t hold off taking either.

North Carolina, Penn State, Miami, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas A&M are definitely some top teams to watch but the word is that LSU has emerged as a very serious contender in Konanbanny’s recruitment. The Tigers are coming the hardest after the four-star safety from Columbia (S.C.) Heathwood Hall Episcopal and Konanbanny is definitely taking LSU under serious consideration now.

Offensive line remains a focus for coach Deion Sanders as he and his staff try to build the Colorado program back to prominence and that was the message to McFadden during his recent trip to Boulder. The Upper Marlboro (Md.) Riverdale Baptist four-star OL believes what Sanders is doing there is “second to none” and it’s why the Buffaloes have joined the top group with Ohio State, South Carolina, Miami and Maryland.

Ole Miss, Tennessee, Kentucky and Michigan are the four teams to watch in Miller’s recruitment right now and then more will be learned about Illinois as well after he visits there later in June. The Rebels will get the first visit in June from the four-star receiver from St. Louis (Mo.) Cardinal Ritter and that passing offense could intrigue him but the Wildcats and the Illini will also get visits in June.

Tennessee has been mentioned a lot with the four-star cornerback from Rockvale, Tenn., but the word is Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Purdue are recruiting him the hardest and an official visit to the Vols isn’t planned yet. Morgan will be at Florida in late May and then in Oxford, Starkville and West Lafayette by the end of June.

There have been some rumors that Mississippi State is the leader for the four-star offensive tackle from De Kalb (Miss.) Kemper County but Florida State, LSU and Ole Miss are still very much in this and now Clemson is as well. A recent offer from the Tigers “means everything” to Nash because he had a phenomenal visit there recently and has a fantastic relationship with position coach Matt Luke.

Ole Miss, West Virginia, Kentucky, Clemson and Penn State are the five programs to watch for Reed and visits could be really important coming up. Some think the Rebels and the Nittany Lions could have the edge for the four-star receiver from Coconut Creek (Fla.) Monarch who had 56 catches for 1,311 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

USC, Missouri, Penn State, Ole Miss and Nebraska are the main contenders for the four-star receiver from St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers but the Tigers could hold the edge here – and his official visit schedule is interesting. Simms will see Penn State in late May and then be at USC and Nebraska in June before closing out his schedule at Missouri. That visit back to Columbia could be huge.

Oregon has moved way up on Tafua’s list especially after a recent visit to Eugene where he got to see the tight ends in action and had an opportunity to talk with coach Dan Lanning and position coach Drew Mehringer among others about how he’d be used in the offense. The 2026 three-star tight end from Lakewood, Calif., has had some uncles play for the Ducks more than a decade ago but it could be a selling point moving forward. SEC programs Auburn and Texas A&M among others are involved but Oregon will be one to watch here.

“Oregon definitely worked its way up there,” Tafua said.

Auburn has been considered the front-runner for a long time for Winters, who was excellent at the recent Rivals Camp Series in Atlanta, but Georgia and Tennessee are charging up his list and are now considered serious contenders as well. The Tigers still look strong for the Enterprise, Ala., four-star standout who might fit best at safety but other SEC programs are making a real push.