Recruiting Rumor Mill: Plenty Of Buzz Over The Holiday Weekend

It was Easter weekend but that didn’t stop top programs from producing huge visit lists and tons of news. Here’s the latest in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.

Florida State could be tough to beat in the end for the four-star offensive tackle from Riverview (Fla.) Sumner but meeting probable first-round NFL Draft pick Olu Fashanu at Penn State recently moved the Nittany Lions up his list.

Addison saw comparisons between the two and the message from Fashanu was that he believes Addison could be in his position three or four years down the road. That makes Addison consider Penn State “stronger now” in his recruitment.

It’s early for the 2027 receiver as only four programs have offered so far but Ole Miss has set the bar really high for the Brentwood (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy standout. Bowman loved the offensive culture in Oxford, he loved how position coach George McDonald and analyst Patrick Carter run the group of receivers and he sees NFL-level development there. The Rebels are atop Bowman’s list early on.

How many players Michigan put in the NFL Draft is playing a big factor in Brice’s recruitment and it has the Wolverines high on the list for the athlete from Cartersville, Ga. The coaches, facilities and especially the player development is helping Michigan with Brice, who also likes Georgia, Auburn, Louisville and Oregon a lot.

At one time, Brooks moved from Georgia back to Iowa for his junior season, he committed to the Hawkeyes and it looked like his recruitment was over. But the massive four-star offensive tackle from Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kennedy backed off his pledge in November and now has Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, USC, Auburn and the Hawkeyes on his list.

He was back in Iowa City in recent days to see an Iowa practice so the lines of communication are still there.

Kansas State might be way ahead of others and Cure is coming off big visits to Texas and Texas A&M recently but his weekend trip to Kansas went really well. The four-star tight end from Goodland, Kan., had an “amazing” time in Lawrence, “loved every bit of it” and the KU coaches made it clear Cure is their top target for the 2025 class.

“They definitely made it feel like that,” Cure said.

Despite making his commitment to USC just days ago, the high three-star defensive end from Austin (Texas) Lake Travis was back on the road to Florida over the weekend and had a great time. Enough to flip him? Probably not yet.

But Cordova was surrounded by three coaches for most of the day and he loved the facilities. If Florida gets an official visit, the Gators could be more in it as Cordova has visits to Texas A&M and Oklahoma in early April.

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Back-to-back weekend visits to Texas A&M have definitely made things more interesting in Fasusi’s recruitment as the five-star also has Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and others high in his recruitment. The Lewisville, Texas standout’s No. 1 thing in recruiting is development at his next stop and he believes the Aggies could provide it.

Before he gets locked in with his next moves, the five-star will be at Georgia on Monday and Tuesday.

The 2026 four-star defensive end from Gainesville, Ga., was “anxious” about his recent Alabama visit because he didn’t know what it would be like in the transition from coach Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer but Griffin loved his time in Tuscaloosa.

Some of the old stayed and DeBoer brought his own style and it resonated with Griffin, who has the Crimson Tide, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, USC and Florida State highest.

The chatter is that Texas is the clear favorite for the four-star receiver from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and while Harris is taking visits across the country, his list could actually be getting smaller. The Longhorns look best with Oregon, Alabama and Tennessee high on the list while Georgia and Penn State could be fading a little bit.

Michigan could be making a serious move for Jackson while also balancing the new recruitment of five-star running back Jordon Davison, who visited Ann Arbor in recent days. Jackson has reignited his interest in the Wolverines after meeting coach Sherrone Moore for the first time and now with position coach Tony Alford on staff, Michigan becomes a real contender.

Jackson is still sitting with his top 12 but Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are some real favorites for the Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela-St. Joseph standout.

Texas Tech, Houston, New Mexico, Texas State and UTEP all stand out to Martin but if Texas A&M were to offer then it might be tough to beat the Aggies for the high three-star running back from Bryan (Texas) Rudder.

During a recent visit to College Station, Martin loved everything about the new coaching staff and that coach Mike Elko “still has the Aggie hospitality” but they have not offered yet. Martin is planning another trip back soon for another practice.

Mississippi State continues to be a front-runner for the 2026 four-star defensive end after a visit Saturday where the coaching staff is “coming real hard right now and I love it.” The Bulldogs and LSU have been showing McCoy the most attention and those programs have his attention now. But the team in Starkville could have the edge because its message that he’s not only wanted there but needed there is standing out a lot to the Tupelo, Miss., recruit.

Ohio State, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Miami, Penn State and Maryland are the real contenders for the four-star offensive guard from Upper Marlboro (Md.) Riverdale Baptist.

While the Nittany Lions may have the slight edge, a recent visit to Miami definitely impressed him. Position coach Alex Mirabal’s position for teaching and developing his linemen blew McFadden away and it could keep Miami very high in his recruitment.

Programs are trying to flip the four-star LSU commit from Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab but it’s going to be very difficult to flip him from the Tigers even though Texas A&M took its best shot over the weekend.

The message from the A&M coaches was that coach Mike Elko is a defensive-minded coach and coach Brian Kelly is more focused on offense so that should be considered in his recruitment. Position coach Jay Bateman was also close with Moses all day and the Aggies even offered Moses’ brother, Emmanuel, but it still feels like a long shot that the four-star linebacker flips as of now.

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Ohio State was one of McWhorter’s top programs growing up and during a recent visit the Buckeyes became his latest offer so they’ve dramatically moved up in his recruitment. The 2026 four-star quarterback from Kingston (Ga.) Cass was “shocked and grateful” by the offer as he hit it off with coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly while in Columbus.

Ohio State joins the top list but West Virginia, Florida, Clemson and Auburn are up there as well.

If Texas can make a real run at the 2026 four-star running back from Forney, Texas, it will be because of how position coach Tashard Choice interacts with the running backs in his room. During a visit on Friday, Osborne saw Choice laughing and joking with his players but when it was business time they paid attention and learned.

That atmosphere definitely left a major impression on Osborne, who could have Oklahoma at the top now with Louisville, Oregon, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Michigan, Alabama and others involved.

Ohio State was always a top program for Scott even before the Buckeyes offered and now that the offer has come through they shoot even higher, especially after he saw the intensity and focus of practice. He was impressed how everybody has bought into the program and is “hungry to win it all.”

Tennessee and Ohio State are standing out most now in Scott’s recruitment and the 2026 four-star from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei visits Texas A&M on Monday.

The 2026 No. 1 player spent the weekend at Miami and loved the trip, especially as coach Mario Cristobal and his staff broke down how they’d use Stewart across the defensive line. Stewart really loved that Miami is a leader in his major of marketing and the connection he has with defensive coordinator Lance Guidry since he has a tremendous background in the state of Louisiana.

The rumor has been that Texas, LSU, USC and Oregon stand out most to the New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine standout with a bunch of offers coming up. He will be at Auburn this week followed by Ohio State, USC and Oregon as Stewart is still not rushing any decision.