With visits and spring games all across the country, it was another busy weekend on the recruiting trail and Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has you covered in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill:
Miami, Pitt and Louisville will be three programs to watch, especially the Hurricanes since Adirika is from South Florida but Penn State could now be the team to beat. The Miami (Fla.) Central four-star defensive end was in Happy Valley over the weekend and he loved how involved the fans were in the spring game and how the coaches talked about developing him as a player and a person. The Nittany Lions “definitely stand out” now in his recruitment.
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A long list remains for the 2026 four-star safety from Boca Raton (Fla.) West Boca Raton but after a recent visit to Florida, the Gators are making a push up the list. Broadnax loved how the Florida coaches put a strong emphasis on the minor details to push the players to get even better and then he really felt a personal touch from the staff during his time in Gainesville. It’s early though as Louisville, Syracuse, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, USF and Tennessee remain in the mix.
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The 2026 two-way, four-star lineman from Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab was back at LSU this weekend for another visit as he continues to grow more and more comfortable with the coaching staff down the road. The Tigers are always going to be a main contender in Brown’s recruitment but if he doesn’t end up staying home, the word is that Georgia is “still big” in his recruitment.
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The atmosphere at Ohio State’s spring game was really impressive to the 2026 high three-star offensive lineman from Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius as the Buckeyes continue to be one of his top programs but there are other serious contenders. Conroy is at Michigan on Monday, Oregon is “obviously” a top team along with Oklahoma. A visit to Texas A&M is planned for next weekend.
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The 2026 four-star quarterback from Orlando (Fla.) Jones has nearly 20 offers as his recruitment has taken off in recent months but the word is that his weekend visit to Oklahoma blew him away. The Sooners impressed him in numerous ways and now Oklahoma could have the edge moving forward in his recruitment.
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One of the top 2026 defensive ends nationally, Elee made the short trip from Joppa (Md.) Joppatowne down to Maryland in recent days and he had a good time there and loved the way the Terrapins practiced. But Maryland could have some major room to make up with the four-star edge rusher as Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama have caught his attention early on.
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A new offer from Georgia is “huge” for the four-star defensive end from Huntsville (Ala.) Jemison and he loved seeing the defense flying around during the spring game. If the Bulldogs continue to heavily pursue him then that could be something to watch but Auburn, LSU, Clemson, Florida State, Tennessee and Miami have also impressed him.
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The 2026 four-star defensive end from Gainesville, Ga., loved to see the big crowd for Auburn’s spring game last weekend and loved seeing the support on The Plains. Position coach Josh Aldridge is pushing for another visit from Griffin to keep building that relationship as the word is Griffin’s family is split between Alabama and Auburn fans so those two programs have been standing out. Georgia and others are in the mix as well.
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Texas is making a more serious run at the 2026 four-star linebacker from Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial especially after he visited this weekend and landed an offer. If the Longhorns can get King away from Texas A&M and others it’s because of his growing relationship with coach Steve Sarkisian but especially position coach Johnny Nansen. All three had some great talks over the weekend so Texas is definitely a team to watch now in his recruitment.
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Madsen took an unofficial visit to UCLA in recent days and had a great time in Westwood so the three-star athlete from Clovis (Calif.) Clovis North booked an official for May. More teams are seeing Madsen in person and getting involved in his recruitment but the word is that the Bruins are “definitely” the leader at this point.
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The message from Florida’s coaching staff is that he’s a priority in the 2026 class and that they’re going to continue to recruit him hard as the Gators try to land the in-state running back. The four-star from Boca Raton (Fla.) West Boca Raton loved how detail-oriented the staff was in meetings and on the field and that could push Florida higher up the list. Mallory’s top list has changed up with Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, Ohio State, Tennessee, Louisville, Syracuse, Miami, UCF and Wisconsin leading the way now.
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The plan was for the four-star receiver from Katy (Texas) Jordan to visit Ohio State again this past weekend but there was a scheduling conflict because his sister was running track in Dayton so he couldn’t make it. The Buckeyes are definitely of high interest with Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, USC and Colorado. Washington and Penn State are under watch as well.
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The four-star receiver from Miami (Fla.) Central had a great time at Alabama and what stood out is that the Crimson Tide “expect nothing but greatness day-in and day-out.” Montgomery was told during the trip that if he wants to be one of the greatest then come to Alabama. Penn State, Florida and Miami are the other standouts right now.
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A visit to Kansas State went really well for the three-star linebacker from Arvada (Colo.) Arvada West and he felt the coaching staff definitely had a lot of interest in him. Pyatt loved the sports science and recovery resources in Manhattan as the Wildcats, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Notre Dame stand out most.
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Walton had a major sophomore season at Carrollton (Ga.) Central with 1,683 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns and so he’s already on a lot of radars including Georgia especially after a recent visit where he loved how physical the team was during spring practice. The Bulldogs are definitely a team to watch early with Alabama, Tennessee, Florida State and Notre Dame.
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Wisconsin has always been a team that has stood out to Washington and he “loves it there” so the Badgers after a recent visit are going to stay very high on his list. The three-star athlete from Chicago (Ill.) Morgan Park is also high on Notre Dame, Michigan State, Cincinnati and Kansas now.
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A top five released earlier this month remains but now Waters has two more major offers to consider in his recruitment. USC, Texas, Florida State, Notre Dame and Florida made the cut for the 2026 four-star cornerback from Seffner (Fla.) Armwood and then LSU offered days later. Alabama is now in the mix as well and the word is Waters is “ready to get up there” to Tuscaloosa for a visit.
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Ole Miss is going to be a major program to watch for West after the Rebels offered in recent days but LSU is definitely one as well since that was a school he wanted to go to ever since he was a kid. The Flowood (Miss.) Hartfield Academy athlete is taking his time and not naming favorites especially since offers are quickly coming in now but LSU and Ole Miss might be the two to watch.
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The 2026 four-star safety from Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend Marshall is planning to drop a top list soon but there are definitely some major standouts who could be tough to beat as Williams takes a more focused approach to his recruitment. Ohio State, Michigan State, Texas and Oklahoma are leading the way at this point.
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Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
