Recruiting Rumor Mill: Visits On Deck For Top Prospects

It was another busy weekend of news and so it’s time for another Recruiting Rumor Mill as Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney shares what he heard over the weekend.

This recruitment might be closer than expected with Michigan, Georgia and Alabama as serious contenders but the feeling is that Penn State still leads for the Doylestown (Pa.) Central Bucks East four-star offensive lineman and Nittany Lions legacy. Penn State could have pushed ahead a little further after a visit last week from the coaching staff where they also offered his brother, Liam.

A new offer from LSU is definitely big for the three-star athlete from Seffner (Fla.) Armwood but there are other serious contenders in his recruitment. Iowa State, Florida and Arkansas have had a longer relationship with Dean although if the Tigers keep up the momentum he’s definitely interested because he sees Baton Rouge as a route to the NFL.

Things are “heating up” again in Howard’s recruitment and it’s giving him a little bit of pause to make a commitment but Florida remains the program to beat since he loves how the coaching staff is recruiting him and playing with five-star QB DJ Lagway is a serious consideration. But Florida State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Missouri and Texas A&M (in that order) continue to push.

Texas A&M, Texas and USC are the three programs catching the eye of Johnson but the word is that the Longhorns lead the Trojans and the Aggies are trying to stay very high in this recruitment. The four-star receiver from Hitchcock, Texas has visits planned to Arkansas, Texas Tech, Texas and USC and is working on scheduling one to College Station but the Longhorns have the edge at this point.

Depending on who you talk to, there is one camp who is growing in confidence that the four-star quarterback from Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin is serious about a flip to Florida – and that it will eventually happen. Some believe Jones sticks with Florida State (especially if he thinks DJ Lagway is the future in Gainesville) but his friendship with Vernell Brown is something to watch here.

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After a two-month commitment to Florida didn’t work out and Joseph backed off the Gators in mid-April, Florida State has emerged as the main contender in his recruitment. LSU and Memphis are also very involved and Memphis could be a real contender because the four-star offensive guard is a teammate of four-star QB Antwann Hill at Warner Robins (Ga.) Houston County and Hill recently loved his visit there.

UCF, Wisconsin, Oregon, USC, Missouri and Kansas are the front-runners for the four-star defensive tackle from Overland Park (Kan.) St. Thomas Aquinas and while some think the Jayhawks are way out in front, others are not so sure. Marks was committed to Missouri for less than a month during the fall so there could be some unpredictability to his pledge.

Clemson, Ole Miss, LSU and Mississippi State are going to get visits from Nash in June and the talk is that the Bulldogs have the edge for the four-star offensive tackle from De Kalb (Miss.) Kemper County. That could be the case but Florida State is expected to get a visit during the season and then Texas A&M offered late last week and Nash is highly interested and hopeful the relationship keeps building in the coming weeks.

LSU and Arkansas are the two programs standing out most for the four-star defensive tackle from Hattiesburg, Miss., but visits to Arkansas, USC and Mississippi State are coming up and there has been talk for a long time that the Bulldogs could be the front-runner. The Tigers and the Razorbacks have a great shot now but let’s see where things stand after he gets to Starkville.

Three big visits are coming up in June and those could determine where the four-star receiver from Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor ends up. The tour will start at Virginia Tech, then head to North Carolina and then finally he will see NC State before the end of the month. The Wolfpack could have an edge here especially after they’ve recruited so well at the receiver spots lately.

After landing an offer from Georgia in recent days, the Bulldogs have emerged as one of the front-runners for Pouncey along with Syracuse, UCF and Florida State so far. But things got more interesting on Friday when Miami offered the 2026 four-star safety from Winter Park, Fla. With a focus on in-state programs, the Hurricanes could definitely emerge here.

Since moving to Texas and now getting to know the new coaching staff in College Station, there is a lot of chatter around Texas A&M when it comes to Reyes’ recruitment but for June, the four-star safety from DeSoto, Texas has only two visits planned so far. Reyes will be at Miami from June 14-16 and then SMU on June 17 but the word is that those programs are not his top two.

Notre Dame was considered the early leader but the Irish are no longer being seriously considered for the four-star defensive end from Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central. Tennessee, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Michigan are the five Shanklin is most serious about in his recruitment now.

Georgia remains the team to beat in Smith’s recruitment as the Bulldogs have been the favorite for a long time but South Carolina, Miami, Georgia Tech and Florida State “still look good” for the Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview four-star offensive tackle.

There is a cluster of programs at the top for Watts as Michigan, Clemson and Penn State have all been prominently mentioned for the four-star offensive tackle from Brookline (Mass.) Dexter but those aren’t the only teams involved. Georgia, Duke, Boston College and Wisconsin are all seriously involved as well.

Mississippi State is going to play a big role in Womack’s recruitment with Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Louisville and others as well but a new Texas A&M offer for the 2026 four-star safety from Brandon (Miss.) Hartfield Academy. Womack loves the atmosphere and facilities for the Aggies and getting down to College Station is a big focus now moving forward.

Nearing 40 offers, it could be Wyman’s latest that is the biggest. Georgia has now offered the 2026 four-star safety from Jonesboro, Ga., and the word is it’s a “game-changer” in his recruitment. The location and environment stand out and then Wyman has already hit it off with coach Kirby Smart and position coaches Donte Williams and Travaris Robinson so the Bulldogs should be considered the front-runner now.