Southeast Rumor Mill: Latest recruiting buzz from the region

Offers and visits are going down at an alarming rate and it could create change atop the lists for some of the best in the South in the class of 2025 and beyond. We’ll catch up on big trips, list cutdowns and potential favorites emerging in the region, breaking it down prospect-by-prospect in the latest rumor mill.

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When the elite wide receiver decommitted from Alabama following Nick Saban’s retirement, Florida State was already set to host him that coming weekend. The Seminoles, per Ffrench, finished second in his recruitment when he initially picked the Crimson Tide, so it looked like something that could materialize quickly.

Ohio State and Miami are the other top contenders right now but Ffrench says he will take his time with the process and has no plans for another early pledge. If FSU is the favorite, it will have to stay in the hunt for the long haul.

The Alabama native with some of the most gaudy numbers around appears to be relatively wide open with the recruiting process itself, but three programs are becoming constants in the pursuit of the 3,500-yard back. Of course the in-state rivals Alabama and Auburn, each with coaching changes in their pitch to Henderson, are at the forefront. Georgia, one of the few programs with the track record to go in and win a battle in the Yellowhammer State, also figures to hang around aplenty.

Fittingly, Kirby Smart and Dell McGee were at Elba High School to meet with him on Wednesday. Alabama was, too.

Outside of the SEC trio, Miami hosted him last weekend and Florida State is also trying to stay in the thick of it.

The one-time USC commitment is plenty coveted closer to home in SEC and ACC country. Auburn has held some buzz for some time under Hugh Freeze’s tenure and it figures to remain a player despite coaching changes in the secondary. Georgia may benefit most from all the turnover at Auburn and certainly Alabama, but at the same time we here another commitment won’t come in a rush.

In the meantime, Oregon is a program outside of the regional footprint worth keeping an eye on, especially as we get closer to official visit season.

Feb. 18 is the set commitment date for the Peach State offensive lineman and there’s no doubt that Florida holds strong momentum as January turns into February. LSU and Florida State are two other programs to have captured some of the conversation but the in-state programs, technically not in his top group, aren’t going away quietly.

Kirby Smart and UGA visited Joseph at school in the last week and he spent the weekend in Atlanta at Georgia Tech, so maybe we shouldn’t read as much into that top group after all?

An early commitment to Ohio State, Boggs has been another riser following a dominant 2023 campaign. The Buckeye pledge remains strong with the program, though it hasn’t slowed others from contesting the decision.

Miami has been active among those working to change his mind, extending a scholarship offer his way just after his unofficial visit to Coral Gables last weekend.

Florida, UCF, Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M are also among those providing chase.

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The Miami Hurricanes offered and prioritized the state champion last offseason and that decision continues to pay off. Nickel remains a firm Miami commitment and spent time back on campus last weekend in between helping Cam Newton’s team win the national Battle 7-on-7 event in the area.

Other programs are trying to check in on how firm Nickel is with the U, including in-state power Georgia, but all signs point to the blue-chipper continuing to help the Canes build on strong recruiting classes under Mario Cristobal.

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The big defender is plenty familiar with the in-state options on the table. He’s growing up close to Gainesville, just visited Miami last weekend and has familiarity at both Florida State and UCF among the Power Four programs in the Sunshine State. Carter admitted the trip to The U provided more time with Hall-of-Famer Jayson Taylor, including a film session, so the program isn’t to be discounted in the race.

The four-star will return to Florida on Friday and see Florida State on Saturday, so each in-state contender will have a fresh trip under its belt before the first weekend in February comes to a close.

Miami made a move for the Panhandle prospect during he and his family’s trip to Coral Gables over the weekend. The combination of Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal tutoring the two-way talent, who is leaning towards the offensive line at this point in the process, could become too much to pass up.

Return trips to town are already being discussed. Otherwise Florida State, West Virginia, Maryland and Georgia Tech are among those in the thick of this one.

The breakout wide receiver will head to Mississippi State this weekend for his first impression of the new regime in Starkville. Arkansas and Syracuse are also high on his list early on, but each could potentially be looking up to Florida State if the Seminoles eventually come calling.

Jenkins is all but expecting it at some point, but after a 16-touchdown 2023, more opportunities are expected to continue to come in. Arkansas will get an unofficial visit following the Bulldogs.

A massive two-way talent, it looks like defense will be the collegiate position of choice for the Miami native. Telemaque has more than 30 scholarship offers but he has the type of frame college coaches can’t pass up, so he continues to hear from new options this time of year.

Telemaque says Georgia, Georgia Tech and Colorado are campaigning for trips – and he has never been to either campus at this point.

One of the most well traveled young recruits, Grubbs has also been adding scholarship offers along the way. One trip of late worth tracking, especially as he returns, is what goes down in Gainesville. The Florida Gators were Grubbs’ childhood program so the recent scholarship offer will help the program stay in the race for some time.

The Rivals250 recruit will soon drop his list of top programs and no matter how big a cut it could be early on, expect the UF logo in there when it goes down. Miami was last to get the strong-armed sophomore on campus.

The breakout QB recruit led Cocoa to a state championship in his first season as a starter and his recruitment has picked up accordingly. More than a dozen programs have jumped in with scholarship offers, including Ole Miss most recently. North Carolina hosted Hart for a visit two weekends ago and other trips are to be planned.

Two places the big gunslinger wants to get back to are Notre Dame and LSU.