Midwest Rumor Mill: Latest buzz after prospects return from key visits

National Signing Day is just nine days away and Rivals national analyst Greg Smith has all the latest buzz from the Midwest.

The 2027 offensive tackle is closing in on double-digit scholarship offers early on in his recruitment. The Ohio native is really liking the love that the Louisville staff is showing him through the recruitment. The overall performance the team put out on the field also really stood out to Aleu.

Blade took a swing through Michigan over the weekend. The big-time 2026 defensive lineman out of Illinois was at Michigan State’s game on Friday to check out the Spartans in person.

But he was in Ann Arbor on Saturday and with the good buzz around Michigan right now he wanted to check things out. The word around his recruitment is that “Michigan is up there” following that visit.

The culture and the people at Nebraska really stood out to Dunnigan this weekend. He was impressed by the coaching adjustments that were made during the game. Dunnigan had great interaction with the other recruits and commits that were in town.

He came away from the weekend feeling like a real priority for the Nebraska staff.

The rising defensive end from Kansas has really seen his relationship with Nebraska grow throughout the season. Being in Lincoln for the win over Wisconsin showed him how prepared the program could be to take the next step.

Higgins loved the confidence that the Huskers’ defense played with and he can see himself being part of it one day.

The No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 class was back at Michigan this weekend. The atmosphere really stood out to Hill, who is also being recruited hard by Ohio State, Oregon and others.

Hill was excited to be back in Ann Arbor with all the momentum the program has right now on the trail. Sources say that Hill believes the Wolverines are building something special right now.

The Cleveland native was back at Ohio State for the big win over Indiana. Johnson had an amazing visit getting to see the newly aggressive defense. Ohio State dominating week in and week out has made a big impact on him. The Buckeyes are the clear leader for his eventual commitment.

The newly minted five-star pulled a surprise move when he popped up at Texas this week. The Auburn commit got a chance to see what the Longhorns have to offer. It’s going to take a lot to close the gap between Auburn and everyone else but sources tell Rivals that Texas has a chance to pull the flip coming out of the weekend.

Riley made his much anticipated trip to Clemson over the weekend. The family feel at Clemson and the culture of the program really stood out to him.

He was able to spend a lot of time with coach Dabo Swinney and offensive line coach Matt Luke. Moving forward, Clemson will be a major factor in his recruitment. He’s got a top group.

Ohio State, Missouri and others are pushing hard for him too.

Singleton was one of two elite 2026 Ohio defensive backs in Ann Arbor this weekend along with Elbert Hill. The way Michigan came to play and handled business against Northwestern really stood out to Singleton.

Taylor is an elite quarterback prospect in the 2027 class from Illinois. There are programs from coast to coast trying to land him. But he was at Nebraska over the weekend and saw the team clinch bowl eligibility.

The new-look offense under offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen really stands out to Taylor. Even though he released a top 12 recently, sources say that the Huskers are in the top tier of his choices after another good visit.