Midwest Rumor Mill: Top prospects return from visits

July is coming to a close and a host of top 2025 and 2026 prospects are fresh off the last major round of college visits until the season. Rivals national analyst Greg Smith has all the latest buzz from the Midwest.

MORE: Midwest’s toughest rankings questions | Recruiting Rumor Mill | Do Nebraska and Tennessee have a legit shot at five-star David Sanders? | NFL Top 100 players as high school recruits

*****

CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker

*****

The Aurora (Ind.) South Dearborn standout picked up his first Power Four offer over the weekend when Louisville offered him. Now that the Cardinals have offered he’s looking forward to building on his relationship with linebackers coach Mark Ivey even more.

*****

The 2026 four-star defensive end from Missouri camped at Oklahoma over the weekend to see what the Sooners have to offer. He was impressed by the coaches’ level of involvement during drills and enjoyed getting coached by Todd Bates.

Davis will be back in Norman for a game this fall.

*****

The Indianapolis native has continued to hear from Notre Dame, Michigan and Oklahoma and was recently at Tennessee. It stood out to him how well coach Josh Heupel laid out his vision for where the program is heading.

Finch plans to return to Rocky Top for a visit this fall.

*****

Harris, one of the best linebackers in the 2026 Rivals250, was at Nebraska this weekend. The four-star prospect was blown away by the Huskers’ facilities and enjoyed being around the program’s coaching staff. Harris was also intrigued by how Nebraska would use him in its defensive scheme.

*****

Johnson was at Notre Dame this weekend for its big recruiting event and it’s safe to say that the Fighting Irish are standing out in his recruitment. The four-star prospect plans to attend a game in South Bend this fall.

*****

Patrick, who is close to releasing his top 10, took a trip to Ann Arbor to check out Michigan and camp with the team. The four-star prospect really enjoyed the drill work and was able to get some one-on-one time with Sherrone Moore.

*****

Smith has been picking up offers at a nice clip recently, including one from Michigan State during a recent visit to East Lansing. What stood out the most to the two-star prospect was the coaches’ contagious energy and the engagement level of Spartan fans.

*****

The Illinois four-star tight end has seen his recruitment continue to take off as the season approaches. He took a trip down to Oxford as the dead period opened up and got to visit with Lane Kiffin about what his role would be in the Ole Miss offense. It also turns out that Sutter’s dad knew Kiffin’s dad, so they bonded over that.

The Rebels will be a fixture in his recruitment moving forward.

*****

Vitti is one of the highest-ranked prospects in the Midwest for the 2026 cycle. The Michigan native took his third trip to Wisconsin this weekend and it went very well. The four-star prospect had already seen a lot of what the Badgers have to offer, but what stood out the most from this trip was the coaches giving him the option of playing offense or defense.

Vitti will definitely be taking an official visit to Wisconsin, potentially the Alabama game or a later night game.

*****

Washington has been a rising prospect to watch in the Midwest. He was in Madison over the weekend to visit Wisconsin and the Badgers have emerged in a big way in his recruitment. He was especially impressed by the program’s efficiency and strength and conditioning program. Washington also enjoyed participating in a scavenger hunt that helped him learn more about Madison and the university campus.