Recruiting Rumor Mill: Feedback Rolls In From Big Weekend

The final weekend of visits and camps to close out the summer was incredibly busy across the country. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has the latest in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.

The 2026 high three-star quarterback from Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County spent “pretty much the entire day” at Big Cat Weekend with position coach Kent Austin and that left a major impression in Bordeaux’s recruitment.

Auburn, Ole Miss, UCF and Illinois are standing out most to Bordeaux who loved the energy, excitement and “home feeling” he got on The Plains.

There will be a significant amount of Southeast pull for Caldwell whether it’s Florida State, Georgia, Miami or others but Notre Dame made a major impression on the 2026 four-star linebacker from Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles over the weekend.

The message that “no school can offer the best of both worlds” in athletics and academics is a major pitch for Caldwell, who loved being around coach Marcus Freeman and the rest of the staff.

LSU, USC, Texas A&M, Texas and Oregon are the five programs that intrigue the star 2027 receiver the most and the Tigers could have taken a step forward after his visit to Baton Rouge in recent days.

Feaster’s connection with position coach Cortez Hankton is definitely an important consideration in his recruitment and the two hit it off during this visit. The DeSoto, Texas, standout also spent time with offensive coordinator Joe Sloan as both he and Hankton loved that Feaster is already doing some of the things that LSU teaches its receivers.

Even at Auburn’s massive Big Cat Weekend, Gidron felt like a major priority as right when he got to campus, he was taken into a meeting with position coach Marcus Davis and director of football and recruiting relations Maurice Harris.

The Tigers have been super consistent with the 2026 four-star receiver from Columbia (S.C.) Ridge View and Gidron remains highly interested in them. His other top programs have been changed up a little bit as visits in the fall could provide more light into which ones he’s most serious about as well.

He wants to see LSU, Oregon, Penn State and Florida.

A final two of Georgia and NC State has emerged for the four-star athlete from Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass who almost definitely will play in the secondary.

The Wolfpack have emerged as a top contender and over the weekend Gilbert was in Athens where it was made clear to him they want him to “stay home and be able to play in the best defense in the country.”

A decision is set for Aug. 10.

Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas A&M are the four programs looking strongest for the big four-star tight end from Littleton (Colo.) Heritage and a weekend visit to Florida was definitely important.

Jensen loved the intensity of the practice and the coaching staff made it clear to Jensen he’s a big priority in Gainesville.

LSU has been the program to watch early on for the 2026 four-star receiver from Hattiesburg, Miss., and the Tigers will still battle it out but Florida State has “definitely risen on my list” after spending the weekend in Tallahassee. Keys loved the staff, the energy and the interactions he had at Florida State so the Seminoles should be watched closely in his recruitment.

King and his family were on a vacation in Gatlinburg and decided to head over to Knoxville for a visit. So when the 2026 four-star linebacker from Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial asked position coach William Inge if he could bring his cousins and it was a resounding yes, that meant the most to King since he’s looking for a team and family environment.

King’s school choices “have definitely changed a bit with this visit” as Texas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and others remain in the hunt as well.

LSU, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama and Arkansas have all emerged as leading contenders for Krempin but after the weekend at Michigan the Wolverines have “for sure moved up” on his list.

The 2026 four-star offensive tackle from Prosper, Texas, could definitely stay regionally but if Michigan can keep up this momentum – especially since he loved how much attention and time the staff gave him – then the Wolverines could be a real contender.

The same programs remain as the top contenders for Matthews with Florida State, Clemson, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech stand out most.

The 2026 four-star cornerback from Cornelius (N.C.) Hough was at Florida State over the weekend and loved his talks especially with coach Mike Norvell and position coach Patrick Surtain Sr.

Another visit to Ole Miss went great especially since Mills-Knight spent a lot of time with position coach Kevin Smith and analyst Enrique Davis and got coached up at the camp which was definitely important.

Tennessee, Auburn and others are involved with the four-star running back from Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School but the Rebels are “the team to beat right now.”

Michigan got the four-star receiver from Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon on campus this weekend and it was a major step for the Wolverines as the coaching staff told him there was no culture like at Michigan and Myles felt it was “very clear they were telling the truth.”

The Wolverines definitely want him to commit but they’re not rushing Myles, who plans to see Ohio State, LSU and Georgia before committing as Utah is also in it for the old Ole Miss commit.

Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Oregon are all going to be involved with the 2026 four-star running back from Forney, Texas, but there could be a new main contender as well. Michigan was a “shocker” to Osborne and he absolutely loved the talks he had with position coach Tony Alford especially since he respects the job he’s done developing running backs during his career.

Originally scheduled at Texas, Primus ended up back at Oklahoma as the Sooners remain the top team in his recruitment and that lead might only be getting extended since he’s now becoming more comfortable with everything around the program.

His relationship with position coach Bill Bedenbaugh has stayed really strong as the 2026 offensive guard from Midland, Texas, looks like a strong lean to the Sooners.

Oregon, Missouri, SMU, Notre Dame, Penn State and Kansas are some others to watch but the visit to Baylor this weekend definitely left a major impression especially since they see him as another version of Tavon Austin in offensive coordinator Jake Spavital’s offense.

The 2026 four-star receiver from Red Oak, Texas, also loved the family environment in Waco as it could be an interesting spot for him since they love his versatility so much.

A Syracuse commitment since late March, Florida is making a serious run at the four-star athlete from Palm Bay (Fla.) Heritage and the message over the weekend was that it’s in Samuel’s “bloodline to continue the legacy.”

Samuel is the cousin of former Gators defensive back Marcus Maye and that could play a big role in his final thinking as Florida is “definitely up there in my recruitment.”

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Oklahoma and Notre Dame are mainly battling it out now for the 2026 athlete from Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point although it’s still early in his recruitment.

Still, a great visit to Norman in the last few days left a major impression on Santana-Diaz as he spent a bunch of time with assistant coaches Todd Bates and Brandon Hall.

Texas, Oregon and Nebraska are the main contenders now for the four-star receiver from San Antonio (Texas) Alamo Heights and while the Longhorns could be very tough to beat here he’s giving the two others a shot.

A recent visit back to Austin was great as the coaching staff laid out exactly how they’d use him at different positions and then at Nebraska, he likes everything going on there and the direction of the program.

After all these visits, a decision is expected and then Terry will shut down his recruitment.

There has been a ton of chatter about the five-star offensive lineman from Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines flipping his commitment with LSU getting more looks than Florida but Thomas, who has been committed to Florida State since late December, was back in Tallahassee over the weekend.

According to a source, they’re “really confident” Thomas sticks with the Seminoles especially after spending time with the commits over the last few days.

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A top 10 is expected from the 2026 four-star defensive back from Brandon (Miss.) Hartfield Academy on Aug. 26 and after taking three visits over the weekend, Womack has realized narrowing down to one program is going to be super tough. After seeing LSU, Texas A&M and Texas this weekend, all three are expected to make his top group.

Ole Miss is going to be involved, Ohio State was the “dream school” and Nebraska has caught his attention as well.