Recruiting Rumor Mill: Loaded weekend brings new buzz

It was another loaded weekend of news and rumors so there’s no better time for a Recruiting Rumor Mill. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

The high three-star running back from Bryant, Ark., had been rumored to be backing off his Notre Dame pledge for a while and it finally happened Thursday.

Now there are two programs to particularly watch in his recruitment – Washington and Arizona – and there is some hope that Tennessee could be next in line to get more involved in his recruitment.

Baker has been committed to North Carolina since June 2023 and that probably won’t change if coach Mack Brown stays in Chapel Hill and while the family loves the school regardless, things might get interesting if Brown chooses to retire (which was the rumor after the James Madison loss).

Notre Dame is looking for a QB after Deuce Knight flipped and Baker could definitely be a target. Things might only get interesting if Brown steps aside for the Tar Heels.

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After a commitment to Penn State that lasted more than a year, Barker backed off his pledge in mid-August and since that time other teams have jumped into the fold.

South Carolina, Colorado, Houston, UCLA and USC have made the biggest push for the Newport, Ark., high three-star running back who is originally from Southern California and still has family in the area.

The 2026 four-star cornerback from Carrollton, Ga., committed to Alabama in May but Ohio State has made it clear to Barney that they’re not going to stop recruiting him “no matter what.”

Barney visited Ohio State over the weekend for its big win over Iowa and the “visit was really worth it” as the word is the Buckeyes will stay at the top of his list despite his pledge.

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There has been a lot of chatter around Notre Dame when it comes to Blade’s recruitment but the Irish aren’t the only ones heavily involved right now.

Nebraska, USC, Stanford, Michigan and Miami are the other ones to watch for the 2026 four-star defensive end from Chicago (Ill.) Simeon.

Missouri and Oregon are the other main standouts in Cantwell’s recruitment with Nebraska definitely hanging around as the 2026 five-star offensive tackle was at Georgia over the weekend as he keeps building his relationship with those coaches as well.

Development for the NFL is definitely a big factor in Cantwell’s recruitment and the message from the UGA coaches was that if he continues to work he could “see the field very quickly” in Athens.

Auburn has been trying to flip Carter for months but now with four-star quarterback Deuce Knight committed, the two have already talked and the pitch has been that they’ve been talking about playing together for years.

The four-star safety from Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman has been committed to Kentucky since May but the Tigers have a big connection committed now who will not stop working on Carter, who is taking it “day-by-day.”

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Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford, Tennessee, USC and many others have offered the 2026 three-star defensive end whose brother is already committed to Washington and that could play a big role in Colman-Brusa’s recruitment.

The Burien (Wash.) Kennedy standout loves visiting with the Huskies and has a strong relationship with position coach Jason Kaufusi plus playing with his brother is “closest to his heart” but no decisions have been made yet since so many top programs have offered.

Mississippi State is down the road and then a host of other SEC programs are trying to flip the high four-star receiver from Alabama but after his visit back to Tuscaloosa for the Georgia game it sounds very, very unlikely he’s going anywhere else.

The Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County standout raved about the environment, the love from the fans, how the coaches talked about using him and what he sees from the future of the program. More than ever, maybe, Cunningham is locked into his Alabama pledge.

Clemson, Cincinnati, Florida State, Missouri and Michigan is the lead group for Forkpa, who was in Tallahassee over the weekend and then has some other visits scheduled.

The 2026 four-star linebacker from Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek will be at Clemson in early November along with a stop at Georgia Tech and he’s still trying to get to Tennessee for its matchup against Alabama in mid-October.

Oklahoma State and Wisconsin have been showing Goodwin the most attention and he even gets farm videos from Cowboys coach Mike Gundy as that’s a big personal touch for the 2026 three-star offensive tackle from Little Rock (Ark.) Pulaski Academy.

Goodwin also wants to get to Notre Dame for a game but the Irish haven’t offered yet so he might not travel there if he couldn’t have the opportunity to commit.

The 2026 four-star USC defensive end commit was at Alabama for its big win over Georgia and the message from the Crimson Tide coaching staff was that they’re not stop recruiting him and that “I’m their guy.”

The Gainesville, Ga., standout remains 100 percent committed to the Trojans but Alabama, Georgia, Kansas State, Texas and Tennessee are working the hardest to flip him.

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Oklahoma and Texas are two of the early standouts and it could come down to a battle between those two SEC programs but a new offer from LSU makes things interesting (unless 2027 five-star QB Elijah Haven is a lock to the Tigers) but after being at Texas A&M over the weekend the Aggies are one to now watch as well.

The 2027 high four-star from Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian loved seeing the offense under new coordinator Collin Klein and the game-day experience was “one of the loudest atmospheres I’ve seen.” More trips to College Station could happen soon.

The high three-star quarterback from Burlington (N.C.) Walter Williams has been committed to Duke since April but Penn State has been texting with Mahan in recent days and former Notre Dame quarterback commit Deuce Knight has put in a good word with the Irish coaching staff about Mahan.

There are no signs of a flip yet but if the Nittany Lions or Notre Dame get more involved it will be something to watch.

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Minnesota offensive line coach Brian Callahan compared Parliament to former Golden Gophers standout John Michael Schmitz, a second-round NFL Draft pick and that was definitely a big deal over the weekend. Even more was Parliament seeing the atmosphere – especially in the fourth quarter – when Minnesota upset USC.

In October, the 2026 four-star OL from Brandon (S.D.) Brandon Valley will see Iowa and Kansas State and then Nebraska is definitely another front-runner.

Following offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s firing in recent days, Rios backed off his early pledge to the Boilermakers and the 2026 high three-star QB from Downey, Calif., has a whole new list of favorites.

Kansas, Kansas State, Auburn, Utah, Colorado State, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech and the new ones to watch.

Recruiting is just getting heated up for the 2027 four-star running back from Chandler (Ariz.) Basha and now two major offers have just arrived.

The Oklahoma offer could be a “game-changer” in Roberts’ early recruitment and Ohio State is also big because of its prestigious history of running backs and NFL players. Ole Miss, BYU and others are showing more interest as well.

Michigan is definitely one to watch and a new offer from LSU could be really interesting for the 2027 four-star quarterback from Mundelein (Ill.) Carmel Catholic but his visit to Nebraska over the weekend went great – and it might not be his last trip there this season. Taylor thinks Nebraska is a “special place” and he loves coach Matt Rhule as the word is this was the best visit he’s been on yet.

The four-star QB is already figuring out when he can get back to Lincoln again this season.

The four-star receiver from Fairburn (Ga.) Creekside has more than 20 offers but Vickerson has started to focus on a top list of schools which includes Alabama, Missouri, Western Kentucky, Arkansas and Tulane.

Those programs have talked with Vickerson about having an instant impact in their offense and so those have jumped ahead in his recruitment.

Maybe no prospect in the country is landing offers faster than the 2026 defensive end from Picayune, Miss., as nearly the entire SEC is now involved and he was expected at Texas A&M over the weekend.

The word before that visit was that Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee were the ones standing out most to Wilson but the Aggies can now be added to that list as well after seeing them destroy Missouri.