Recruiting Rumor Mill: More big visit buzz filtering out

There was so many rumors and so much news coming out of another busy week that a second Recruiting Rumor Mill was needed. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

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The Alabama coaching staff spent time personally with Atkinson before and after the Georgia game which made a huge impact on the 2026 five-star linebacker from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson.

Atkinson also loved the “insane” atmosphere at Bryant-Denny Stadium and the way first-year coach Kalen DeBoer has made his own path within the program. Georgia might be too tough to overcome in the end but Alabama is definitely making a major push.

Nothing yet has changed in Braker’s recruitment as everything is “still the same” and his LSU commitment remains.

The Snellville (Ga.) South Gwinnett four-star linebacker has been committed to the Tigers since late July but Alabama has been heavily involved here and recently told Braker that they’re “fighting for me.”

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NC State landed Browder’s commitment in June but the Lantana (Fla.) Santaluces high three-star receiver was at Michigan over the weekend and loved the atmosphere and the personality of the coaches. The message to Browder was if he’s really the guy then he’d come to Ann Arbor and make an impact from Day 1.

“Nothing has changed” in his commitment yet but the Wolverines are one to watch and Brwoder could be taking more visits soon.

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After all the visits and all the courting, LSU could win out for the 2026 high four-star offensive lineman from Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab but UCF continues to impress him.

Even in the loss to Colorado, Brown loved his trip to Orlando and visiting with the Knights and he has some phenomenal relationships there. Brown “respects the program” at Colorado but he doesn’t talk much with the coaches there so the Buffaloes aren’t a contender right now.

Georgia has been the front-runner early on for the 2027 four-star tight end from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei because he loves the coaching staff there and the elite level of the Bulldogs but after this weekend Alabama “for sure” made a good first impression. Bowman was at Bryant-Denny Stadium to see both the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs and that was a valuable experience as Texas, Oregon and others are involved.

Collier took his first visit to Rutgers for the win over Washington and he thought the “atmosphere was crazy” and he has built strong relationships with at least a handful of coaches there.

That could play a big factor moving forward for the 2026 three-star athlete from Philadelphia (Pa.) Neumann-Goretti as Penn State, West Virginia and Syracuse are the other main players in his recruitment.

Epps is just getting seriously started with the recruiting process but the word is that Texas “will always be a part of my top choices” after being in Austin for his first game last weekend against Mississippi State.

The 2026 four-star from Tustin, Calif., is originally from the state of Texas and still has family in the state so the Longhorns are definitely going to be a team to watch especially since he already has an offer.

The four-star defensive end from Tampa (Fla.) Gaither was supposed to attend the USF game recently but he couldn’t make it because of Hurricane Helene as many are watching where his recruitment stands now.

Harrold committed to LSU in June and the word is that while many programs are trying to flip him that there’s “very little chance” he backs off his pledge to the Tigers.

Alabama, Oregon, Georgia, Ohio State, Miami, Tennessee, USC and Oklahoma are going to be others involved in Iheanacho’s recruitment but Penn State made a massive impression during his visit for the Illinois win.

The 2026 five-star offensive tackle from North Bethesda (Md.) Georgetown Prep thought the atmosphere was “unlike any game I’ve experienced” and Iheanacho got to talk about some small parts of the Nittany Lions’ offense with OC Andy Kotelnicki. Others will certainly push hard but Iheanacho loved his time in Happy Valley enough that PSU could have moved way higher.

The four-star wide receiver from St. Augustine, Fla., committed to UCF in the summer but backed off his pledge in recent days as four programs have now made the biggest push in his recruitment.

Clemson, Boston College, Louisville and South Florida are now the teams to watch in Jenkins’ recruitment.

Florida State was the dream offer for Lherisse so that will definitely be one to watch moving forward despite the Seminoles’ struggles this season and then a host of others have been involved including UCF where the 2026 four-star just visited.

UCF always makes the Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie standout feel like a priority and that’s big but Colorado might have piqued his interest as well after seeing Travis Hunter play because Lherisse could go both ways, too.

The four-star defensive end from Atlanta (Ga.) North Atlanta wants to take visits and build more relationships before making another commitment after backing off his Rutgers pledge so the trip to Alabama last weekend was important. Linton has been pegged to Georgia for a long time and especially after his decommitment and it looks like the Bulldogs are still the team to beat.

The word is Linton didn’t talk to any coaches at Alabama so that situation might not work out moving forward as much as others.

BYU and UCLA have been the two favorites for a long time but after Oregon offered the Ducks now make a top three for the high three-star athlete from Clovis (Calif.) Clovis North.

Madsen has a lot of family connections to BYU and so that could play a factor but he loves the coaching staff at UCLA and Oregon was always one of the dream offers so now it’s a three-team race with no specific timetable.

All the mainstays remain for Matthews – South Carolina, North Carolina, Penn State, Florida State, Ohio State, Tennessee and Notre Dame – but after visiting Alabama over the weekend the word is that the Crimson Tide now definitely is on the top list as well.

A lot of chatter has been that the Cornelius (N.C.) Hough will stay somewhere in the Carolinas (and he’s expected back at South Carolina this weekend) but Alabama is another team to watch now.

The 2027 running back from Montezuma (Ga.) Macon County absolutely loved his visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend as he was told if he wants to be great then there’s no better place to play than Alabama.

That resonated with Parker but his list remains pretty long this early with Auburn, Tennessee, Florida State, USC and also Ohio State high up there.

Penn State coach James Franklin spent some personal time with Peterson and his family before the game which meant a lot to the 2026 four-star cornerback from Atco (N.J.) Winslow Township and even more important was his experience during the game with 110,000 fans there.

The Nittany Lions are definitely in great shape with Peterson (his head coach Bill Belton played at Penn State) but Georgia, Syracuse, Missouri, Pitt and Boston College are also pushing.

Nebraska might be too much to overcome for the 2026 linebacker from Elkhorn (Neb.) Elkhorn North in the end but Reynolds is taking other visits, seeing other programs and learning more about what he likes. He was at Kansas State over the weekend and loved how the Wildcats dominated against Oklahoma State and loved the message from the coaches that if the team stays together they’re going to be tough to beat.

Still, the Huskers are his lone offer so that’s going to mean a lot moving forward, too.

No program has emerged as the clear front-runner for Sellars yet but the 2026 three-star receiver from Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day absolutely loved his weekend visit to Clemson, highlighted by him getting an offer from the Tigers.

He had an “amazing” trip with the Tigers and really felt like a priority getting the offer since he knows Clemson is slow to hand them out.

The 2026 four-star quarterback from Thousand Oaks, Calif., continues to build a strong relationship with the Kansas State coaching staff and always has a “special” time in Manhattan which continued last weekend in the win over Oklahoma State.

Taylor loved how the offense stretched the field as the Wildcats are definitely one of the front-runners along with Auburn, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech and Liberty.

Wagner is an Indiana legacy as his father played offensive line for the Hoosiers plus his visit there for the Maryland game has definitely put the Hoosiers on the radar. The coaching staff knew Wagner and that made a big impression since he’s a 2027 prospect and he loved the energy in the stadium even though it wasn’t great weather.

Illinois is another early one to watch for the St. Joseph (Ill.) Saint Joseph Ogden standout but the Hoosiers definitely left a big impression.

Alabama remains the program to watch in Washington’s recruitment – if not the front-runner – as the 2026 four-star safety from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman had a great time at the game against Georgia last weekend and was told, ‘This is the place to be and you can’t get football like that anywhere else.’

The Crimson Tide remain one of the top schools and could be tough to beat with Oregon, Tennessee and others high on the list.

Ohio State might be tough to beat in the end but Weatherspoon loved the atmosphere at Penn State on Saturday night and that could have an impact on his thinking moving forward in his recruitment.

The Buckeyes are up there, though, for the 2026 four-star cornerback from Avon, Ohio with Michigan, Tennessee, Notre Dame “and a lot more.”

Wilson camped at Clemson over the summer and the 2026 three-star receiver from Huntington, W. Va., was back in town over the weekend as his relationship continues to build.

Wilson thought the atmosphere was incredible and “I didn’t expect that.” A bunch of offensive coaches had long talks with Wilson as Clemson remains one of the top teams along with USF, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Louisville.

Hurricane Helene did not affect the attendance at Clemson’s game last week and that made a big impact on Wise who has already developed a strong relationship with position coach Matt Luke, who told the 2026 four-star offensive lineman that his playing style fits Clemson’s vision for offensive linemen.

Clemson is definitely one of the top schools as Wise has visits to Alabama, Tennessee, Miami and Ole Miss and is still looking at Texas A&M and Oregon, too.

The 2026 four-star running back from De Kalb (Miss.) Kemper County committed to Mississippi State in mid-September but Yates was at Alabama over the weekend and it was “the best game environment I’ve been in.”

The four-star loved his time in Tuscaloosa and the message from the coaches was that playing at Alabama is a great opportunity to compete with the best players in the country. Alabama, Auburn, Nebraska, Florida State and Tennessee continue to reach out.

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The four-star cornerback from Corona (Calif.) Centennial committed to Michigan State over Washington in mid-July and one big reason was because of his relationship with position coach Demetrice Martin in East Lansing. But Zamorano was at UCLA over the weekend and the new Bruins’ coaching staff is aggressively trying to flip him and keep him home.

Nothing has changed yet but more visits to the Rose Bowl could make this one more interesting.

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