Recruiting Rumor Mill: More feedback from loaded recruiting weekend

A loaded weekend and a lot of news means a second Recruiting Rumor Mill this week. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

The high three-star defensive end from St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers planned to visit Michigan over the weekend but unbeknownst to him, the Wolverines took a commitment from former Cincinnati pledge Benny Patterson on the night before Abram was supposed to fly out.

That situation only reinforced Abram’s commitment to Indiana as the Hoosiers have now locked him up for good.

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Iowa State, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State and Boston College are showing Akih the most love and while all of those programs have not offered yet there is definitely high interest in those five.

The 2026 running back from Delaware (Ohio) Rutherford B. Hayes was at Penn State over the weekend and the word is it was one of the best visits he’s been on so far because of the environment and because the coaches talked a lot about his tape.

Being at Penn State over the weekend was the best game-day experience Alston has had yet in his recruitment as his interest in the Nittany Lions remains very strong.

The 2026 three-star running back from Painesville (Ohio) Harvey continues to build that relationship with the staff and they want him to visit a few more times before considering a commitment as USC, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Auburn and Florida are also high on his list.

The losses piling up at Auburn, USC and Florida State don’t bother Arnoux and that’s why he remains committed to the Trojans and took a trip to see the Tigers over the weekend.

The message to the 2026 four-star cornerback from Carrollton, Ga., was clear: Auburn is all in on him and they want to know what it’s going to take to flip him. Those three programs along with Miami and others are involved with him.

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South Carolina’s victory over Texas A&M was impressive but what really struck Baker was how much of a priority the Gamecocks’ coaching staff made him and how often they use the running backs in their attack.

That will definitely help South Carolina with the 2026 high three-star running back from Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes but Alabama, Kentucky, USC, Tennessee, Louisville and Penn State are also high.

What really stood out to Boney during his Penn State visit even though the Nittany Lions lost was how open the coaches were believing in their players while also holding them accountable.

That made a big impression on the 2026 three-star defensive end from Washington (D.C.) St. John’s as Penn State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington, Cal and Tennessee have jumped out early in his recruitment.

Penn State is the front-runner for the 2026 three-star cornerback from Massillon (Ohio) Washington especially after his weekend visit to Happy Valley.

Clemons loves the culture at Penn State, the family-type atmosphere and his relationship with position coach Terry Smith. There are others involved across the Big Ten with Clemons but the Nittany Lions are on top.

Miami, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia and others are involved but Penn State continues to impress Collier and the message was clear to the 2026 high three-star edge rusher from Philadelphia (Pa.) Neumann-Goretti over the weekend:

The Nittany Lions want him and they won’t stop recruiting him until the answer is yes. Penn State is willing to be patient but the coaches want Collier in its 2026 class.

Five programs are standing out the most for the 2026 defensive tackle from Lithonia, Ga., as Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M have made the jump in his recruitment.

The Tigers might have an early edge for Crittendon but Tennessee is definitely right there as the unreal game-day environment – especially for a night game – stood out this past weekend.

The Penn State coaching staff told Gebhardt over the weekend that he’s a “top priority” in the 2026 recruiting class.

The Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy three-star safety loved the message from the PSU coaches and the game-day environment as the Nittany Lions are definitely a main contender but Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Nebraska, West Virginia, USC, Ole Miss, Pitt, Cincinnati, Iowa and Indiana are some other top programs.

The 2026 four-star UCF cornerback commit was expected to visit Florida State this weekend but he couldn’t make it to Tallahassee even though the coaching staff has made it clear he’s a top flip priority for the Seminoles.

The word is that FSU is somewhere in the middle of his recruitment – not too high or not too low – as Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, Indiana and Arkansas are all working to flip the Jackson, Ala. standout.

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The 2026 four-star tight end from St. George (Utah) Pine View plans to drop a top 10 this week and it would be no surprise if Oregon and BYU were on it since he’s visited both of those programs and he continues to be a major priority.

But after a recent visit to Michigan where Harris saw how often the Wolverines used Colston Loveland in the passing game, Harris got even more intrigued.

Michigan, Kansas and Wisconsin are some others to watch but Nebraska still very much looks like the program to beat in his recruitment.

The fan base stood out “as always” and how active the Huskers’ recruiting staffers were with the recruits definitely left a major impression.

Ingram has yet to visit all of his top five programs – Kentucky, Michigan, Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt – but he was in Ann Arbor over the weekend and now the Wolverines are looking “really good” in his recruitment.

After the loss, position coach Lou Esposito gathered his guys and let them vent, talk about the game, etc., and Ingram was really impressed. The four-star defensive tackle from Covington (Ga.) Newton also loves the training at Michigan as the Wolverines could be the team to beat.

LSU, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Iowa State and Missouri are some other standouts for Jensen but if Nebraska is going to land the 2026 three-star tight end from Omaha (Neb.) Millard South it’s because of his relationship with coach Matt Rhule and his assistants.

Over the weekend, Jensen had a phenomenal time in Lincoln, loved his talks with the coaches and the in-state recruit had an overall great time.

Keyes lives in Ann Arbor so it’s no surprise Michigan has told the 2026 four-star tight end that he’s a top priority but the Wolverines went a step further saying he’s their No.1 guy and the hometown kid.

Ohio State is also pushing Keyes very hard but the way Michigan uses Colston Loveland, a probable first-rounder, is very compelling especially since he lives only miles away.

Nebraska had a major opportunity to thoroughly impress Loftin this past weekend but the Huskers laid an egg in a loss to UCLA. How involved the Nebraska coaching staff is in recruiting the four-star Florida State commit from Omaha (Neb.) Millard South.

What could also play in Nebraska’s favor is that Loftin just enjoys being there. A few weeks ago, Loftin said he’s locked in with Florida State but the word now is that he could be looking around at some other options.

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North Carolina, NC State and many others will be involved with Matthews throughout his recruitment but the word is the high four-star cornerback loved his first experience at Clemson for a night game.

The Cornelius (N.C.) Hough standout talked at length with coach Dabo Swinney before the game where he made it clear Matthews was a major target and the word from Matthews is that Clemson will be there “until the end.”

The 2026 high three-star linebacker from Miami (Fla.) Central spent some extra time with Florida State coach Mike Norvell over the weekend and the Seminoles showed “amazing love” toward him which could go a long way in his recruitment.

It’s early still for Maycock but Florida State, Miami and Alabama could end up battling it out.

Penn State is doing everything it can to convince the 2026 four-star offensive guard from Mechanicsburg (Pa) Cumberland Valley to stay home and over the weekend Merrill was definitely impressed by the consistency in their approach, how prepared the Nittany Lions were and how they have a high standard across the board.

Merrill says his recruitment remains 100 percent open but Penn State is definitely a key player along with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Georgia and Clemson.

A bunch of SEC powers and other major contenders are involved in Quinn’s recruitment but it’s going to be very interesting to watch Clemson now. He landed the offer one day after talking with this reporter and the word is that the Tigers absolutely blew him away on the visit.

The 2026 defensive end from Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian had an “extraordinary” visit that went “beyond my expectations.” If Clemson can keep up its momentum then the Tigers will be a real front-runner in Quinn’s recruitment – he liked the visit that much.

The 2026 four-star receiver from Purcellville (Ga.) Woodgrove has been talking to the Penn State coaching staff a lot since the summer so it was crucial for him to get to campus last weekend for the Ohio State game. Salmin loved the atmosphere and the fan interaction set the Nittany Lions apart.

Clemson, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Ohio State are the other standouts but Penn State moved up Salmin’s list after the weekend visit.

Auburn is “most definitely a front-runner” in Scott’s recruitment especially after his weekend visit and his talk with position coach Marcus Davis, who told Scott he thought he was more confident on the field than ever and he’s putting together great film.

While Auburn is definitely a top program in his recruitment, so are South Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, Auburn, Arizona State, Tennessee, Missouri and UCF.

South Carolina is going to play a major role in Watkins’ recruitment for numerous reasons since he’s an in-state prospect, he had long talks with coach Shane Beamer and Torrian Gray during his time in Columbia and the energy throughout the game impacted the high three-star safety from Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern.

The Gamecocks, Texas A&M and Wake Forest – his three offers – remain in the running.

With 62 catches for 746 yards and 10 touchdowns so far in his senior season, a bunch of top teams continue to pursue the four-star receiver from Venice, Fla.

Ole Miss and Indiana have been the regulars and continue to pursue Watkins along with Penn State, Georgia, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Michigan and Duke.