Recruiting Rumor Mill: More intel rolls in from final summer visits

Nick Lucero/Rivals.com

There was so much recruiting news and rumors coming out from the final big visit weekend of the summer that a second Recruiting Rumor Mill was needed this week. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

MORE GORNEY: How Power Four programs presented official offers on social media | Monday’s rumor mill | Alabama-Auburn heats up in recruiting

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Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Louisville and Tennessee remain heavily involved for Ashley and now Missouri has “pushed big”.

But Florida State is the program to watch.

After a visit there recently and because of his interactions with defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and DB coach Patrick Surtain, Sr., the Seminoles have emerged for the 2026 safety from Brandon, Miss.

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More than a dozen programs have offered the 2026 running back from Valencia, Calif., but after taking a round of visits this summer, two have emerged to lead his recruitment. Things could change since Bonner still has a lot of time left, but after seeing Washington and Oregon recently, those two have the lead.

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Oregon could be moving up even more for the 2026 four-star defensive tackle from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman, especially as he felt the Ducks’ coaching staff was invested in his development and gave a bunch of positive criticism during personal film evaluations on a recent visit.

Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida State and Florida are the others to watch.

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Oregon could be in the market for a 2026 quarterback commit soon other than Casuga but the Ducks have intrigued the Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon standout for a long time. His Saturday Night Live visit was great as well especially working with Dakorien Moore, Kendre Harrison, Chris Henry Jr., Brock Harris and others.

If he moves on after Oregon takes a QB pledge, Texas A&M, Washington, USC and Nebraska have all been heavily involved.

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The energy of the Penn State coaching staff stood out most during the Lasch Bash to the 2026 linebacker from Philadelphia (Pa.) Neumann-Goretti as the Nittany Lions, Syracuse and Rutgers are standing out most in his recruitment. Sitting down with the coaches and building that relationship was huge for Collier while he was in Happy Valley.

His Nebraska visit was also “extremely fun” so that’s another to watch.

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A bunch of recent visits are now in the books for the 2026 four-star athlete from Marietta (Ga.) Sprayberry as Alabama and Florida stood out most. Once the Crimson Tide offered that was the program to watch and he had a phenomenal time in Tuscaloosa, even mentioning playing with assistant coach Maurice Linguist’s kids.

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Texas A&M could be the early leader for the 2027 athlete from Crowley, Texas, especially after another great visit to College Station. Ellis already has a strong bond with position coach Holmon Wiggins, he loves the communication and culture of the Aggies, and says it’s “different” there.

USC, Ohio State, Oregon, TCU, Oklahoma and Texas are the others to watch.

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Oregon is definitely the team to beat for the 2026 four-star offensive tackle who’s originally from the state of Washington but is now playing at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. Greene spent a ton of time with position coach A’lique Terry and staffer Ryan Walk and those relationships are going to be tough to beat.

Greene loves the energy of the coaches and how he feels like they love being there and sees a “different vibe” in Eugene than other places.

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Florida State continues to be a main front-runner for the 2026 four-star safety from Milton, Fla., especially after another visit to Tallahassee where defensive coordinator Adam Fuller told him he’d play cornerback and safety there.

The Seminoles continue to be the team to beat for Hall, who also has Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, Michigan and Tennessee high on his list.

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A visit to Michigan State in late July definitely left a major impression on the 2026 three-star cornerback from Phoenix (Ariz.) Desert Edge as he saw the team as “truly a brotherhood” and he loved the family environment there.

Michigan State and Kansas State along with Kansas are the three programs making the biggest move for Hamiel now.

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There will be many others involved with the 2026 four-star tight end from St. George (Utah) Pine View but Oregon continues to be a mainstay at the top of his recruitment. Harris had great talks again with coach Dan Lanning and position coach Drew Mehringer along with staffer Steven Haunga.

Harris was born in Oregon, followed the Ducks his entire life and they still look great in his recruitment.

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The message from Auburn’s coaching staff was “very clear” that they want the 2026 four-star safety from Carrollton, Ga., in either the 2025 or 2026 class. There have been some significant rumors that Hicks is considering a reclass and there’s no question he’s open to it. The Tigers continue to be a major contender in his recruitment and feel like the team to beat by a wide margin now.

“They definitely were working for a commitment,” Hicks said.

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Michigan is “definitely at the top” of Hiter’s list after another phenomenal visit to Ann Arbor. The No. 1 running back in the 2026 class out of Woodberry Forest (Va.) Woodberry Forest School felt “treated like a VIP” the whole trip. It was made clear he’s a top priority for them and learning from position coach Tony Alford was another major draw for the Wolverines.

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It would be a serious surprise if the 2026 three-star athlete from Norman, Okla., didn’t end up at Oklahoma. After a recent visit over to campus where he talked most with coach Brent Venables and position coach Emmett Jones, the Sooners still look very strong and the word is that OU remains a “top school” for him.

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Touring Nebraska’s facilities, the campus and all the activities were important but the 2026 three-star tight end from Omaha (Neb.) Millard South appreciated the coaching staff’s efforts on building relationship with him and his family most.

The Huskers remain a serious contender for Jensen and it might only be a matter of time for a commitment with Kansas, Missouri, Iowa State and others involved.

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The 2026 four-star linebacker from Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville still has a lot of programs standing out but Notre Dame could have the edge, especially after his recent visit to South Bend, where he had a chance to dive deeper into the academic side of things.

The Irish are “one of them definitely” that are standing out most but Johnson also took a visit to Texas A&M, loved the environment, the chance to play SEC football and he’ll be back for a game this season.

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One of the top 2028 quarterbacks nationally, Lawrence loved working out at Miami recently and got a lot of reps since there were only three quarterbacks at the event. The Hurricanes are definitely an early standout for the Plantation (Fla.) Ransom Everglades standout but Florida State, Ohio State, TCU and Georgia are all pushing hard and Lawrence admits it’s still early.

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BYU and UCLA have been a top two for Madsen for some time but after a late visit to Oregon – and a new offer from the Ducks – there is now a top three. The three-star athlete from Clovis (Calif.) North loved the facilities and the resources in Eugene but he’s also a self-avowed “nature guy” so he enjoyed the campus and all the greenery.

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Penn State is Whitver’s lone Power Four offer and his visit to Happy Valley for the Lasch Bash only reinforced that the Nittany Lions are recruiting the hardest and could clearly be the team to beat.

The three-star receiver from Powhatan, Va., loved how excited the Penn State coaches were to see him as it is now the team to beat.