Recruiting Rumor Mill: News flying fast and furious as spring heats up

Nick Lucero/Rivals.com

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

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RUMOR MILL: Busy weekend results in more buzz

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Florida State could be tough to beat for the four-star offensive tackle from Riverview (Fla.) Sumner but impressive visits to Miami and Colorado recently has him thinking. The hands-on approach of position coach Alex Mirabal and the fact that coach Mario Cristobal spent a lot of personal time with Addison over the weekend definitely left a major impression.

After getting five-star Jordan Seaton last class, Addison loved spending time with coach Deion Sanders and called him a “fantastic leader” after that trip.

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Auburn is “very high up” in Ashley’s recruitment after his weekend visit and offer from the Tigers and he loves the message from the coaches that they can win and they will win on The Plains. Florida State, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Missouri and Tennessee are also programs to watch for the 2026 three-star safety from Brandon, Miss., and Ashley visits LSU on Thursday.

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If Alabama ends up landing Babalola it’s because he was totally blown away by how the program develops players from the on-field standpoint but also through strength and conditioning. That’s what the four-star offensive tackle from Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest saw during his time in Tuscaloosa and why the Crimson Tide are high on his list along with Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee, Stanford, Missouri, Auburn, USC, Texas A&M and Kansas State.

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Talking with position coach Sean Spencer definitely left a great impression but what really shined during Battle’s visit to Texas A&M was that all the defensive tackles stayed behind to introduce themselves and talk with the Mansfield (Texas) Timberview standout. That was a big selling point to Battle as he has great relationships up and down the board in College Station as the Aggies lead and then Texas is right there.

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The intensity of Miami’s practice and how impressive the coaches were during that workout stood out a lot to Cooper during his visit there plus coach Mario Cristobal made it clear the Canes thought highly of the 2026 four-star from Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna standout. Miami is definitely one to watch with Florida State, Georgia and USC high on his early list as well.

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Wisconsin and West Virginia have really caught Forster’s attention especially after recent visits and a trip to Madison in the last few days especially stood out. The four-star all-purpose back from Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph’s loved how physical the offensive line and running backs performed in Madison and his relationship with position coach Devon Spalding definitely stands out.

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Miami has surged up the list for the 2026 four-star offensive guard from Niceville, Fla., after his first visit to Coral Gables in recent days especially because “everything” stood out from the campus, the facilities, the coaches and how intense the offensive line was playing.

The Hurricanes along with Mississippi State, Ole Miss, LSU, Georgia and UCF lead the way now.

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Alabama’s first focus is finding a 2025 quarterback but the new coaching staff there made it clear Grubbs is a top priority in 2026 – if he waits that long. Notre Dame has been the front-runner for the Lake Mary, Fla., four-star QB with Miami, Florida and others involved but this was Grubbs’ third time at Alabama, his first meeting the new staff and there is definite interest there especially if and when the Crimson Tide come through with an offer.

“Walking through the facilities you just naturally feel like a winner,” Grubbs said.

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What stands out most about Oklahoma is that the coaching staff there treats him like family and the four-star cornerback from Spring (Texas) Klein Oak has a relationship with those coaches unlike anywhere else in the country.

That’s what is making the Sooners – along with the potential for early playing time – stand out over others but Texas, Texas A&M, UCF and Kansas are also high.

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Coach Matt Campbell’s availability and his presence around everything going on definitely made a major impression on Hammond as the Tulsa (Okla.) Rogers defensive end also loved watching assistant coaches Eli Rasheed and Lee Stalker get after it in practice.

The Cyclones have liked Hammond’s development so they’re one to watch along with Washington, Kansas, Houston, Cal and Minnesota.

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What stood out most about Hines’ visit to Notre Dame was that it wasn’t just all football talk as the four-star receiver from Houston (Texas) Dekaney hit it off with all the assistant coaches and then learned Hines’ parents and coach Marcus Freeman have a similar background.

The Irish definitely left a major impression and they’re now one of the front-runners along with USC, Baylor, Arkansas and Texas. Alabama, Penn State and Kentucky are within striking distance, too.

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What stood out most to Hopkins at Iowa State was the character of the coaches and that they made it abundantly clear to him that he’s a top priority for the Cyclones.

That was definitely a big deal for the three-star defensive end from Hermann, Mo., as Iowa State is one of the favorites along with Missouri and Kansas State.

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Texas A&M could be tough to beat with Penn State and Notre Dame also making a big impression on King but now he has a new offer from Texas to consider as well.

The Longhorns have dipped into Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial before for Jamaal Charles and Jaylon Guilbeau and King has certainly noticed that so while the Aggies look best, Texas is now in the game.

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After going to Texas A&M over the weekend, there is now a serious interest in a lot of SEC programs for the four-star tight end from Littleton (Colo.) Heritage seeing the energy and intensity in practice and meetings.

The Aggies definitely have Jensen’s attention with Missouri, Tennessee, Auburn, Michigan State, Nebraska, Kansas State, Washington and Washington State as well.

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The message that a Notre Dame education plus football there could set Jones up for life certainly stuck out to the 2026 three-star defensive end from Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel. Jones loves the “awesome history” of Notre Dame turning student-athletes into successful people and it’s why the Irish are one of the top options for him along with Auburn and Purdue early on.

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During a recent visit to Ole Miss, the 2026 edge rusher from Phenix (Ala.) Central loved how the Rebels use their JACK linebackers as it’s similar to his role in high school.

The Ole Miss coaches will be at his school in the spring and they’re encouraging him to come back soon as the Rebels haven’t offered yet but definitely have his attention along with Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia Tech.

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Nebraska, USC, Texas, Washington, Cal and Florida make up the top six for the San Francisco (Calif.) St. Ignatius three-star offensive lineman but the word is that the Longhorns, the Huskies and the Huskers are standing out most in his recruitment.

Mills is fresh off a visit to Texas that went really well and he’s been at Nebraska the last few days. Trips to USC and Washington are happening soon as Mills works closer to a decision.

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The rumor has been that Mississippi State is the leader for Nash and that a commitment could be close but now the family has decided to slow things down, see more programs and then decide later. The De Kalb (Miss.) Kemper County standout is fresh off a visit to Ole Miss and the word is the Rebels are “picking up more steam” in his recruitment especially after he watched position coach John Garrison coach.

The Bulldogs could be tough to beat but things are getting a little more interesting as LSU, Florida State, USC, Clemson, Penn State and Oregon are also high on the list.

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The message that resonated most with Nichols during his visit to Notre Dame was that even outside of football the school is amazing and will set you up for life. The coaching staff also made sure to tell the 2026 high three-star offensive tackle from Davison, Mich., that he’s a big priority and would fit well in South Bend. The Irish, Michigan, Penn State and Florida State stand out most.

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Oklahoma and Tennessee are standing out most to the high three-star offensive tackle from Elgin, Okla., and his recent visit to Norman could be pushing the Sooners even higher. Ogumoro loved how the coaching staff treated his entire family during the trip and he had a great talk with coach Brent Venables about the expectations of the players there.

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Spending time with the Oklahoma State coaches definitely left a good impression with Perez but even better was being around receivers Brennan Presley and Rashod Owens, especially since he’s from San Antonio as well. The coaches have been telling the four-star receiver from San Antonio (Texas) Brandeis what a great fit he’d be in Stillwater and that’s why the Cowboys are one of the front-runners with TCU, Miami and Kansas.

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Alabama has been one of the main programs that Sharma has watched for a long time in his recruitment especially since he had been committed to Washington’s old staff so the Crimson Tide remain a main contender for the Folsom, Calif., defensive tackle. But a trip to Miami over the weekend definitely made a big impression especially from the strength and conditioning coaches. Oregon, Texas and Oklahoma are three others to watch as well.

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How Alabama does the little things perfectly and the “standard” they set even with the new coaching staff in place is making the Crimson Tide one of the early front-runners for the 2026 linebacker from Little Rock (Ark.) Parkview especially after a recent visit to Tuscsloosa. Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Missouri and Florida State are the other main contenders at this point.

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Kentucky might be holding the edge here with South Carolina, Miami and NC State but a recent visit to Wisconsin definitely has intrigued the three-star offensive lineman from Louisville (Ky.) Male. Sowells loves the “amazing culture” in Madison and the history of great offensive linemen there.

“They made sure to let me know I could be the next great center at Wisconsin,” Sowells said.

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The in-depth analysis Terry got of his football game, track speed and other aspects from director of sports science and analytics Kratik Malhotra was really impressive to the four-star receiver from San Antonio (Texas) Alamo Heights. Terry also had great conversations with position coach Holmon Wiggins and staffer Isaiah Washington as the Aggies definitely made a move up after the visit. Texas could have the edge but Texas A&M, Nebraska, TCU and Texas Tech also stand out.

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A visit to Texas A&M definitely impressed the League City (Texas) Clear Springs standout as the coaches made him feel like he could be a big contributor in the offense and he got to see some old teammates but the Aggies haven’t offered yet so that will be something to watch. If that comes it would be a big deal as Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Penn State are standing out most now with him eyeing Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU and Michigan as well.