Recruiting Rumor Mill: Summer visits are over but buzz ramping up

Visits are done for the summer but there is still a lot of recruiting news and rumors coming out across the country. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has the latest in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.

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The hospitality and love shown from Miami coach Mario Cristobal, position coach Alex Mirabal and staffer Edwin Pata during his recent visit continues to make the Hurricanes stand out – maybe most in his entire recruitment.

There is still a long list of programs standing out for the 2026 three-star from Suwanee (Ga.) Lambert with Penn State, Stanford, UCF and many others up there but Miami has definitely left a massive impression.

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As 2026 quarterbacks are quickly coming off the board, Clayton was back at Missouri for a second time where he got to spend a lot more time with coach Eli Drinkwitz and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore who both talked about how the Sanford (Fla.) Seminole standout would fit in the offense and the culture in Columbia.

The Tigers are definitely a major contender for the four-star QB with Ole Miss, Nebraska, Louisville, Illinois, Auburn, Michigan State and Baylor pushing as well.

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Kansas State is going to play a massive role with Dunnigan since he already has that offer and plays at Manhattan, Kan., but a recent visit to Nebraska has him thinking about his future.

Dunnigan loves coach Matt Rhule and how he’s trying to rebuild the Huskers program and it was “made very clear” to him that he’s a priority in Nebraska’s 2026 class. Those two could be standing out most.

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The standout 2028 defensive end from Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles grew up in a Georgia household where his dad was a die-hard Bulldogs fan so they will be a major contender moving forward in his recruitment.

But if there’s one team to watch it would be Florida State as the Seminoles have intrigued him a lot and a recent visit there also stood out. The Seminoles “truly feel like family” so FSU will be right in this recruitment along with Georgia over the coming years.

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A second visit to Texas A&M has Gregory much more comfortable with the staff and he feels a brotherhood there that stands out and could continue if those coaches keep the momentum going.

The 2026 high four-star receiver from Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County is building a new bond with Georgia receivers coach James Coley and that’s definitely great news for the Bulldogs as Florida State and Auburn are right there at the top of the list as well. The Aggies make things more interesting because Gregory loves his trips to College Station.

“They feel like family just further away,” Gregory said.

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The 2026 four-star defensive end from Rolesville, N.C., could not make it to Florida State recently but the Seminoles’ coaching staff stayed in contact with him all weekend by text message as they keep trying to stay in that top group of his recruitment.

Ohio State and North Carolina have made the biggest impression on Griffin-Haynes as he heads toward this junior season.

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A recent visit to Florida was big for the 2026 four-star defensive tackle from Fort Myers, Fla., as he loved all the planning that went into the event and especially meeting with players and hitting it off with them.

The Gators are one of four programs who are standing out most to Guervil along with Miami, USC and Georgia.

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Florida State is making a major early impression on the 2027 quarterback from Arden (N.C.) Christ School especially after working out in Tallahassee recently as he and position coach Tony Tokarz have hit it off.

Holtzclaw loves the culture, the big-time atmosphere and the new facilities coming to FSU as North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and South Carolina among others interest him early on. A visit back to FSU this season is being planned.

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Even though the 2026 high three-star cornerback from Carol City, Fla., lives right down the road, a recent visit to Miami was his first and it definitely stood out. Jones loved that the coaches were showing him so much interest and have asked that he comes back for a game this season as the Hurricanes could keep moving up the list with them being so close. Miami, Louisville, UCF and South Florida have stood out most.

Florida State is communicating with Jones a lot more but the Seminoles haven’t offered yet.

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Oregon is going to be a major player in Katoanga’s recruitment and the coaching staff there is going to play a huge role. The 2026 three-star defensive end from San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic not only has a great relationship with coach Dan Lanning and position coach Tony Tuioti but he admires that so many coaches have stayed in Eugene instead of taking other jobs that have been offered.

The Ducks along with Notre Dame, Miami, Washington, Arizona State and Georgia have been standing out.

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Washington is going to play a major role in Lugolobi’s recruitment as the 2026 high three-star linebacker from Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic is familiar with that program and the new coaching staff but Notre Dame could be making a move as well.

Lugolobi loved the “family aspect” in South Bend as the two sides get to know each other better. The Huskies, the Irish, Tennessee and Arizona State are the four to watch right now.

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USC remains in very strong position with the 2026 five-star quarterback from Folsom, Calif., since it’s an in-state program, his brother is playing there and coach Lincoln Riley has done so well with quarterbacks during his career.

The Trojans might have moved even higher now that Oregon took the commitment of four-star QB Jonas Williams. Ole Miss was the SEC program that impressed him the most during a recent swing through the Southeast and being compared to Jaxson Dart definitely has him thinking more about the Rebels.

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A commitment could be coming this month and if not then Marsh is looking at Veteran’s Day – Nov. 11 – for a decision as Michigan continues to look like the program to beat.

That might have only been reinforced more during a recent visit to Ann Arbor where Marsh was told he could play inside or outside and that the coaching staff is ready to put him on the field.

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Spending time with Nebraska coach Matt Rhule and seeing him in another element just hanging out and spending time with the recruits was a big deal to McGregory as the Huskers remain one of the top contenders in his recruitment.

The 2026 four-star safety from West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley also loves that Nebraska is playing the “long game” to develop players on and off the field. The Huskers, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and Toledo are the standouts.

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In the end, this could be a battle between Miami and Florida with the in-state prospect but the 2026 center from Miami (Fla.) Southridge had a great visit to Penn State recently and was especially impressed by the weight room, the biggest he’s seen in the country.

Miret also loved the coaching staff in Happy Valley as those three programs along with Wake Forest, Stanford, Louisville and Appalachian State have made an impression.

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Missouri, Houston, Florida State, Arkansas and Oklahoma are other programs to watch in Morcho’s recruitment but Texas A&M has definitely impressed him a ton as well especially after a recent visit.

The 2026 high three-star offensive tackle from Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point appreciated how much love and attention Morcho got from the coaching staff in College Station and how they want him to join the impressive recruiting class they’re putting together.

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The three-star defensive end from Newberry, Fla., committed to NC State in mid-July but only days after Miami came in with his latest offer.

The word is that Newton is leaning heavily toward sticking with the Wolfpack “for now” and then maybe at a later time he could revisit his recruitment with the Hurricanes.

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Oklahoma is battling many others for the 2026 high three-star offensive tackle from Mansfield (Texas) Lake Ridge but a recent visit to Norman helped the Sooners.

Ojo loved the hospitality from the coaching staff and the message was clear that he’s a “top priority.”

USC, Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, SMU, Texas and Georgia are battling as well in this very heated recruitment.

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The 2026 four-star running back from Carrollton (Ga.) Central was just at Alabama and Auburn in recent days so things could get changed up moving forward but mainly three programs are making the biggest impression on him so far.

Florida, Tennessee and Ohio State are the three to mainly watch in his recruitment although things could change up as more visits happen.

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Miami showed Wingo a ton of “love and attention” during his recent visit to campus and he’s developing a strong bond with coach Mario Cristobal and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson like he already has with position coach Kevin Beard.

The 2026 four-star receiver from St. Augustine, Fla., loves how the Miami coaches already treat him like one of their own and it could go a long way as a decision gets closer with Florida, Tennessee, UCF, Missouri, Louisville and South Florida also standing out.