Recruiting Rumor Mill: Summer visit plans crystallize for top prospects
The Recruiting Rumor Mill continues to crank as college coaches are on the road and showcases are happening across the country. Here’s the latest Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is hearing.
*****
MORE: Four big June visits for four-star DT Dominick McKinley
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer portal player ranking | Transfer portal team ranking | Transfer Tracker | Message board | Team ranking FAQs
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
*****
New Texas A&M offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was at Anderson’s first day of spring practice and the Aggies offered which is definitely a big one. The 2025 QB from Dallas (Texas) Parish Episcopal School wants to get to College Station soon to build his relationship more with Petrino and talk with coach Jimbo Fisher as Clemson, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, TCU and Wisconsin are his other early standouts.
*****
Alabama, Ohio State, USC and Tennessee are the early standouts for the 2025 four-star athlete who recently transferred from Sacramento to Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany. The Crimson Tide is his newest offer and “is everyone’s dream offer” so the opportunity to play at Alabama is definitely huge but the three others are going to play a significant role in Bell’s recruitment, too. Now in Southern California, watch for the Trojans to be tough here.
*****
It’s early for the 2025 receiver from Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day but after landing offers from Georgia and Ohio State this week those two have emerged as the early front-runners. Many other schools could get involved as Coleman has seen his recruitment take off in recent weeks - and plenty of top players at his school - but this could already be a Buckeyes vs. Bulldogs battle.
*****
Texas A&M could have the slightest of edges for Echols and he has official trips planned for the Aggies (June 2), Auburn (June 9) and Texas Tech (June 16) but Nebraska and Oregon are also involved in his recruitment. Those are the officials planned so far for the three-star offensive lineman from Katy, Texas as it’s more than likely he stays in-state with College Station being a possible spot but some unofficial visits could be coming up as well.
*****
Days after committing to Wake Forest, the high three-star receiver from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy has landed new offers from Colorado, Stanford and Texas A&M and more could be on the way. The word is, though, that Grice is planning to stick with the Demon Deacons and that’s huge for them as the three-star totaled 50 catches for 910 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
*****
The Georgia commit took a visit to Miami over the weekend like many other top recruits and loved how family-oriented things felt in Coral Gables. The four-star safety from Rockledge, Fla., felt it was bigger than just football from the Miami coaching staff and that could be a big consideration as his recruitment continues but Heyward remains 100 percent committed to the Bulldogs. No flip at this point.
*****
The chatter around the five-star receiver is that Texas Tech could hold a slight edge over Texas right now and if Hudson makes a summer commitment the Red Raiders could definitely get him. But the plan as it stands now for the Temple (Texas) Lake Belton standout is to wait until December for a decision and that probably favors the Longhorns as others remain in the mix as well.
*****
“Fun” was the way Knight’s visit to Miami went as he hung out with a lot of recruits he knew, some he didn’t and the message from coach Mario Cristobal was that Knight has to stay home and play for the Hurricanes so his family didn’t have to go far to see him play. That was an interesting pitch to the Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Benjamin School has Florida State also very high on the list (nearly a six-hour drive) and then Penn State and Illinois are battling as well. All four are expected to get official trips.
*****
A new offer from Ohio State is definitely one ot watch for the elite 2025 receiver from Katy (Texas) Jordan as it’s “Wide Receiver U.” and “every receiver’s dream school” so the Buckeyes should definitely make an impact in his recruitment. Distance might be a factor, though, as Texas is going to be a major player for Marsh along with Oklahoma, LSU and others.
*****
The early thinking on the 2026 linebacker from Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger has been that USC could be very tough to beat in his recruitment. The campus is right up the road, he’s been a fan of the Trojans and it makes a lot of sense. That could very well still be the case but according to a source a new offer from Alabama will be a “game changer” for Moala and now Texas has also offered so the Longhorns could enter that early top group as well.
*****
The whisper on Nichols was that Michigan had the slightest edge for the high three-star cornerback from Cincinnati (Ohio) Withrow but now that Ohio State is his newest offer, the Buckeyes should definitely be watched. And don’t count out Penn State just yet, either, since it was the first school listed recently by him along with Cincinnati, Wisconsin and Rutgers.
*****
In early December, the 2025 four-star linebacker from Buford, Ga., committed to Georgia but since that time teams have been coming heavily after him including Texas A&M, Tennessee, USC, Alabama and this past weekend Miami made its move. “Everything” stood out about Perlotte’s visit to Coral Gables as the coaching staff made it clear “they really want me” and that left a big impression on the 2025 standout. The Crimson Tide continue to be the biggest threat to flip Perlotte at this point but Miami did an impressive job as well.
*****
Maybe no 2025 linebacker in the country has seen his recruitment take off like Shelton in the last few weeks as he’s landed offers from Ohio State, Auburn, Texas, Texas A&M, Stanford, Nebraska, Miami, Oregon, Notre Dame, LSU and Tennessee have offered since the beginning of May. The Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff standout who has nearly 20 offers now has four early standouts in the Longhorns, the Buckeyes, the Irish and LSU.
*****
After a visit to Ohio State, the feeling is that the Buckeyes are a very realistic contender in his recruitment as some people close to him know it’s a quarterback-friendly system and they’re not certain if other schools high on the list are at this point. That could bode well for Ohio State as things continue with the 2025 five-star quarterback from Belleville, Mich., but clearly Michigan, Michigan State and others will remain in the mix. A new offer from Alabama should absolutely be closely watched especially if the Crimson Tide make a real run at him.
*****
Florida, Georgia and UCF have been the three mainstays in Wiggins’ early recruitment and the early top list for the 2025 defensive end from Tallahassee (Fla.) Rickards but with new offers, Wiggins will take a look at those teams as well. In particular, Wiggins is highly interested in LSU and Florida State now and since he’s from Tallahassee, the Seminoles could be of even more increased interest moving forward.