Recruiting Rumor Mill: Gigantic June rolls on as visits continue


The busiest month of June is in full swing and there is tons of news coming out every day, especially with another busy weekend in the books. Here’s the latest in this Recruiting Rumor Mill from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

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Penn State was a phenomenal visit for the Erie, Pa., native who’s now at Carrollton, Ga., but his weekend trip to Texas A&M – long considered the front-runner – might have topped the Nittany Lions.

The Aggies’ coaching staff made it clear to Barney that he’s a “need” in their program and the type of elite cornerback who can make their defense the best in the country. It might be tough to top Texas A&M as his decision gets closer.

The 2027 four-star quarterback from Palestine (Texas) Westwood landed an offer from Texas after working out in Austin over the last few days. Being from Texas and landing an offer from the Longhorns is a huge deal to Bryant and he loved the “great coaching” he got during the workout.

Texas surges way up his list with Oregon, Florida State, Michigan, Texas A&M and SMU so far.

After camping at Clemson, an offer from the Tigers “would immediately put them near the top of the list” as Burns loved working with position coach Matt Luke in recent days. Luke told the 2027 four-star offensive tackle from Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee that before moving forward with an offer he wanted to meet Burns’ family and that definitely made a good impression.

Tennessee is also very high on Burns’ list with Florida, Maryland, Texas A&M and Syracuse up there.

Working out at Ole Miss was big for Curtis in recent days as he landed an offer from the Rebels and has now set up a visit to be back in Oxford soon. The word is Ole Miss is in Curtis’ top five but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Rebels are even higher given his limited Power Four offers.

Getting to work with position coach Randall Joyner was a huge draw for the Ocean Springs (Miss.) St. Martin standout during his time there.

An Auburn visit went well and there’s talk that Oregon could move up quickly if he becomes a bigger priority but Alabama is the team to beat and is No. 1 for sure.

That’s the word after the five-star safety from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances was back in Tuscaloosa this weekend as Edwards now sees why “Alabama has been great these past years.”

Heading into his weekend visit at Florida State, the four-star linebacker from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy had Florida as his top school. The word is that has now changed with the Seminoles taking the lead in his recruitment and the “loyalty” he’s seen from the coaching staff.

It wouldn’t be a total shocker if a commitment was close.

The three-star defensive back from La Verne (Calif.) Damien has been committed to Syracuse since late November but Utah is surging in his recruitment after he loved his visit in Salt Lake City recently. A midweek visit to Michigan State happened and then Gates will be at BYU this weekend.

A final decision should come in late July or early August as the Utes are currently the biggest threat to flip him.

Georgia had been the leader in Goodwin’s recruitment but he canceled his visit to Athens (it could be rescheduled during the season) as Oregon and Michigan have emerged as the two new frontrunners in his recruitment.

SMU is also in there especially after a great recent visit there. The Ducks and the Wolverines are the two clear front-runners though as summer continues.

After backing off his pledge to Mississippi State in recent days, a handful of programs have emerged for the 2027 four-star safety from Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County.

South Carolina and Tennessee could end up battling it out for him with North Carolina and Florida State as two others to definitely watch as things pick up again in his recruitment.

On June 1, the three-star offensive lineman from Las Vegas (Nev.) Clark committed to Washington but since that time, Harris has landed offers from Georgia, Texas and LSU.

Still, though, the word is that Harris found his “home” at Washington and even with those major SEC offers, he doesn’t seem to be second-guessing his pledge.

Haviland had a great first visit to Clemson and felt the “family-like culture” there even though he had never been there before as the 2027 four-star tight end from Milton, Ga., loved his trip there recently.

The hold-up is that Clemson has not offered yet – even during this visit – as Haviland has more than 30 offers with Georgia and many others already involved.

Hudson had a phenomenal weekend at a 7-on-7 tournament at Nebraska working with Huskers QB commit Trae Taylor and that connection could be huge as Hudson’s recruitment continues. The 2027 No. 1 tight end will keep building that relationship and seeing if that momentum stays with the Huskers is crucial as LSU is going to be tough to beat along with Texas A&M. Florida, USC and Oregon are also high on the list.

All this could change, though, since Hudson visited and got offered at Ohio State on Sunday as the Buckeyes join that top group as well and was a top program for him before offering.

After camping at Clemson, an offer from the Tigers “would mean a lot because I know Clemson does not mess around” and an offer would reflect they think he’s one of the top players. The 2027 four-star athlete from Charlotte (N.C.) West Charlotte loved working with the coaches and loved the detail-oriented approach to the program.

An offer from Clemson would be massive as Virginia Tech, Duke, South Carolina, Ohio State and Michigan are standing out most.

Texas A&M is “definitely one of the ones at the top of the list” after a great official visit to College Station this weekend as the Aggies remain one of the favorites. Alabama is still battling right at the top for the five-star edge rusher along with Auburn and others.

This could end up being a battle between the Crimson Tide and the Aggies until the end.

After a great visit to Oregon last week, the Ducks had emerged as the clear front-runner for the 2027 four-star quarterback from Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln. But the chatter now is that there has been a change since Kaho absolutely loved every single thing about his weekend visit to Washington as the Huskies have now become the team to beat.

The UW staff told Kaho he’s the main priority and the top target in the 2027 class so that made a major impact to Kaho and his family.

The four-star linebacker from Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial has been to Texas A&M numerous times but this was his best trip yet as coach Mike Elko and DC/linebackers coach Jay Bateman made it clear how King would be utilized in the Aggies’ defense.

This trip made his upcoming July 4 decision even harder as Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas round out his top four. There has been a ton of Notre Dame chatter around this recruitment so the Aggies and the Irish could battle it out until the end.

Kreul set off some alarm bells this weekend when showing pictures of his Florida visit on social media and calling it his “dream school.”

The four-star edge rusher from Orlando who’s now playing at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy will be in touch with the Florida staff “a lot moving forward” and he loves the culture of constant development in Gainesville. Oklahoma has been considered the team to beat but if the Gators have a big season then they could surge right to the top.

The thinking has been that South Carolina leads for Matthews and that Texas has been making a serious move up in his recruitment but Florida State could now be the team to watch.

The Cornelius (N.C.) Hough four-star cornerback had an “incredible” visit to Tallahassee over the weekend and loves how “consistent and genuine” the staff has been. From coach Mike Norvell to DC Tony White and position coach Patrick Surtain Sr., the Noles are absolutely in this race again especially if they can keep the momentum in the closing weeks.

Miller had a great visit to Clemson in recent days for camp and hit it off with position coach Matt Luke, staffer Carson Cramer and others. He landed an offer from the Tigers and the 2027 four-star offensive lineman from Anna, Texas, recognizes how big of a deal (and how rare that is) for players in his class.

Clemson definitely made a great impression but the question will remain what kind of momentum it has especially with schools closer to home like Oklahoma and all the Texas programs heavily involved.

Parks’ recruitment is still in the early stages but Notre Dame is going to be there until the end after being back on campus for the Irish Invasion on Friday and because of family connections to the program.

His godfather is Chris Zorich and his cousin is Tony Jones Jr. so the 2027 four-star defensive tackle from Chicago (Ill.) Brother Rice has been coming to games since he was nine years old.

Many others will be involved but the Irish will be there until the end and could be tough to beat.

Tennessee still might be very tough to beat but Alabama is trying hard and now Michigan is giving the four-star linebacker something to seriously consider. Playing for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and position coach Brian Jean-Mary is a massive draw for Rouse and now seems even bigger about spending time with them on his official visit. The Vols still could be at the top but Michigan is closing strong.

Ole Miss is still at the top of Shumaker’s list especially after working out in Oxford this week and getting more time with position coach Randall Joyner.

The 2027 four-star defensive tackle from Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County loved the standard of “not being average” as Mississippi State is the other team to watch in his recruitment but it feels like the Rebels are way out in front.

The 2027 high three-star receiver from Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek has been committed to Houston since October but a recent offer from Georgia could be a massive threat to the Cougars.

Starling loves the program and especially the gritty and tough culture in Athens and after a quick tour this past time, another visit is being planned as Starling is “definitely thinking about” Georgia in his recruitment.

Penn State is “an insane offer” for the Avon (Conn.) Avon Old Farms offensive tackle to receive in the last few days and it’s immediately a “top school” in his recruitment.

Thom believes coach James Franklin really knows what he’s doing and while he’s not thinking about a snap commitment to the Nittany Lions, they are now definitely the top team with Stanford and Boston College right there.

The four-star offensive tackle from New Albany, Miss., decommitted from Mississippi State earlier this month and has since visited Ole Miss and LSU in recent weeks.

“Everything” stood out about his weekend visit to LSU and he “loved every bit of it” as the Tigers have emerged as the new front-runner even though Oxford is less than an hour from his hometown.

Wagner “really likes Notre Dame right now” and isn’t sure about other top schools which has to be a great sign for the Irish in his recruitment.

The 2027 four-star offensive tackle from St. Joseph (Ill.) Saint Joseph Ogden who’s been to Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and a bunch of others has so many great relationships in South Bend and the message from the coaching staff was that he’s “their guy.”

The early talk on the star 2027 four-star tight end is that Georgia has an edge in his recruitment but the whispers after his Ohio State visit this weekend is that the Buckeyes have taken the lead for the Libertyville, Ill., standout.

The feeling now is that Ohio State and Georgia could battle it out until the end but after his trip to Columbus, the Buckeyes are slightly favored.

The four-star receiver from Tampa (Fla.) Plant has been committed to Florida State since April and he takes his official visit to Tallahassee next weekend – and then a final decision is going to be made.

Williams absolutely loved his weekend trip to Florida, hit it off with coach Billy Napier and especially has a great relationship with position coach Billy Gonzales, who could be a big factor in Williams’ final choice.

The prevailing thinking is that the four-star edge rusher from Wadley, Ala., will end up at Auburn but some sources close to him believe this could end up as a battle between Texas A&M and Miami in the end with the Aggies having the edge.

Alabama has a “slim” chance so that looks like a long shot with Auburn being right there but don’t be surprised if he leaves the state.

The word in Wyatt’s recruitment is that Tennessee definitely leads especially after his visit to Knoxville this weekend as he and his family love the Vols.

But the four-star athlete from Bell Buckle (Tenn.) Webb isn’t fully comfortable with his future position as Tennessee wants him as an outside linebacker/edge rusher but Wyatt would prefer to play a more hybrid safety role like Derwin James. Georgia and Vanderbilt are the biggest threats to Tennessee especially if the position stuff becomes more of an issue.

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