The second signing day for the 2023 class is this week but the weekend was filled again with so many junior days and visits across the country. This is what Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is hearing in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.
He plays at Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Northridge so Alabama is going to play a significant role in his recruitment but Banks was at Auburn over the weekend and loved it. Relationships are huge to Banks and he felt the coaches there were genuinely trying to get to know him would could be a major factor in his recruitment. A presentation from strength and conditioning coach Dom Studzinski made a major impression and and then assistant coaches Wesley McGriff and Zac Etheridge hit it off with Banks as well. Florida State, Tennessee and others are high on the list, too. Trips to Oklahoma and Texas A&M should be coming up.
*****
Clemson remains a main contender in Bolden’s recruitment and he thought its junior day was “different” since it focused on only about two dozen prospects and not a much bigger group like some schools. There is a “special feeling” at Clemson for the high four-star athlete from Buford, Ga., as the message from the coaches was to join a lifelong family which resonated with Bolden, who also has Georgia and many others high on the list.
*****
The 2024 four-star running back from North Palm Beach (Fla.) Benjamin School has been committed to Florida since mid-September but a weekend visit to Georgia did draw some attention. Bowens remains “100 percent committed to the Gators” but the Bulldogs’ coaching staff made it abundantly clear that he’s a top priority and they “did a great job at that.” The Gators still have Bowens locked up but the trip to Athens does make things more “interesting.”
*****
What stood out most about Brown’s latest visit to Clemson is that it only more fully reinforced what he already knew about the culture and the family feel there and why the Tigers stand out so much in his recruitment. It’s always a positive message from the coaches and it’s clear he’s a top 2024 target as Georgia, Tennessee and others pursue hard as well.
*****
Ole Miss and many other SEC programs are going to make a serious run at Cunningham since he’s such a talented receiver but South Carolina left a big impression and could be in the ballgame here. The Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County standout loved the coaching staff and had a phenomenal talk with executive director of character and player development Derrick Moore which could carry a lot of weight moving forward. Still, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and other SEC programs are high on his list as well.
*****
What stood out most about visiting Duke last weekend was spending time with coach Mike Elko and assistants Kevin Johns and Zohn Burden as they pushed the academic and athletic mix in Durham, a message that definitely resonated with the Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point athlete. Duke left a big impression but Dossett’s recruitment is just taking off as Nebraska, Utah, Cal, Kansas, Kansas State, Vanderbilt and Auburn are all involved and he visited Houston and Baylor this past weekend.
*****
In September, the 2024 four-star cornerback committed to LSU but over the weekend the Loganville (Ga.) Grayson standout visited Auburn and he was definitely impressed – to put it mildly. New coach Hugh Freeze said to him ‘Move off of blessings, not entitlement,’ and it meant to stay humble, a message that really resonated with Ferguson. His commitment to LSU stands but Auburn left him with something to seriously consider and more visits could happen soon.
“Coach Freeze is definitely going to bring the program back to life like it used to be,” Ferguson said.
*****
Among many things that stood out to Gilbert during his visit to Georgia over the weekend was just how unified all the coaches are in maximizing their development of the players there to make them the best they can be on the team and for the NFL. The 2025 four-star safety from Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass has been committed to Ohio State since July but the Bulldogs are clearly making a serious run at him. While he remains pledged to the Buckeyes, the word is that Gilbert is also very high on the list.
“The message was they want me and they are going to do everything to try to get me,” Gilbert said.
*****
The 2025 four-star quarterback from Warner Robins (Ga.) Houston County was at Auburn over the weekend, coach Hugh Freeze talked to Hill about how he utilized Malik Willis’ skillset and how he would use Hill in the Tigers’ offense and he also got a chance to sit down with new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. It was an outstanding visit but the 2025 quarterback is waiting until at least September to see which schools are recruiting him the hardest and to make a top list from there. Georgia will remain a contender since Hill’s cousin, Trey, was a center for the Bulldogs.
*****
Texas, TCU, Auburn, Oklahoma, LSU and others are involved and while the Sooners could have an early edge with the 2024 high three-star linebacker, don’t count out Duke after a recent visit. The Aledo, Texas standout has been “surprised at the speed” at which coach Mike Elko and his staff have made the Blue Devils relevant and the sales pitch of being “the best of both worlds” academically and athletically appealed to Keys.
*****
One of the best quarterbacks nationally regardless of class, the 2026 quarterback from Carrollton, Ga., was at LSU over the weekend and landed his latest offer from the Tigers. Lewis feels LSU is a “complete program” and getting to know coach Brian Kelly’s and Joe Sloan’s coaching history could keep the Tigers high on the list.
“How they approach the QB position pretty much guarantees that their guy will be successful,” Lewis said.
Recent visits to USC and LSU stood out, a visit to Ohio State could be huge early in his recruitment and then spring visits will be crucial as Lewis starts to formulate his top list with Georgia and other SEC powers coming after him as well.
*****
After Georgia’s junior day on Saturday, coach Kirby Smart traveled to Statesboro to take in Mizell’s basketball game against Demello Jones and his Swainsboro team. It meant a ton to Mikell because he said “it shows he really wants me.” Smart brought his son and assistant coach Fran Brown brought his son as well as the Bulldogs are clearly one of the front-runners in Mizell’s recruitment. A top 14 was released but Georgia and some other SEC teams have to like where they stand now.
*****
Auburn’s facilities stood out and the message from the coaches about building lifelong relationships while playing at the highest level of college football stood out but what made the biggest impression on Oliver was just how much love the coaches showed him throughout the day.
“More than any other school I’ve been to or heard from so far,” Oliver said.
Auburn is definitely high on the list for the 2024 offensive tackle from Nashville (Tenn.) Christ Presbyterian Academy standout after the weekend visit along with Florida State, Michigan, TCU, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Miami, Missouri and others.
*****
The 2025 four-star linebacker from Buford, Ga., committed to Georgia in early December and he remains happily pledged to the Bulldogs but a weekend visit to Alabama does make things more interesting. That’s the case especially because Perlotte had a great talk with coach Nick Saban where the pitch was Saban really wants the 2025 linebacker in Tuscaloosa and that he’s going to develop him as a great player and an even better person. It’s intriguing and there are “big decisions” ahead but Perlotte remains committed to UGA.
*****
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Penn State and others are making a run at Phillips but his weekend visit to Auburn went great and he hit it off especially with assistants Josh Aldridge and Ron Roberts. Showing the Tuskegee (Ala.) Booker T. Washington exactly how he’d be used in the defense and connecting with him that way especially stood out. The Tigers definitely left an impression on the in-state standout on Saturday.
*****
There was some chatter that Seaton could visit Alabama this past weekend but he ended up at Georgia – and definitely doesn’t regret the trip to Athens. The 2024 high four-star offensive guard from Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College High loved that Georgia felt like an elite school and program and that the coaches told him that preparation throughout the week turns into dominance on Saturday. That resonated with Seaton, who has Georgia high on the list along with Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Colorado and Michigan right now.
*****
Regional programs like Cincinnati and Kentucky will play a big role in Selm’s recruitment but a recent trip to Penn State left a lasting impression. The 2024 offensive lineman from Independence (Ky.) Simon Kenton loved his time especially inside Beaver Stadium and he loved interacting with the coaching staff there.
“The stadium is the biggest I’ve ever been in,” Selm said.
*****
Notre Dame, LSU, Tennessee and Texas A&M are the early standouts for the 2024 high four-star athlete from Many, La., and after a recent visit to College Station, Singleton has a lot to consider. He thought “the whole place was just amazing” and he loved the high-tech nature of everything there plus the coaching staff showed him so much attention and broke down exactly how he’d be used in the Aggies’ defense. LSU is considered a front-runner but others are still right there.
*****
The S.O.U.L. player development program at Oklahoma was a huge hit to the 2024 high three-star linebacker from Jasper, Texas and Smith also loved the defensive scheme in Norman so they will continue to be a main contender in his recruitment. But the word is that Texas A&M is standing out the most at this point as Oklahoma, Texas and many others remain involved.
*****
Oklahoma is going to play a major factor for the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star defensive lineman since he’s from the state and he said after an Ohio State offer that the Buckeyes are easily in his top two but Stone keeps returning to Michigan State and continues to love it more and more. If there’s one team that could upset the Sooners the word is it would be Michigan State as he loves coach Mel Tucker, assistant coach Brandon Jordan and others in East Lansing.
“Every time I come back I seem to enjoy it more than the last,” Stone said.
*****
The genuineness of the Michigan coaching staff especially stood out to the four-star offensive lineman from Copperas Cove, Texas as he saw just how the coaches interact with each other and the recruits during the weekend. The pitch to Uini was to go where he’s wanted most and he felt that at Michigan for sure. The Wolverines made a big impression as Texas, Oklahoma and many others closer to home are involved as well.
*****
Alabama has been “the standard for over 10 years” and so a new offer from the Crimson Tide definitely made a huge impression on the 2025 receiver from Red Oak, Texas. This past weekend, Williams was at Texas A&M and he loved the football aspect of things from the pro-style offense that’s favorable to the NFL to the veteran coaching staff and all the off-field perks including the Aggie Network. Michigan, Pitt, Penn State, TCU and Oregon are others to watch early with LSU, Ohio State and USC intriguing him as well. Tennessee and Nebraska are also up there and Williams hopes to hear from Colorado soon.
