Recruiting Rumor Mill: Top prospects enter key stretch before busy visits
Perhaps May is a little slower than April and a lot slower than what June will bring, but there is always plenty of news in recruiting. Here's the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney in this Recruiting Rumor Mill.
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The five-star athlete from Spring Valley (Calif.) Mount Miguel was 'shocked' at how much he enjoyed his visit to Penn State and it was 'way better' than he expected. The Nittany Lions are going to stay among his front-runners moving forward.
Can Penn State keep that momentum with Oregon, USC, Texas A&M and others heavily involved as well?
The high three-star defensive tackle from Katy (Texas) Paetow recently missed a visit to Oklahoma State but five others have emerged as the front-runners in his recruitment. Campbell is mainly focused on the teams that are making him the biggest priority with SMU, Houston, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech and North Carolina leading the way.
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A commitment is expected this Friday.
The buzz around Cooper's recruitment (after a very brief commitment early in his recruitment to Georgia) has been around the Bulldogs getting him back with Miami, Ohio State and others still involved, and now Texas is very much in the picture.
The Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade standout was recently in Austin, loved his interactions with the coaches and players, and it was made clear to him he's a top priority.
Texas A&M, Penn State and Ohio State are the other front-runners for Evers, but SMU is going to be right there until the end for the four-star offensive lineman from Flower Mound, Texas.
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His weekend trip there was phenomenal as he already feels like a 'fit' at the program and the coaching staff made it absolutely clear that they want him badly and they're determined not to lose him.
Pitt, Louisville and UConn are three others to watch early on for the 2027 safety from Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt but if Washington can keep up the momentum, the Huskies will be one to watch.
Fuentes-Bream had a lot of one-on-one time with position coach Taylor Mays as the two watched film and talked football for an hour so the Huskies could be the early team to beat.
The 2027 four-star running back from Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School has been coy about his clear leaders but Ohio State is definitely going to be up there. His other visits also stood out with Ole Miss, Georgia and now Oregon among the favorites.
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Gabriel Georges loved his interactions with all the coaches especially Dan Lanning and he was impressed by the talent in Eugene. It could be tough to pull him that far but the Ducks are in it.
A lot impressed the four-star linebacker from Torrance (Calif.) Bishop Montgomery during his weekend visit to SMU, especially the people in the building and the prospect of being an early contributor for the Mustangs.
SMU should stay in the running with Oregon and others, but Georgia is still very much the leader in his recruitment.
A top 12 should be coming around midseason for the 2027 four-star safety from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco with a lot of SEC interest along with Notre Dame and Oregon on the watch list.
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But USC could be the team to really watch, especially if the Trojans have a big season. Hill loved how passionate the players were about what's happening there and he loved interacting with the coaches.
Oregon and BYU have been the early front-runners for the 2027 four-star quarterback from Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln but now Cal has joined that list as well. A lot of things impressed Kaho during his weekend visit there but the 'culture running through the coaching staff' really made an impression on Kaho as the Golden Bears are now a very legitimate contender.
Oklahoma, SMU, Houston and many others are going to be involved with Melvin, who has a top 10, but watch out for Arizona State in his recruitment. The four-star athlete from Cypress (Texas) Cypress Springs 'loved it down there' during a recent visit and the Sun Devils are definitely one of his top teams.
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His relationship with coach Kenny Dillingham and position coach Bryan Carrington could give Arizona State an edge heading into June.
The four-star edge rusher from Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger has been committed to Texas A&M since October but his eyes are getting opened to some other visits, seeing other campuses and seeing what else is potentially out there.
Moala will be hard to flip since he respects the coaching staff so much, but Texas was just out to see him work out and now the Longhorns will be heavily involved with Tennessee, Michigan and UCLA also in the mix.
Five programs are making the biggest impression on Obot with USC, Utah, Nebraska, Oregon and Michigan as the front-runners. The Trojans are up to 26 commitments but their recent message that they're building something special there has resonated with him.
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All five remain involved but the feeling is still that the Trojans could have a slight edge right now.
There is a long list for the 2027 high three-star cornerback with Duke, Syracuse, Penn State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Georgia standing out most.
The Nittany Lions might have an edge especially after a recent visit where coach James Franklin and position coach Anthony Poindexter talked highly about his game and how he'd fit into the Penn State defense.
Texas and Texas A&M continue to battle it out for the 2027 defensive tackle from Corinth (Texas) Lake Dallas and the Longhorns could have the edge for one big reason: Redmond loves his interactions with position coach Kenny Baker and the two hit it off during a recent visit to Austin.
Oregon might still have an edge for the five-star defensive end but there is going to be some really heavy competition and a round of official visits in June before the Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon standout makes his decision.
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Wesley will be back in Eugene and also go to Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Tennessee and USC before making a decision. The Ducks are recruiting him the hardest but all six of those programs have a shot. Florida State, Penn State and others aren't quitting.
A new offer from Ohio State is 'amazing' for the 2027 running back from Memphis (Tenn.) Memphis Academy and while Williams isn't giving away any early favorites, the Buckeyes have definitely received his attention as the offer reinforces the work he's putting in.
Auburn, Ole Miss, USC and others have offered early on, too.
Vanderbilt could be making a significant push for Wyatt, especially after in-state four-star defensive back Caden Harris committed to the Commodores in recent days. It could also help that the Bell Buckle, Tenn., four-star standout lives less than an hour away from Nashville.
But Tennessee is still the team to beat and as things settle, the Vols could be really tough to beat. LSU and others are involved, too.
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