Recruiting Rumor Mill: Visit schedules filling up
The Recruiting Rumor Mill is ramping back up as fall visits are being planned early in the season. Here is the latest that Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is hearing:
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One of the top 2025 receivers nationally, the College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy standout was excellent in a game this past weekend and already has some programs that have caught his attention in recruiting.
Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia and Florida could have the early edge but Abdullah remains open to all programs heading into his sophomore season.
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Trips to Alabama and LSU are being planned by the four-star linebacker from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas and those two programs are definitely the front-runners at this point in his recruitment. The Tigers and the Crimson Tide look best but Brown is also looking at a trip to Florida so the Gators cannot be counted out, either.
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Stanford, UCLA, BYU and Utah are all going to get visits from the four-star linebacker out of Provo (Utah) Timpview and Esera is still working on figuring out his fifth and final trip. Oregon and Tennessee are under the most serious consideration as Stanford might be edging out the in-state programs right now.
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Georgia, Alabama, Miami, Florida and Clemson are the five schools expected to get visits as those are the programs that are now recruiting Freeling the hardest. Notre Dame could also be in that top group but with five OL commits already, room could be tight.
That could be particularly good news for in-state Clemson but the Mt. Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside Collegiate Academy four-star standout wants to take those five trips before figuring much else out.
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Alabama is considered one of the main front-runners for the Kansas City (Mo.) North Kansas City four-star defensive tackle but two other programs will have a chance to convince Hill otherwise early next month before a planned commitment on Sept. 24.
The four-star will be at Oregon for the Eastern Washington game and then at Missouri for the Abilene Christian matchup. Alabama, Oregon and Missouri along with USC, LSU and Oklahoma round out his top six.
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A few weeks ago, Auburn, Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee were the standouts. That could very well be the case as the four-star defensive end from Concord (N.C.) Robinson is planning trips to Tuscaloosa and Knoxville and he’ll also be in attendance for the Georgia-Oregon game soon.
The Tar Heels are still believed to be the team to beat but SEC teams are coming on strong.
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Arizona is considered the front-runner in Laloulu’s recruitment but things remain wide open for the powerful four-star offensive guard from Honolulu (Hawaii) Farrington.
Things could get much more interesting in the coming months, though, as Laloulu is planning only a visit to Oregon this season although no date has been finalized. If the Ducks push hard, they could emerge at the top of his list.
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The four-star safety from Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes has been committed to Auburn since late April as he was a top target at a position of need for the Tigers. Auburn beat out many other schools but Miami was the other top contender for Love, who said South Carolina is now the school trying to flip him most.
He doesn’t have any trips on the books yet but he does plan to get on the road – somewhere – starting in September.
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Ohio State could get a big visit from the four-star defensive tackle from Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett for the Wisconsin game in late September but the trip details are not worked out just yet as McDonald continues to have interest in that program.
Michigan and Oklahoma are expected to also get game-day visits this fall and McDonald will “probably” visit Clemson this season as well.
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The four-star cornerback from Roswell, Ga., lists nearly 50 offers but two teams have seriously emerged as the biggest contenders as Colorado and Houston have captured Nation’s attention most.
Both the Buffaloes and the Cougars are expected to get visits this fall as the four-star could figure out other trips as well.
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The four-star safety from Selma, Ala., has been committed to Penn State in late June but Auburn and Ole Miss especially have not given up and it’s still unclear whether he’s going to take visits to SEC programs this season.
The Nittany Lions have lost some commitments recently including some in the South so keeping Nelson in the class is big.
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After a surprise visit to Texas A&M, Nelson remains quiet about his recruitment but is still committed to USC. The five-star quarterback has an excellent relationship with USC coach Lincoln Riley and fits his offense well but the Aggies are making him think and Alabama is making a run at the Los Alamitos, Calif., quarterback as well. It's at least something to watch heading into his senior year.
Others have tried to get involved including one program in the SEC but it's unlikely it has legs.
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The four-star offensive guard from East St. Louis, Ill., has been committed to Arkansas since July 4 but there was a rumor floating recently that he and teammate Miles McVay could end up at Jackson State together.
With McVay’s pledge to Alabama, that rumor looks untrue but Patterson could still take a host of visits in the coming months with UCLA, Auburn, Kansas and Illinois also coming after him.
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LSU still looks best for the four-star receiver from St. James, La., and Prean has not made it a secret that he’s been very interested in the Tigers for a long time. But Prean still has not committed which gives Mississippi State and Auburn a chance in his recruitment as those two other SEC teams continue to pursue him.
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His father played at Florida and his brother is now playing in Gainesville as the Gators continue to pursue the 2024 four-star defensive end from Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe. Game-day trips are coming up with Rushing planning visits to Florida, Notre Dame, Oregon, Alabama and Oklahoma.
Those five programs have made a big impression with maybe the Ducks and the Irish having an edge, but a trip to Gainesville could be hugely impactful.
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Georgia could be very tough to beat for the four-star receiver from Lakeland, Fla., with a decision expected in late September. But Ole Miss is going to get a crack at Williams first as he’s expected to be in Oxford for the season opener against Troy.