Recruiting Rumor Mill: October is heating up - Rivals: Football & Basketball Recruiting

Oct 22, 2024

Adam Gorney breaks down where things stand in defensive tackle Justus Terry's recruitment.

Adam Gorney breaks down defensive end Zion Elee's recruitment after a visit to Tennessee.

SEC and ACC programs continue to court the blue-chip pass catcher.

Adam Gorney breaks down the recruiting impact after Seth Littrell's firing at Oklahoma.

National recruiting analyst Greg Smith breaks down the news of Julian Marks flipping from Kansas to Nebraska.

Adam Gorney breaks down where things stand in defensive tackle Justus Terry's recruitment.

Adam Gorney breaks down defensive end Zion Elee's recruitment after a visit to Tennessee.

SEC and ACC programs continue to court the blue-chip pass catcher.

Another loaded week of news and rumors means there’s no better time for the Recruiting Rumor Mill. Here’s the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

MORE: Recruits rave about the environment in Neyland after Tennessee win

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The 2026 four-star safety from Miami Lakes (Fla.) Barbara Goleman has been committed to Florida State since October 2023 so it could be tough to pull him away from the Seminoles but Alabama just offered and the word is he’s going to take a serious look at the Crimson Tide.

The offer from Alabama does have a “big impact” on his recruitment as Michigan and Louisville are also trying to flip him.

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Burrus visited Indiana two years ago and then the three-star defensive end was back in Bloomington over the weekend and he saw a complete change in the program and how everything operates.

That is a very tempting situation for the Louisville commit especially as the Hoosiers are shockingly undefeated but the word is that nothing has changed “right now” with the Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central standout.

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After a weekend visit to Michigan State, the Spartans have emerged as the front-runner in Davila’s recruitment especially since he loves the staff and the idea of being coached by position coach Demetrice Martin.

The Spartans definitely have emerged as No. 1 on the list but visits to Arizona State, Utah, Virginia Tech and Illinois will happen before a decision.

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Elee had a good time at Tennessee but didn’t really talk much with the coaching staff so that could be telling as his recruitment continues. Maryland continues to get his attention as the 2026 four-star defensive end from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances looks at his recruitment with Miami, Texas A&M, Oregon and Penn State as the other standout schools. Visits to College Station and Miami are coming up.

After his visit to Oregon in the summer, Finney committed to the Ducks and that was another big recruiting win for that staff but there will be a lot of pressure down the stretch to hold on.

There are whispers that the Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh might be thinking about staying closer to home and Penn State was heavily involved the first time around. It wouldn’t be a shock if Oregon keeps Finney but the Nittany Lions and others could be working on him.

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Following his commitment to San Diego State in September, Garretson has seen some interesting offers come in. The Chico (Calif.) Pleasant Valley tight end was at Arkansas over the weekend and that will definitely be one to watch and then in recent days, Garretson landed an offer from Cal.

The Golden Bears told Garretson they want to set up an official visit soon and that could definitely be one to watch since Berkeley is less than three hours away.

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Ever since committing to Duke in June, Gompers has only seen his recruitment take off with offers from Miami, Michigan, Penn State and so many others.

The high three-star athlete from Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic has been relatively quiet about his intentions but the word is that the Nittany Lions are making a serious push and could end up convincing the in-state prospect to flip.

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Georgia is already a top program for the massive 2027 offensive tackle from Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County and it’s “only getting stronger” after a recent visit to Athens.

Epelle has Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina and others involved but Epelle always has a great time when he’s at Georgia and he’s planning to be back in mid-November when the Volunteers visit.

Henderson committed to Houston in May but the Cougars have struggled early this season and some major programs have not given up on recruiting the 2026 high four-star standout.

SMU, Baylor, Oregon, Colorado, TCU and Texas A&M are the main programs trying to flip the Spring (Texas) Legacy standout who’s set on playing quarterback but is also a phenomenal athlete.

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Despite the loss, King had a great time “like always” at Texas over the weekend, spent a lot of time with position coach Johnny Nansen and got to talk a lot with former Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial teammate Jaylon Guilbeaux as the Longhorns remain one of the main front-runners. Texas and Texas A&M could be in a battle for the 2026 four-star linebacker with Notre Dame, SMU and Tennessee in the running.

Nebraska, Stanford, Baylor, Florida and UCF are all reaching out, too.

There have been no changes to Matthews’ top teams although Tennessee gave him “goosebumps” over the weekend as the environment was electric in Knoxville especially as the Vols knocked off Alabama.

Tennessee remains a major front-runner but there is going to be stiff competition for the 2026 high four-star cornerback from Cornelius (N.C.) Hough as South Carolina, North Carolina, Penn State, Florida State, Ohio State and Notre Dame stand out most.

Early in his recruitment, McPike has developed a strong relationship with staffer Wayne Younger and position coach Jacob Peeler as Missouri is definitely an early favorite for the 2027 receiver from St. Louis (Mo.) Lutheran North. McPike got to meet coach Eli Drinkwitz and then top players including Luther Burden, Theo Wease and Brady Cook and that only helped the Tigers even more.

Right now, it’s a two-team race between Missouri and Tennessee.

Over time, McCoy’s top list has changed as LSU and Mississippi State were the standouts but now four other SEC programs are looking strongest.

After a recent visit to Alabama, the 2026 four-star defensive end from Tupelo, Miss., has the Crimson Tide very high and seeing the defense flying around as Tennessee, Florida and Texas A&M are the other ones to watch.

Iowa State and Nebraska are the new front-runners after Moore backed off his pledge to Oklahoma which stood for more than a year.

The three-star defensive tackle from Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Lee’s Summit North had an awesome time in Ames and loved how the energy never changed through the ups and downs of the game as the Cyclones are now considered the frontrunner in his recruitment.

After visiting Georgia, the Bulldogs could be very tough to beat for the 2026 high four-star receiver from Mission Viejo, Calif. Spafford hadn’t exactly narrowed it down to Georgia and Ole Miss but those were his top two and he always wanted to play in the SEC and after his recent trip to Athens, the Bulldogs have emerged as the favorite.

A commitment might not come until after his junior season but the Dawgs are the team to beat.

NC State is going to be one to watch for the 2026 high three-star defensive tackle from Clayton, N.C., along with Miami, Kentucky and Penn State but Tennessee could be surging in his recruitment after a recent visit.

Stancil was in Knoxville for the Vols’ win over Florida and he could return soon as he had a phenomenal time on that visit.

Michigan, Oklahoma and Nebraska will be some schools to watch for the 2027 four-star quarterback along with others since he has nearly 30 offers but LSU is 100 percent going to be up there as well. The Mundelein (Ill.) Carmel Catholic standout trains with Bryce Underwood as they have the same private QB coach and the word is that it could be huge once Taylor works toward a decision.

If Underwood has early success in Baton Rouge, it could be even bigger.

The Fridley (Minn.) Totino Grace defensive tackle has been committed to Northern Iowa since late September but Thomas was at Iowa State over the weekend and now he has a really big decision to make.

Thomas absolutely loved the staff in Ames and how hospitable they were toward him and his family and that could go a long way in his decision.

A lot of Midwest programs have Vitti’s attention especially now Indiana and Illinois with that success this season as he was in Champaign over the weekend and loved it.

The 2026 four-star defensive back from Detroit (Mich.) Divine Child has a great relationship with position coach Corey Parker since his time at Toledo, Vitti loved the Illinois student section and the word is the Illini is now a top four team that will get an official visit.

Ohio State is going to make a serious run for him especially after Weeks had a great visit to Columbus over the summer but LSU could be tough to beat.

His brother, Whit, is having a phenomenal season for the Tigers and leading them in tackles plus a recent visit to Baton Rouge for the 2026 four-star linebacker from Watkinsville (Ga.) Oconee County really left a major impression for LSU’s win over Ole Miss.