With more prospects on the road and another busy weekend behind us, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has the latest in the second Recruiting Rumor Mill this week.
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What the four-star receiver from Birmingham (Ala.) Spain Park loved most about his recent visit to Alabama was the competitiveness of everybody on the field and how position coach JaMarcus Shephard coaches the receivers.
The word is that the Crimson Tide are especially high in his recruitment now but Georgia is definitely right there as well and he was at Ole Miss on Tuesday.
Penn State, Georgia Tech and possibly Colorado are some other contenders for Barney but Texas A&M looks like the front-runner for the four-star cornerback from Carrollton, Ga.
After a recent visit to College Station, Barney loved how involved coach Mike Elko was in practice and it was made clear Barney was the “No. 1 priority for them.”
After visiting Miami over the weekend, Bray loved how involved the coaching staff was with the offensive linemen as coach Mario Cristobal and position coach Alex MIrabal ran the individual period and that especially stood out.
The 2027 offensive lineman from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas has Miami high on the list after getting an offer with Pittsburgh and Missouri.
Penn State, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida State have been others high on the list, especially the Nittany Lions, but the word now is that Georgia is at the top of his list.
The four-star receiver from Richmond (Va.) Trinity Episcopal was in Athens over the weekend and loved interacting with the coaches and players off the football field. He loved the “constant development and energy” on it.
Ohio State and Notre Dame are the other standouts for the 2027 four-star running back but North Carolina is surging in his recruitment. After meeting with coach Bill Belichick for the third time and seeing a true “NFL feeling” in Chapel Hill, the Rolesville, N.C., has the Tar Heels right in that top group as well.
Brown wants to play for a coach who loves defense as much as he does and the high four-star two-way lineman from Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab sees that in Texas A&M coach Mike Elko.
He loves everything about the Aggies but LSU is still believed to be the front-runner for so many reasons, especially since he already goes to school right on campus.
So much has changed in Clarke’s recruitment after his weekend visit to Florida State as it’s all about feel for the four-star safety from Henrico (Va.) Hermitage and he loved it in Tallahassee.
Clarke got “great vibes” at Florida State. He feels the program fits his identity and he hit it off with coach Mike Norvell.
The high three-star offensive tackle from Fort Myers, Fla., backed off his Louisville pledge days after visiting Miami and now the Hurricanes are considered the clear front-runner.
Ervin loved the passion and intensity of the Miami coaching staff, their focus on winning and the talk about getting his family up for an official visit.
A couple weeks ago the word was LSU was Feaster’s front-runner “as of now” but Texas A&M is making a serious run at him with multiple visits. The five-star receiver from DeSoto, Texas, was in College Station last weekend and he loved how he was told what a difference-maker he could be in the program.
Feaster is going back to Texas A&M on Friday before heading to Texas on Saturday.
Michigan, Colorado, Miami and now North Carolina have joined the top group for Fleming especially after getting to Chapel Hill and getting a real feel for coach Bill Belichick. Of course, the Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson 2027 cornerback knew about Belichick’s reputation but being around him and the development he has at practice was huge. But others are definitely a major consideration early on.
Geralds loved meeting with FSU coach Mike Norvell, new defensive coordinator Tony White and position coach Terrance Knighton along with general manager Darrick Yray as the Seminoles try to move up here. The four-star defensive tackle loved hearing from all the former players about the program and he will return on April 8.
But Ohio State has the edge here with Oklahoma and others heavily involved for arguably the best defensive tackle in the class.
The four-star safety from Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County committed to Mississippi State in November but that has not stopped others from trying to flip him. North Carolina and South Carolina are trying the hardest to flip him and Georgia has not offered yet but the Bulldogs are “real and transparent” with him so an offer from the Bulldogs would be huge.
Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida and Ole Miss will all be ones to watch and now Alabama has joined that top list after a visit he ranked a "15 out of 10."
The 2027 edge rusher from Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson said “everything was beyond excellent” and his connection with the coaching staff could put the Crimson Tide over the top.
USC offered the four-star linebacker from Torrance (Calif.) Bishop Montgomery on Tuesday. He loves the coaching staff and support staff close to home. But the word is that Georgia remains the front-runner in his recruitment with Oregon also high up there.
Goodwin’s relationship with UGA coach Kirby Smart and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann is unmatched.
Alabama is “right at the top” of Hall’s recruitment after a great visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend and his knowledge of the Crimson Tide’s success developing linebackers and defensive backs over the years.
Florida State and others are making a big play for the four-star from Milton, Fla., but Alabama could be setting the pace in his recruitment.
The feeling is that Oklahoma and Texas are battling it out for Houston with Texas A&M and LSU rounding out his top four for the 2027 four-star quarterback from Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian. A weekend visit to College Station was more than valuable as Houston not only go to go to TopGolf but also sit down for “a few hours” with offensive coordinator Collin Klein to go over the offense and familiarize himself even more.
Tulane and Louisville are the other standouts for Johnson with Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee on the watch list but North Carolina has now emerged as a serious contender for the four-star athlete from Jackson (Miss.) Jackson Academy.
Meeting coach Bill Belichick was a “dream come true” and Johnson “never imagined” Belichick would be interested in him. His dad is a huge New England Patriots fan and has even taken Johnson to Gillette Stadium so the Tar Heels are moving up very fast.
Arguably the top quarterback in the 2028 class, the Miami Northwestern product was back at the Hurricanes’ practice this week. He loved seeing so many other local guys out there and Miami continues to build a very solid relationship with him.
The connection he’s building with the staff is getting stronger on each visit but everyone else will be involved with Lawrence, who has Penn State and Ohio State visits this week as well.
Michigan continues to be a major contender – if not the clear front-runner – in Ludwig’s recruitment especially after a visit to Ann Arbor over the weekend where his connection with the coaches continues to get stronger.
A lot of Colston Loveland comps have been mentioned with the four-star tight end from Billings (Mt.) West as Texas Tech, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Notre Dame are the other standouts.
Maycock committed to Florida State on Feb. 20 but over the weekend the four-star linebacker was at Miami and the message from the coaching staff was that there was no way they’d stop recruiting him.
The Miami Central standout loved how the coaches and players have bonded there and how everyone was showing love like he was “already there.” The Hurricanes are definitely going to make a run at flipping him.
Robinson hit it off with Alabama position coach Robert Gillespie during his trip to Tuscaloosa over the weekend, connected on so many levels – including that they’re both from Mississippi – and now the Crimson Tide stand “real high” in his recruitment.
Tennessee is also up there for the 2027 four-star running back from Brandon, Miss., along with Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
Alabama has “always” been the front-runner for the four-star defensive end from Picayune, Miss., and after his weekend visit there the Crimson Tide have moved even higher. Wilson feels like home in Tuscaloosa, the coaches keep telling him he fits in with everything they’re trying to do on defense and he especially appreciated how the coaches treated his mother “like a queen” on this trip.
