Recruiting Rumor Mill: Buzz picks up surrounding 2026 prospects
A lot is already happening in the 2026 class and Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney offers this holiday edition of the Recruiting Rumor Mill.
The Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes four-star running back, who rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, landed a new offer from Georgia in recent days and it’s “definitely a game-changer” in his recruitment.
The Bulldogs immediately become a main contender with Texas A&M, Penn State, Kentucky and South Carolina battling it out right now.
The four-star offensive guard from Orlando (Fla.) First Academy was at Florida State over the weekend as the Seminoles hosted a small but important group. He is planning to see Alabama and Clemson in January, which could be important to his frontrunners.
So far, Clemson, Florida and Miami are the standouts for Barclay, but some big trips could change things up over the next couple months.
Barney committed to Alabama in May but in November he backed off that pledge and since that time five schools have stood out to the four-star cornerback from Carrollton, Ga.
Atop the list are Georgia and Texas A&M, while Florida State, Penn State and Ohio State round out the top group.
A new Ohio State offer could be intriguing for the four-star cornerback from Westlake VIllage (Calif.) Oaks Christian, but the word has been that Oregon still leads in a big way for Benjamin, who has had USC as the other top school in his recruitment.
A visit to Columbus could be interesting but the Ducks look strongest.
Georgia is going to make a significant play for Brooks since the Bulldogs signed one of his Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee teammates, Landon Roldan, this cycle and his grandfather played in Athens as well.
Only 20 minutes from home, Georgia is definitely one to watch but Georgia Tech, Clemson, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan and Florida State all stand out now.
Texas A&M remains the frontrunner in Brown’s recruitment with LSU right there and now two new teams have really caught the eye of the four-star offensive lineman from Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab.
In recent months, Georgia and Texas have really captured Brown’s attention as the Aggies are still the team to beat.
After a commitment to Alabama that lasted less than two months, Cleveland is back on the market and he already has a long list of schools he’s closely watching.
Oregon, Miami, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio State and USC are the ones to watch for the four-star defensive tackle from Prattville, Ala.
Some Auburn commits are making a run at Cleveland as well but the Tigers were not mentioned on the top list yet for the Birmingham (Ala.) Parker recruit.
Florida State remains a “top school” for the three-star safety from Valdosta, Ga., especially after visiting Tallahassee over the weekend. Copeland loved meeting new defensive coordinator Tony White as he thinks White is “all about business” so the Seminoles are definitely one to watch.
Penn State has been high on the list with UCLA, Michigan State and West Virginia as well.
Notre Dame will host Goodwin in January and the four-star linebacker from Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne will also visit Oklahoma in February.
It’s still a long list of early favorites for Goodwin as those two programs stand out along with Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and Michigan.
After a commitment to Auburn in July, Harris has two main targets to add to the Tigers’ defensive recruiting haul. Cleveland is one of them (so it was a surprise that the four-star didn’t mention Auburn at first although it might have been an oversight) and the Huntsville (Ala.) Jemison four-star defensive end is making a big run at Anthony Jones as well.
No visits are planned yet for this offseason but Alabama and Auburn have definitely been two teams that have emerged in his recruitment.
However, the five-star edge rusher from Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s could be expanding his list even more because the two schools that have really caught Jones’ attention recently are Oregon and Texas A&M.
After visiting Florida State in recent days, the Seminoles have now joined Lamar’s top list.
Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee and Miami have been the mainstays for the four-star running back from Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County. FSU has joined the top five and Alabama has slipped out.
A new offer from Texas A&M is definitely a big one for McClain, who now thinks even more SEC schools could get involved in his recruitment. The Aggies along with Penn State, Tennessee and Rutgers are the others to watch early in his recruitment.
The Nittany Lions could have the edge right now for the Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph’s high three-star safety.
The four-star offensive tackle from Mansfield (Texas) Lake Ridge has 40 offers but two are making the biggest impression by far at this point in his recruitment.
No visits are scheduled at this point for Ojo but Ole Miss and Michigan are standing out the most for him.
Michigan has been the school pegged to Osborne big-time and the Wolverines are still one of the top teams to watch for the Forney, Texas, standout, who had more than 1,000 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
Notre Dame, Texas, Florida State, Alabama and Texas A&M are the others making a run at him as well.
Recruiting is just kicking into high gear for the 2027 four-star receiver from Lake Wales, Fla., but Florida State made a huge impression on him over the weekend as the Seminoles jump out with Florida and many others involved.
Purdy loved coach Mike Norvell’s energy and numerous talks with position coach Tim Harris so it’s still in the early stages but FSU definitely blew him away.
Florida State, Miami, Tennessee and Florida are among the main standouts.
It’s super early in the recruitment for the 2028 running back from Spring (Texas) Klein Oak but he already has more than 15 offers and five schools have started to already stand out.
Texas A&M looks to be the team to beat for the standout running back who lives just over an hour away from College Station. Oregon, Boise State, Baylor and Oklahoma are also heavily involved.
During a recent visit to USC, Wilson loved the weather and especially how the defensive line played and put on pressure. The four-star defensive end from Picayune, Miss., plans to return either in the spring or for an official visit over the summer. Wilson hit it off big-time with position coach Eric Henderson.
There will be significant pressure to stay in the SEC, though, as Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Tennessee have made significant in-roads with him.
