Rumor Mill: Latest recruiting buzz from Battle Miami
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — One of the biggest 7-on-7 events of the year kicked off Saturday as Battle opened up its South Florida tournament. Blue-chip talent from coast to coast was on hand during pool play and Rivals connected with several for the very latest while in attendance.
The big wideout was considering a January or February verbal commitment but has elected to take a slower pace with the process ahead of his senior season. Next up are trips to Oklahoma and Florida the next two weekends, two teams battling Texas A&M, Miami and Ohio State among the contenders on the list. Expect return trips to the favorite programs during official visit season, and a pledge could come soon thereafter.
The shifty South Florida native earned a scholarship offer from Boston College to kick off his weekend but the buzz around him surrounds a program on the other coast — UCLA. New Bruin offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri and Carlos have built a strong rapport over time and the initial interest from UCLA certainly has the rising-senior’s attention. Should the offer come in, that could signal a new program to eye in this emerging recruitment.
The Volunteer State quarterback is high on some ACC programs at this time in Louisville, Syracuse and Pitt — potentially in that order. Cherry has been up to Louisville more than the other programs and a return trip could soon be in the cards. An initial impression of Syracuse and Pitt could go a long way, and the trip to Central New York could be completed by February. Ole Miss has joined the race and could also soon host Cherry, who wants to come off the board with a decision in the summer months.
The five-star athlete was sporting Georgia and Auburn gloves at different times and they represent his next two trips. Auburn gets him on campus next weekend and then the Bulldogs get him back in town to kick off February. Miami hosted the local priority over the weekend, too, as top contenders begin to emerge for the two-way standout.
The South Georgia native is looking to get to Penn State for the first time this offseason as he continues to build a rapport with James Franklin‘s program. Closer to home, Georgia Tech may become the next program to host the versatile defensive back, who prefers cornerback over safety at this time. Florida State‘s previous defensive staff was high on Copeland, too, so a return to Tallahassee to get more familiar with the new group under Mike Norvell could also be in the works.
Florida is one of the most recent offers for the Alabama native and it has accelerated things between each party to this point. Crumpton now labels the Gators as the team to beat as in-state Auburn and Mississippi State give chase. Miami is on the schedule to host him over the weekend and that offer could throw a wrench into the early list of contenders.
Some of the top SEC options closest to home for the Texan — Texas, Texas A&M and LSU — continue to play at or near the top of the five-star’s list. Feaster understands how early it is for the class of 2027 he has also been able to build some of the relationships over time given how early his name began to appear on college recruiting boards.
Georgia is the latest offer in on the speedy cornerback, who has had a big run of late with a state championship and Under Armour All-American tab preceding the offseason. Miami, Florida, Syracuse and others are also high on his list, but the new tender from the Bulldogs is now likely to lead to a visit. Flowers is in no rush to make an early decision.
The longtime Ohio State commitment continues to work as a Buckeye pledge, expecting a big win Monday in the national championship, but the following weekend will be a road trip for Henry to another Big Ten program in Oregon. The Ducks have long been among the top threats to the Buckeyes for the big pass catcher, and they remain in play for an official visit beyond the late January date. Henry expects to take several official visits, with Ohio State, Texas, Oregon and others in mind during the month of June.
Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alabama, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are a handful of programs heavily involved for the Ohio native ahead of official visit season. Oklahoma gets Johnson back on campus next weekend and Alabama holds the honor to kick off the month of February. The rising-senior is looking for development and elite linebacker production when narrowing between top choices and a decision could come in the late summer or early football season type window.
The big pass catcher, who some view as a tight end, has been among the hottest 2027 recruits in Georgia and the in-state Bulldogs are going to be a player in this recruitment. A recent visit from Kirby Smart and company really resonated with the in-state star, but he did not go as far as confirming his childhood dream school as his leader as a college football prospect just yet. Auburn, Alabama and Florida State are among the other programs hot after Lamons.
The shifty wide receiver is sky high on a new scholarship offer from Miami, as the Hurricanes followed Auburn, Pitt and Wisconsin on the offer list. Next weekend he will be back at a familiar place, Penn State, before a Jan. 29 visit back to see Maryland. The new impression of the Hurricanes after spending time on campus over the weekend is growing as more new programs make contact. Colorado may soon become an option, too.
A bevy of programs have been inquiring about the gifted passer but there’s little doubt Michigan holds the most buzz to keep him close to home at this time. LSU, as Taylor was sporting a Tiger towel on Saturday, is in the mix as is Nebraska among the programs he considers high on the early list.
Miami was the program Williams sported during his Saturday workout and it also may become the team to beat in this recruitment. The personal approach from Mario Cristobal resonates aplenty but the staff changes on defense could leave the door open for other programs like Ole Miss, Missouri, Kansas, Rutgers, USF and Florida State. Miami, Missouri and Ole Miss look like the trio of contenders best positioned for an official visit out of Williams, who would like to commit in the preseason.
The sophomore passer has a pair of programs on the upcoming visit schedule, with Baylor set to host him next weekend and Mississippi State the first weekend of February. After that, there should be plenty of college camp efforts to juice up the offer list. Arkansas could be the next program to join the hunt for the Louisiana native, if not for SMU in the ACC.
