With recruiting rumors circulating again this week with many top prospects planning their visiting schedules to get back on the road in the final days of July, here is an update from Rivals’ Director of National Recruiting. Adam Gorney:
In the early stages, Texas They are the team that wins for the ball. Texas A&M It will likely be the biggest competitor, but there will be many others involved. MiamiOregon, Florida, U.S.C., Tennessee and LSU The 2026 four-star running back from the University of Texas at Texarkana is also on the radar, and Ball is scheduled to visit the Ducks later this month.
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Three programs are currently making the most efforts to land the 2026 four-star defensive end from Thomasville (Ga.) Thomas County Central. Ohio State UniversityTexas A&M and Florida State are in the lead, and while Tallahassee is less than an hour from home, the Seminoles have to be the focus here, there was also a fair bit of Ohio State talk early on.
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LSU, Texas and many other teams are pursuing the 2026 four-star receiver from Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County. The former Florida State pledge (his father is Dexter Carter) features some of the top programs. The dark horses to watch are: Louisville The Cardinals have made him a priority in the passing game, so Carter will at least get some attention from them.
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After a short engagement Georgia Although it only lasted a few days, Chaminade Madonna, a four-star athlete from Hollywood, Fla., settled on Miami early on and spent a lot of time with Miami commits. Rivals 5 starsBut Ohio State, Florida State and the Bulldogs remain in a tight competition for the two-way standout.
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Edwards is scheduled to visit Oregon in late July, and the Ducks are one of the teams, along with Georgia and Tennessee, that have consistently placed heavy emphasis on the Baltimore (Md.) St. Francis 2026 four-star safety. Edwards doesn’t have a clear top list yet, but Missouri It was definitely a big one and “shook” the higher-ups.
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A number of programs have emerged as potential front-runners for Gerald. OklahomaOhio State, Louisiana State and Texas are the teams to watch for sure, but Miami has risen quickly in the rankings and is on the way to a visit. Collins Hill, a four-star defensive tackle from Suwanee, Georgia, in 2026, is scheduled to visit Coral Gables later this month, and the Hurricanes could be the team that rises to the top by the end of the summer.
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South CarolinaAuburn, North Carolina State University, Ole Miss The University of South Carolina and Florida State have been in contact with Guidron the most, with two big visits scheduled for later this month. The 2026 four-star receiver out of Columbia (S.C.) Ridge View is scheduled to visit South Carolina and Auburn, two schools that are undoubtedly competing for Guidron’s attention.
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Florida State has made a “big push” to recruit Gregory, and the Seminoles will certainly be a hot team to pursue the four-star receiver from Douglasville, Georgia, in the coming months, but Gregory is not scheduled to visit Tallahassee in late July. Gregory is scheduled to visit Texas A&M and Auburn and has been in frequent contact with both SEC programs, as well as many others.
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The 2026 four-star tight end from St. George (Utah) Pine View recently released his top 20 but hasn’t really narrowed it down much, even though Harris said “it was tough to get on the list because so many schools are recruiting him.” Oregon has been the favorite from the get-go, and the Ducks remain one of the programs to watch, especially with Harris set to return to Eugene later this month and him being originally from that state.
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Hicks plans to make a decision in late July, but Auburn has risen to the top of his list along with Ohio State, Clemson, Miami and Texas. The 2026 four-star safety from Carrollton, Georgia, plans to travel to Texas and Oregon by the end of the month before making his decision. This will be his second trip to Austin in as many weeks, but he still feels the Tigers are the team to beat.
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Georgia could be the team to beat for Hitter, but rumors are that two programs in the Big Ten Conference are currently the biggest threats to land him. Ohio State and Michigan are currently the two big contenders for him if the 2026 four-star running back from Woodberry Forest in Woodbury, Virginia, doesn’t commit to Athens. Hitter is expected to return to Ann Arbor at the end of July.
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Alabama Georgia State and Auburn have remained central to Jones’ recruitment, with Georgia State slipping away, but two other SEC programs are now considered heavy favorites. Louisiana State and Mississippi State are two schools to watch for the four-star edge rusher from St. Paul’s College in Mobile, Alabama, in 2026, but it could be an in-state battle as Jones is scheduled to visit Alabama and Auburn later this month.
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Texas seemed like a huge favorite to land the four-star receiver from Frisco (Texas) Panther Creek in 2026, but Oregon was the first name to pop up in recent days, with Louisiana State, USC, Texas A&M and Oklahoma also in the running. The Longhorns may be tough to beat, but there are plenty of other elite schools in the running.
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Ultimately, it may come down to a battle between USC and Oregon to land the five-star quarterback, but the Lions plan to tour the SEC later this month before making a decision. The Folsom, California, standout and No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 class is scheduled to tour Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Texas A&M by the end of July.
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Matthews’ top list has changed a lot in recent months, and what once looked like a Carolina battle has now turned into a four-star 2026 cornerback from Cornelius (N.C.) Huff, Florida State, Clemson, Oregon and more. Pennsylvania State University, Virginia Tech For now, the focus is on South Carolina, with Matthews scheduled to visit the Gamecocks and Tigers before the end of the month.
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Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon, Ohio State and USC are on McCoy’s dream offer list, and while the Buckeyes and Trojans have yet to offer, they will likely have a major impact on his recruitment. As it stands, Louisiana State and Mississippi The 2026 four-star defensive end from Tupelo, Mississippi, has been the most consistent player following the rest of the class, although there have been other players who have made quite an impression.
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The 2026 four-star receiver from St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif., has made his top list but is still deciding where he will visit later this month: Odom has Oregon, Texas, Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Washington and Tennessee at the top of his list, and it’s not clear yet if he has a pick in mind.
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Georgia recently offered, but the Bulldogs aren’t early favorites for the 2026 four-star defensive tackle from Buford, Ga. Currently, Ohio State, USC, Auburn, Alabama, Florida State and Clemson are the top contenders, with Perry-Wright set to enroll at USC later this month. At this point, the Southeast programs, along with Ohio State, seem to remain the strongest.
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Some believe Ohio State is almost certain to land the 2026 four-star offensive lineman from Avon Lake, Ohio, but Clemson and Alabama have really impressed this offseason. The Buckeyes are still in good form, but Riley is a Missouri Later this month.
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Four programs are top of mind for Russell SyracuseFlorida State, Georgia and LSU were the schools that made the biggest impression on him this offseason. The four-star receiver out of Northwestern is also a Hurricanes legend, so maybe Russell didn’t mention the Hurricanes on purpose to distract us from his visit to Oregon in late July.
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After the official visit, Iowa and Minnesota The Hokies and Minnesota have emerged as the front-runners to land the three-star receiver from West Aurora, Ill. A decision could come soon, as the Hokies have no receivers signed yet and Minnesota has three.
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Georgia remains the favorite to bring back the five-star defensive tackle, who transferred from the Bulldogs to USC in the spring before rescinding his pledge to the Trojans, but Alabama and Florida State are also serious about the Manchester, Georgia, standout, and we’re hearing they’re not just making formalities. Terry is about an hour closer to Athens than the other two schools, so all three are very active in his pursuit.
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A three-team battle has erupted for the top three-star tight end out of Hammond School in Columbia, South Carolina. West VirginiaLSU and Duke The Mountaineers and Blue Devils are currently the top options for Tyler, who has been getting some Louisiana State University buzz, but are certainly among his top choices.
