Rivals.com – Recruiting Rumor Mill: News keeps coming as signing day looms
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With only two weeks left until National Signing Day, there is a ton of news coming in and lots of rumors to report. Here’s the second installment of this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.
RELATED: 2024 cycle enters the homestretch
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be No. 1 in the 2024 Rivals250?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | There’s a new No. 1 in 2024 | Meet the new five-stars
Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Gorney’s thoughts
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released
Thursday: Defensive position rankings released
Friday: State rankings released
Saturday: Rankings Roundtable
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Alexander has been committed to BYU since August but the word is that Georgia Tech has now entered the race for the Decatur (Ga.) Southwest DeKalb three-star cornerback. Down the stretch, it’s BYU, Georgia Tech and Ole Miss, with a final decision looming.
“Tech is the hometown team and that’s enough,” Alexander said.
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No one is sure yet whether the five-star safety from Buford, Ga., is going to flip from Florida State to Auburn but the word is Bolden had dinner with coach Hugh Freeze on Monday and the Tigers coach pitched how Auburn would utilize him and what he’d mean to the recruiting class. The Seminoles pledge has taken multiple visits to Auburn through the fall and the Tigers are doing everything possible to flip him, but he remains committed to FSU.
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The four-star quarterback from Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove has been committed to Duke since May but with coach Mike Elko’s departure to Texas A&M things are now much more in the air. Cherry is waiting to see who Duke hires but other teams aren’t being as patient as Michigan State, Virginia, Boston College and now Indiana’s new staff are getting more involved.
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Ole Miss is definitely doing a good job working on flipping Collins but there are still some people close to the four-star defensive end from Little Rock (Ark.) Mills that feel Arkansas is going to keep him in this class. The Rebels are absolutely the biggest threat and Auburn is lurking but the Razorbacks are still very much in the picture.
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Missouri is now the team to beat for the former Georgia Tech commit but there could be one wrinkle to watch here as USC just offered in recent days. It’s still too early to know if the Trojans can make a run at the three-star athlete from Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek but the Tigers absolutely have the edge right now.
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The Summit (Miss.) Southwest Mississippi CC four-star defensive tackle did not make a planned trip to Mississippi State last weekend as that new coaching staff gets things sorted out but it might not have mattered either way. The word is that Georgia and LSU have emerged as the main contenders for his commitment and one of those SEC powers will win out.
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Arizona State is among Manu’s top three heading into a weekend decision and it sounds like the Sun Devils have a very good shot at landing him. Cal could also be a team to watch for the Reno (Nev.) Bishop Manogue three-star edge rusher, and the message he got from the coaches was that they’re going to be there for the long haul but they need to bring in players that fit their scheme. He would be one of them.
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Ole Miss and Louisville are the two other schools to watch but the 2025 four-star all-purpose back from Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Oakland is moving Tennessee up his list quickly. The Vols are definitely right there with the other two teams and they could keep climbing higher, especially since they’re close to home.
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After decommitting from Texas A&M recently after a pledge that lasted for more than five months, Reliford has set another commitment date for Dec. 9 and it would be shocking if he doesn’t pick LSU. The Tigers coaching staff has continued to come after the Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian defensive end, and after a recent visit back to Baton Rouge the word is LSU feels very confident here.
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Maryland, Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee are the finalists for the five-star offensive tackle from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. As Seaton has grown wary of the recruiting process after a very busy few months his decision is now only hours away. The word is that the Vols have made a major late push here and could be the team to beat but after a weekend visit to Ohio State the Buckeyes can’t be counted out either.
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A visit to UCLA over the weekend made a big impression on Sensabaugh – on and off the field – as the opportunities around Los Angeles spoke to him. The former Vanderbilt commit is now very high on the Bruins but also visited NC State recently and has trips to Tennessee and Missouri as he still hopes to sign during the early period in a couple weeks.
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If Cal ends up landing Thomas it’s going to be because of his relationship and discussions with position coach Peter Sirmon. The two hit it off during Thomas’ visit last weekend, plus the Booneville (Miss.) Northeast Mississippi CC linebacker also loved the scenery in Northern California. Baylor, UCF, Colorado and NC State are also high but watch out for the Golden Bears here.
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The four-star receiver from Gardena (Calif.) Serra committed to Utah this fall but in recent days USC offered him and over the years his high school has been a feeder program to the Trojans. But the word is that Williams is a “loyal kid,” and while USC could convince him to flip since it’s right up the road Williams could still be leaning toward sticking with the Utes since they’ve been involved with him for so long.
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As the coaching situations get settled, Young is sitting back and figuring out his recruitment as he stays committed to Oregon State for the time being. But he visited Arizona State recently and just got offered by the new Michigan State staff, many of whom came from Corvallis. This does not feel like an immediate flip situation to the Spartans for the three-star lineman from Honolulu St. Louis but he does have a lot of connections to East Lansing now.
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