Rivals.com – Recruiting Rumor Mill: Key decisions on deck as summer hits midpoint

The crazy month of June is finished and the splurge of commits on July 4 are in the rearview mirror but there’s still a ton of recruiting news and rumors floating around. Here’s the latest in this week’s Recruiting Rumor Mill.

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After being committed to Ole Miss for nearly five months, Amos backed off his pledge to the Rebels in late June and reopened his recruitment.

The word is that Tulane has emerged as the main contender in his recruitment and that the Green Wave is recruiting Amos the hardest as the Opelousas, La., four-star linebacker could be looking to stay closer to home but a pledge anywhere shouldn’t happen until after the season.

It was a big June for the four-star linebacker from Fyffe, Ala., as Auburn, Georgia, Clemson, Ole Miss and many others got involved but this remains mainly a two-team race with Clemson and the Rebels making the biggest impression on him.

Some believe the Tigers have the biggest edge and could be tough to beat at this point.

The Warner Robins (Ga.) Northside four-star prospect is one of the more intriguing prospects in the 2025 class because he’s 6-foot-8 but only around 250 pounds so there is still a high ceiling there especially if he develops more physically.

Four schools are standing out the most for Brown at this point as Louisville, Georgia State, UCF and West Virginia have emerged as the front-runners in his recruitment.

The four-star defensive tackle lives less than 20 miles from Florida’s campus and the Gators have been believed to be the front-runner for some time but recent word is that Ohio State could be the top contender in his recruitment.

The development in Columbus plus the chance to be coached by Larry Johnson Jr. along the defensive line could be too much to pass up as the Gators and others stay in the mix.

The four-star safety from Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman committed to Kentucky in late May and while he’s locked in with the Wildcats, one other SEC program is trying to get him to visit and there is some serious consideration about making the trip.

Auburn has been making Carter a priority and trying to flip him and while it’s still a stretch, the Tigers are definitely trying to stay involved.

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This could end up being a battle between South Carolina and North Carolina for the four-star receiver from Rock Hill, S.C., as the Gamecocks and the Tar Heels have been the front-runners for a long time. But a new program has definitely emerged as a major contender for Clark through June as Florida State was the first program mentioned by him and the Seminoles definitely have his attention. A commitment should come in the next few weeks.

With Dakorien Moore picking Oregon over Texas, Ffrench becomes an even bigger target for Texas this recruiting cycle along with Kaliq Lockett and now the Longhorns could come back around on Hitchcock, Texas, four-star WR Kelshaun Johnson or others to land that spot.

Ffrench and Lockett definitely remain the top two targets and the rumor is Texas is still engaged with Oregon WR pledge Dallas Wilson.

The 2026 four-star safety from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy released his top 13 in recent days and programs from across the country still have a chance with Fort but the word is that Florida State should be most closely watched in his recruitment.

Fort has had serious interest in the Seminoles for a long time and now in his top 13, they could be the one to watch.

The word that LSU and Stanford have emerged as Jimcoily’s final two is a little premature as the four-star safety from Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy is still seriously considering Alabama and Tennessee.

Jimcoily is looking at a commitment in early August and the Tigers could have a slight edge in his recruitment but it’s not a two-team race, all four remain in the mix.

The four-star athlete from Bushnell (Fla.) South Sumter has Georgia, Texas A&M and Penn State as his final three and a decision is coming July 14.

The Bulldogs could still have an edge as Johnson is only days away from his decision as they could like him more as a safety than an athlete but the Aggies and the Nittany Lions are still in it.

With more than 40 offers, Krempin has a ton of options and has seen a lot of programs so far in his recruitment but the ones that have definitely stood out so far are LSU, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma Alabama and Arkansas.

There is not necessarily a favorite yet for the 2026 four-star offensive tackle from Prospect, Texas, as he till wants to visit Michigan, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Florida State and Wisconsin but his recruitment is definitely taking on a regional feel.

After committing to Auburn in early May it looked like Lockhart’s recruitment could have been wrapped up but Mississippi State never gave up recruiting the four-star linebacker from Winona, Miss., and it would now be a surprise if the Bulldogs aren’t the favorite.

QB commit Kamario Taylor said recently Lockhart is a top target to get committed as Lockhart lives just an hour from Starkville.

Dakorien Moore’s decision to pick Oregon over Texas could lead to Texas re-engaging with Marsh and becoming a bigger focus in his recruitment but the word is that Michigan is definitely the team to beat for the Katy (Texas) Jordan standout.

It will be interesting if Texas A&M’s offense looks great this season or if the Longhorns start really getting involved but the Wolverines have to like their position now.

There is growing belief that Oregon is now the team to beat for the four-star safety from Cleveland (Ohio) Shaker Heights and the Ducks could be tough to beat here especially after his June visit to Eugene.

Still, he’s an Ohio State legacy and the Buckeyes are still recruiting him hard but there is a feeling Oregon is on top.

After a busy month of June, four programs have emerged as the front-runners in the recruitment of the four-star receiver from St. Louis (Mo.) Cardinal Ritter.

Tennessee and Ole Miss could be battling it out for Miller with Kentucky and UCLA rounding out his favorites.

The four-star receiver from Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon backed off his pledge to Ole Miss recently and now three teams are most involved in getting Myles to commit again.

There have been some heavy rumors that Utah is definitely the front-runner in his recruitment and that would be huge for the Utes but Michigan and Texas A&M have also intrigued Myles a lot.

LSU and Oregon could be battling it out until the end for the five-star athlete from Zephyrhills, Fla., as the Tigers might have the slight edge heading into his decision on July 17. Miami had been the front-runner for a long time – and Pickett even admitted the Hurricanes were the leader – but that has changed through June.

Where this could get interesting is if Miami has a phenomenal season and that could make Pickett take another look at the in-state program.

Georgia Tech has been one of the mainstay programs with the four-star defensive end from Huntsville (Ala.) Jemison but there have been other significant changes as Indiana, Memphis and Tulane are the other schools to watch in his recruitment.

Auburn has been a program that Swain has talked about since early in his recruitment but the Tigers could be fading for Swain at this point.

Auburn seemed to have an edge earlier in Vaughn’s recruitment but now the four teams to watch are Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss.

There has been some talk that the Rebels might have the edge now for the four-star DL from Madison (Miss.) Hartfield Academy but this could end up being an in-state battle between Ole Miss and the Bulldogs.

Oregon is definitely a big school in Waverly’s commitment but it will be interesting to see if that remains the case after four-star DaSaahn Brame committed recently.

The new Washington coaching staff has not reached out to the four-star tight end from Mukilteo (Wash.) Kamiak but Arkansas has been more and more involved recently so the Razorbacks could be one to watch.