Rivals Camp Series Atlanta: Recruiting Rumor Mill
ATLANTA – There were a bunch of elite prospects and up-and-coming standouts at the Rivals Camp Series in Atlanta on Sunday – and a lot of recruiting news and rumors. Here is the latest Rumor Mill from the third stop on the camp circuit.
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South Carolina, Texas, Georgia and Florida are just some of the schools that are pursuing Gaston. Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer and Longhorns offensive line coach Kyle Flood have been in close contact with Gaston recently.
He likes how well the Gamecocks have been recruiting offensive lineman and how they’re building a family environment. He really liked what he saw when he was on campus. Look for Gaston to make a trip to Texas this summer.
Florida and Georgia both hosted him recently and Gaston felt very comfortable talking with head coaches Kirby Smart and Billy Napier.
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Georgia, USC and Texas are the most recent visits for the superstar 2026 prospect. He was on campus in Athens over the weekend taking in George’s spring game. He enjoyed talking to defensive line coach Tray Scott and was really impressed by how big the defensive linemen were and how well they moved for their size.
At USC a few weeks ago, he really bonded well with the coaches and enjoyed this time there. At Texas earlier this offseason Stewart had a great time being around a lot of the players and coaches that he’s very familiar with. It was obvious that Stewart feels very comfortable with the people in and around the Texas program.
Look for Stewart to make his way up to Ohio State and Michigan to check out both programs and how they develop defensive lineman.
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Merritt is nursing a wrist injury but that didn’t stop him from coming out to the camp on Sunday to support a lot of his friends and teammates. Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Florida State and LSU offers really stand out to him at this point, and the offer from LSU surprised him.
Merritt has a very good relationship with coaches at Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Ohio State and Tennessee. He was recently in Columbus to check out the Buckeyes and really enjoyed learning about the program and how they develop their players. He had memorable conversations with head coach Ryan Day and defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who went over Merritt’s game film with him.
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Four schools are making Jacobs feel like a priority at this point, but a decision does not seem imminent. Tennessee, Georgia, Penn State and Clemson are working hard to eventually land his commitment. Jacobs likes the offensive line coaches at all four schools but was struck by how well Tennessee developed Darnell Wright while he was in the program.
He’s had very good conversations with Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels and likes how Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin works with his players. The atmosphere at Penn State was very memorable for Jacobs, who was last on campus for the Nittany Lions’ spring game last year.
At this point he does not have any other visits planned but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take a few more trips before the season starts.
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Gilbert has been committed to Ohio State since July but that hasn’t stopped him from taking multiple trips. He’s had many conversations with the Buckeyes’ coaching staff about these trips and they are all on the same page.
Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Alabama and Georgia are all schools that he’s taking a close look at. He got an up-close look at South Carolina for its spring game. Gilbert really loved the atmosphere there and had a great time bonding with defensive backs coach Torrian Gray and head coach Shane Beamer. Gray and Ohio State defensive backs coach Tim Walton are the two coaches he feels closest with right now.
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It’s early in the process for Peterkin, but three schools are doing very well with him right now. South Carolina, Duke and North Carolina seem to be making their presence felt more than the other teams that have offered him so far.
Receivers coach Lonnie Galloway at North Carolina has made a very strong impression at this point. Peterkin really liked the spring practice he saw in Chapel Hill. Look for Peterkin to make his way to Duke for its spring game, and he’s working on visits to South Carolina, Tennessee and Wake Forest.