The recruiting rumor mill never stops churning and things are heating up as high school coaches host open gyms for college coaches all over the country this month.
Below, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy takes readers for a tour of the latest rumors related to three prospects with developing national recruitments.
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FIVE SCHOOLS ALREADY PRIORITIZING 2026 STANDOUT JUNIOR COUNTY
Class-of-2026 guard Junior County recently transferred to Utah’s Wasatch Academy, where he’ll play his junior season with a lot of eyes on him. It’s obviously early in the four-star’s recruitment and so much will change between now and the time he signs a letter of intent.
Still, a few schools are said to be prioritizing him already. The buzz coming from people close to County suggests TCU, BYU, Utah, Purdue and Houston are already heavily involved and should be monitored closely as things progress.
The 6-foot-3 County is unlikely to make a commitment until next fall at the earliest, but if there’s something to be said for making an early push, it should be said about the five aforementioned programs.
Other schools are bound to join the fray this season, but the Utes, Cougars and Boilermakers are good bets to be involved in some capacity for the long haul.
PROVIDENCE, CINCY, LSU STANDING TALL FOR JALEN REECE
They say you can tell a lot about a prospect's recruitment by tracking which coaches show up on day one of the open-gym live period, and the crowd that showed up to watch Jalen Reece on Wednesday certainly told a tale.
Providence head coach Kim English brought his whole staff to Orlando. Cincinnati was represented by head coach Wes Miller and associate head coach Chad Dollar. LSU sent head coach Matt McMahon and an assistant.
Conspicuous by their absence were Dayton head coach Anthony Grant and anyone representing Ohio State, a school once thought to be in the thick of the four-star guard’s process. Whether or not this means the Flyers and Buckeyes have begun to wave white flags is up for interpretation, but the situation is notable at least.
MIAMI AND GEORGIA TECH INTRIGUED BY COLLIN PAUL
A four-star in the class of 2026, Collin Paul racked up a number of major offers during the grassroots season and there will be more to come. According to Paul’s coach, however, a handful of schools are more involved than the rest.
Coaches from Miami, South Carolina and Georgia Tech have inquired about stopping by Ft. Lauderdale’s Calvary Christian Academy to get another look at Paul during open gyms in the coming week.
The Hurricanes, Gamecocks and Yellow Jackets have all already offered Paul and seem interested in building relationships. Meanwhile, programs such as Virginia and TCU have also inquired but are yet to make things official with scholarship offers.
