Rivals Five-Star: Gorney's Media Day takeaways
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There were a lot of impressions coming out of Media Day at the Rivals Five-Star. Here’s the latest from Rivals national director Adam Gorney in this week’s Tuesdays With Gorney:
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PROSPECTS THAT COULD BOOST THEIR STOCK: Southeast | Florida prospects | Mid-South | Midwest | Northeast | West
BEST OF THE RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Top 10 quarterbacks | Top 10 running backs | Top 10 receivers | Top 10 tight ends | Top 10 defensive linemen | Top 10 linebackers | Top 10 defensive backs
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PETTIJOHN MIGHT HAVE A SURPRISE
For months, Texas has been the team most mentioned as the team to beat for four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn and he is coming off an official visit to Texas A&M but Ohio State and USC are very much in his recruitment.
The McKinney, Texas standout showed up to Rivals Five-Star in a USC sweatshirt and while that’s not the end-all, be-all, the Trojans definitely impressed him and the Buckeyes’ recruiting history and linebacker recruiting history is big as well.
Maybe there is a smokescreen being played here as the Longhorns are still a major contender but others are definitely in the mix for his recruitment.
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AUTRY HAS INTERESTING SLIP?
Auburn commit Malik Autry was just shooting the bull with some players and reporters after taking pictures and doing interviews when someone asked him who would be the next Tigers commitment.
“I don’t know who the next one is but I’d say JuJu Lewis is the next one coming,” Autry said.
Maybe it’s some wishful thinking on the part of the four-star defensive tackle from Opelika, Ala., since the five-star quarterbacks remains committed to USC and seems more locked in with the Trojans than ever but Auburn is still pushing very hard and Lewis is coming off a visit to Colorado.
Is Autry hoping for the five-star to flip or does he have a future as a breaking news reporter?
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HICKS HAS SOME INTERESTING COMMENTS
The 2026 four-star safety from Carrollton, Ga., is releasing a top 10 soon and talked about Auburn, Ohio State and Georgia on camera but Texas is definitely a program to watch and Florida seems to have caught his attention as well.
Some visits could be coming up as Hicks wants to get back up to Ohio State and he’ll be in Austin in late July as a commitment is expected around that time.
There have been a ton of Auburn rumors recently when it comes to Hicks and the Tigers could very well be the pick but others are definitely going to be involved in his recruitment.
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ANDERSON COULD HAVE HIS SCHOOL
Clemson was one of the first major programs to get involved with Logan Anderson - and the Tigers could be the last one as well.
The four-star linebacker from Fyffe, Ala., is talking highly of the Tigers here at the Rivals Five-Star and Alabama has not offered the good-looking 6-foot-2, 215-pound standout who still feels a little undervalued in his ranking.
Auburn, Georgia and many others have offered but Clemson definitely looks like the team to beat when it comes to his recruitment.
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MEDIA DAY IMPRESSIONS
Here are quick-hitters from the hotel:
– Ohio State commit London Merritt looks huge, easily a strongside defensive end and someone who could even move inside. It’s all muscle so the flexibility along the line is something we could see from Merritt in Columbus.
– The top of the 2026 offensive line class could be one for the books. Jackson Cantwell is a multi-sport star who comes from an Olympic family, Keenyi Pepe has been a high-end standout for years and Immanuel Iheanacho, who came through media day early, looks every part of a future first-rounder. At 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds, Iheanacho carries it so well. He’s already a five-star but a move even higher isn’t out of the question.
– If five-star Tyler Atkinson stays at outside linebacker or moves to edge rusher, Kosi Okpala will be in the running for the top spot in the position rankings. The Houston (Texas) Mayde Creek standout looks like a million bucks and if he performs well during the camp on Wednesday then there should be a serious five-star discussion happening.
– We saw Michael Carroll last summer. He was big. He’s now at the Rivals Five-Star and he’s even bigger and better-looking. The Penn State legacy from Doylestown (Pa.) Central Bucks East committed to Alabama and he looks SEC-ready right now.
– The 2027 receiver class in Texas is in good hands - literally. Ethan “Boobie” Feaster from DeSoto, Texas and Trenton Yancey out of Arlington (Texas) Lamar are both in Jacksonville and while they’re different prospects - Feaster is longer and rangier and Yancey is the Jaylen Waddle-type - they look like future superstars. We’ll see how both perform against some elite cornerbacks here but my guess is they’ll both do well.