Recruiting doesn’t take breaks in the summer. In fact, it only heats up.
After a wave of June official visits, July and August have been popular stretches for some of the nation’s best to lock in their college decisions. More are expected as the summer continues.
Here are the latest predictions from Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Ryan O’Bleness.
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Daniels tells Rivals he plans to announce his commitment on Aug. 2. He has had a lot of suitors with nearly 30 scholarship offers throughout his recruitment, but barring any surprises, the three schools considered to be in the running for the four-star safety are Clemson, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
With that said, South Carolina has put a strong emphasis on recruiting the DMV area under head coach Shane Beamer and has been considered the leader for Daniels for a while. Daniels took an official visit with the Gamecocks during the weekend of June 21 and he has built up a strong relationship with South Carolina defensive backs coach Torrian Gray.
Daniels ranks as the No. 8 player in the state of Virginia and the No. 31 safety in the 2025 cycle.
Prediction: South Carolina
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Gilchrist, who boasts close to 30 scholarship offers in total, recently released a top-three of Georgia, Maryland and South Carolina. He took official visits to each of those schools, but the latest intel we’ve heard suggests that this one will ultimately be a battle between South Carolina and Maryland.
The Gamecocks have been the perceived leader for the four-star offensive tackle for quite some time, but the word is that the Terrapins seem to be gaining momentum with Gilchrist, and playing a little bit closer to home could be appealing to him.
Malik Washington, a four-star quarterback commit for Maryland, has not been shy about publicly recruiting Gilchrist to College Park either.
South Carolina should still be in a strong position as of now, but with an Aug. 3 commitment date set for Gilchrist, this one could come down to the wire. Once again, the Gamecocks’ focus on the DMV area could pay off here, but the Terrapins aren’t going to make it easy.
Prediction: South Carolina (but watch out for Maryland as the commitment date gets closer)
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Where Goodman eventually ends up may be the biggest mystery on the list. He took official visits to Auburn, Penn State, Georgia, Alabama and USC this summer. All of those schools remain in the mix, but the latest intel we’re hearing suggests the Tigers, Nittany Lions and Trojans are the three teams to watch most closely.
Goodman knows exactly what he is looking for in a program.
“Education, development and stability,” Goodman recently told Rivals.com when asked what the most important factors are in his recruitment.
A decision date is not yet known for Goodman and it is hard to name a leader, but as things stand right now, Penn State has the proximity to home advantage and checks all of his other boxes. Still, things are fluid with Goodman.
Prediction: Penn State
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Similarly to Goodman, McFadden’s recruitment is a difficult one to pin down as things currently stand. McFadden has previously mentioned taking his recruitment into the fall, so there doesn’t appear to be an imminent decision coming.
McFadden took an official visit to Ohio State during the weekend of June 7, and all indications are that the trip went very well and the Buckeyes remain high on his list. However, if McFadden wants to wait until the fall to commit, it’s unclear how long OSU is willing to wait before it starts pursuing other interior offensive linemen. As of now, the Buckeyes still seem to be in a strong position for the four-star prospect.
A dark horse candidate, though, is Colorado. The Buffaloes are likely to get a fall official visit from McFadden so that he can see the game-day atmosphere in Boulder. Additionally, he is also good friends with Jordan Seaton, who signed with Colorado as a five-star offensive tackle in the 2024 class.
Other schools that have been brought up with McFadden have been South Carolina, Florida and Maryland, among others. Those other programs still have plenty of time to make a move, but Ohio State and Colorado likely remain the biggest contenders as of now.
Prediction: Ohio State
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Woodby was previously committed to Ohio State from October of 2023 until this past May when he backed off his pledge to the Buckeyes. A few new schools have since entered the mix.
The four-star cornerback released a top three of Auburn, Maryland and Oregon on June 30. He took an official visit with the Tigers during the weekend of May 31 and with the Terrapins during the weekend of June 21.
Since his decommitment from Ohio State, Auburn has been considered a serious player for Woodby. He is expected to return to Auburn to attend the Big Cat Weekend event on July 27. Woodby’s exact commitment day is still unclear, but if all goes right at the Big Cat event, we would not be totally shocked to see his recruitment wrap up by the end of the month.
Prediction: Auburn
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.