Midwest Rumor Mill: Latest news on some of region’s top recruits

April has become one of the busiest months of the offseason in terms of recruiting news, and Rivals national analyst Greg Smith has all the latest buzz from the Midwest.

A program we aren’t talking about enough as a contender for Chicago (Ill.) Simeon four-star defensive end is Wisconsin. The Badgers had a chance to host him again last weekend and it was another great visit. The energy at practice stood out to Blade and he feels a renewed excitement around the program.

Michigan and Notre Dame have been viewed as favorites in this recruitment but the Badgers are emerging as a dark horse.

The four-star Ohio State receiver commit has been locked in with the Buckeyes but that hasn’t stopped other programs from trying to get him on campus. Notre Dame got him to South Bend late last week for a visit. Sources indicate that the visit went very well and the Irish continue chipping away at the elite pass catcher.

It’ll be tough for anyone to pry him away from coach Brian Hartline but the Irish do have a shot here.

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The elite 2027 receiver was back in Iowa City to check out the Hawkeyes over the weekend and it went well. It stood out to him that the offense looked different than in previous years and they threw the ball downfield more than he thought they would.

Iowa is in the mix for Burrell but he wants to see how the passing game progresses. Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame and Wisconsin are some of the other programs involved.

The pass rusher out of Chicago was blown away by the energy at Wisconsin during his visit. Sources say that Demoss is very impressed with the upward trajectory of the Badgers’ program after the changes made by coach Luke Fickell this offseason.

The Badgers will be a team that stays in the mix with him as he moves through the early stages of his recruiting process.

Gibbs was in Iowa City for an official visit last weekend. Iowa likes him most as a linebacker and he’s built a good relationship with coach Kelvin Bell. Gibbs had a great time on the visit and loves the culture behind the team and within the coaches.

He still has visits on deck to Boston College, Indiana, Cincinnati and Purdue but the Hawkeyes made a strong impression.

The five-star cornerback was back in Eugene and the Ducks are still a strong contender to pull him out of Ohio. It was another chance to spend time with the people and coaches at Oregon. Coach Dan Lanning’s message was simple: He wants the No. 1 cornerback in the country to play in Eugene.

The Ducks are one of the front-runners in the recruitment along with USC. Hill will be back at USC this upcoming weekend for the third time.

It’s never too early to talk about big-time quarterbacks. The next one out of Michigan is Tabron, who was back in Ann Arbor for the spring game. Getting to see Bryce Underwood make his debut in front of fans was a special moment. Like most offensive recruits, he’s keeping an eye on if the Wolverines continue to open up the offense.

Notre Dame and Penn State are early standouts along with Michigan.

The four-star running back out of Missouri was at Notre Dame for an unofficial visit. The visit went well, leaving Walker impressed with the coaching staff and overall environment of the school. Walker has already taken an official visit to Kansas and gave that visit high marks.

Other visit plans have remained fluid but officials have been set to Kansas State, Nebraska and Notre Dame. There is a possibility that Oregon gets an official, too.