Weekend recruiting buzz: Ten biggest visits on tap
Another weekend means another round of really important – and telling – visits around the country. Here are 10 we’re especially keeping an eye on over the weekend.
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DAMARI BROWN TO MIAMI
First-year Miami coach Mario Cristobal has a top 12 recruiting class with two five-star commitments and a bunch of four-stars. Brown would be another huge addition as the four-star cornerback from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, who also plays on South Florida Express, is visiting the Canes again this weekend for their game against Middle Tennessee State.
Clemson might be the main competition right now, with Alabama and Florida State also high, so a big win this weekend – and a lot of love from Cristobal and his staff – could go a long way toward keeping Brown close to home.
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TJ CAPERS TO MICHIGAN STATE
Staying in state is a definite possibility for the 2024 five-star linebacker from Miami Columbus as Mario Cristobal went to the same high school and the staffs in Coral Gables and Gainesville have made Capers a top priority, but Michigan State is an interesting visit this weekend.
The five-star linebacker has talked very highly of coach Mel Tucker and the job he’s done so far in East Lansing, so a big win over Minnesota could continue to pique his interest in the program. Over the long haul, it might be tough to keep Capers away from playing in the Southeast, but Michigan State will get its shot.
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NYCKOLES HARBOR TO MICHIGAN
Last weekend’s visit to South Carolina could not have gone much better for the five-star athlete who projects as an edge rusher and is also a superstar track athlete. The Gamecocks got wrecked by Georgia, but Harbor’s visit was about much more than just one game and the coaching staff in Columbia is selling him on opportunity.
Getting to Ann Arbor this weekend will be huge for the Washington (D.C.) St. John’s standout as Harbor has seen all the elite defensive linemen come out of the Michigan program, he sees a national title-caliber team and so much more. South Carolina has a lot to like; Michigan does, too.
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DAEVIN HOBBS TO TENNESSEE
Although he’s a four-star outside the Rivals250 right now, Hobbs is having a strong start to his season and is on the radar for a bump in the next round of rankings. His recruitment has been interesting, too, as the word has been Alabama and Georgia are up top with North Carolina trailing, and now Tennessee is making a big push for the Concord (N.C.) Robinson four-star defensive end.
It’s going to be a huge weekend in Knoxville, and Rocky Top should be rocking, so Hobbs might emerge with a new frontrunner after Saturday.
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KEON KEELEY TO OHIO STATE
The five-star defensive end from Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep visited Ohio State for its big win over Notre Dame during which celebrities were on the sidelines and it was one of the biggest tickets early this season. A video of Keeley walking out onto the field with position coach Larry Johnson went viral.
Keeley then visited Florida and a visit in early October to Alabama – the perceived leader – was supposed to happen before decision time for the former Notre Dame commit. But the five-star has decided to head back to Columbus this weekend. That's a great sign for the Buckeyes, and Keeley’s mother tells me he wanted to see the blackout game and “get a better feel for the place before making his mind up fully.”
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DJ LAGWAY TO LSU
In the end, Lagway could end up at Texas A&M and all the rest of this recruiting business could have been for naught. But Florida is trying its hardest to stay near the top for the 2024 four-star from Willis, Texas, and LSU will get its crack this weekend as Lagway is headed to Baton Rouge.
Meeting with coach Brian Kelly, and especially position coach Joe Sloan, will be important and seeing that environment in Tiger Stadium won’t hurt either. Can any team beat A&M for Lagway? We’ll see. LSU gets a shot this weekend.
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MICHAEL MITCHELL TO FLORIDA STATE
Mitchell is not the biggest name on this list nor is he the highest-ranked prospect, but the three-star running back from Middleburg, Fla., has been committed to Utah since late June yet is showing a ton of interest to the in-state programs. A visit to Florida recently went very well, but Mitchell also told me that he would be going to every Florida State home game this season and that’s why he’s expected in Tallahassee this weekend.
Utah has come into Florida and landed some key players in recent years, and Mitchell could stick. But he’s getting a lot of love from Florida and Florida State as well.
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DUCE ROBINSON TO GEORGIA
The idea all along was for Robinson to visit Texas and Georgia for games this season, and he planned to be in Austin recently but weather delayed that trip. This weekend, the No. 1 tight end in the 2023 class will be in Athens, and it’s a big trip for so many reasons.
USC is believed to have an edge in his recruitment and this summer, Robinson worked out with current QB Caleb Williams and five-star commit Malachi Nelson at the Elite 11. But the Bulldogs have used their tight ends so incredibly well recently that it could be a huge draw for the high four-star.
Even though he’s not seeing an SEC matchup, he will see a good environment in Athens as Kent State is about to feel the wrath.
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JULIAN SAYIN TO LSU
Georgia and LSU have pretty much emerged as the top two contenders for the 2024 five-star quarterback from Carlsbad, Calif., and the situation now seems pretty clear. Sayin loves what Georgia has done by winning the national championship and revitalizing its offense under assistant Todd Monken. And he’s had great trips to Athens.
A summer visit to Baton Rouge surprised the 2024 five-star on how much he liked it there, plus Sayin really hit it off with position coach Joe Sloan, which could be a significant draw moving forward. After this trip to LSU, a clearer picture could emerge in his recruitment.
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JAMES SMITH TO ALABAMA
Montgomery (Ala.) Carver teammates Smith and Jaquavious Russaw could not have been too thrilled by what they saw on the field in Auburn’s loss to Penn State last weekend, although the environment seemed to be excellent before the game got out of hand.
Still, Auburn was a stretch to land Smith and Russaw, who are seen as a legitimate package deal, and now this weekend the two are expected back at Alabama. This could be a Crimson Tide-Georgia battle until the end, and with Alabama being a 40-plus favorite over Vanderbilt, Smith should see total domination this weekend.