Oregon, USC, Clemson, Florida hosting key recruiting visits

Now that the dead period is in the rearview mirror, top prospects in the 2023 and 2024 classes are wasting little time getting back on the road taking visits.

While spring break at some places has limited planned trips, there are still plenty of recruits set to check out top programs like Clemson, USC, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan, Missouri and others. There’s even a pair of top unsigned seniors that are taking impactful visits to Oregon with a collection of elite juniors and sophomores.

On3 previews the top junior day events and weekend visits across the country.

Oregon ready for monster recruiting weekend

The eyes of the college football recruiting world will be on Eugene, Oregon, this weekend. That’s because the Oregon Ducks are set to host top 2022 and 2023 targets. It’s quickly shaping up as one of the first major recruiting tests for new Ducks’ coach Dan Lanning.

For most programs, this weekend is all about the 2023 class. But the Ducks are still working on wrapping up the 2022 class.

First on the list is Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Lebbeus Overton of Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton.

Interestingly, Overton’s brother Micaiah Overton, a grad transfer from Liberty, will be joining his younger brother on the visit as a recruit. The elder Overton brother has received offers from Oklahoma and Oregon since he entered the transfer portal. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Helping Oregon is that Lanning has been a solid figure in Overton’s recruitment. This goes back to his time at UGA and beyond.

“Lanning and (Overton) go way back,” his mother, Eunice Thomas, said. “A lot of the Georgia staff was there at Alabama when he grew up. Looking at the other schools, we’re not just saying ‘Let’s go see Oregon’. There is a relationship there. It means a lot.”

Josh Conerly Jr. also set for Oregon visit

The other senior official visitor scheduled to make an official visit this weekend to Oregon is four-star offensive Josh Conerly Jr. of Seattle Rainer Beach.

Conerly has been down to six schools — USC, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington — for quite some time. He’s visited Michigan, Oklahoma and Miami. He is scheduled to be in Oregon this weekend.

Conerly will then take his final official visit to USC on March 25, and it’s the Trojans that are currently in the lead, according to the On3 RPM. However, there is plenty of room for movement. There are zero predictions in Conerly’s recruitment.

That’s because most insiders know the Oregon visit could play a major role in his decision. That’s especially true after Oregon hired offensive line coach Adrian Klem, one of the top recruiters in the country that has deep West Coast connections.

Other Oregon visits

While a lot of the attention is on the senior prospects taking official visits, the Ducks are also set for a big-time group of juniors set coming on unofficial visits.

The biggest name in the bunch is five-star defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco. Uiagelelei is listed by On3’s ScoopDuck as “one of the absolute top targets” in Oregon’s 2023 recruiting efforts. He was previously on campus to visit out the visit period in January.

Furthermore, Uiagelelei isn’t the only headliner junior set for an unofficial visit. According to ScoopDuck, four-star junior defensive lineman Jayden Wayne of Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln will also be on campus Saturday. Oregon is listed as the early leader in his recruitment, per the On3 RPM.

Also expected to visit are four-star linebacker Jaiden Ausberry of Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab, four-star cornerback Daylen Austin of Long Beach (Calif.) Poly and three-star linebacker My’Keil Gardner of Peoria (Ariz.) Liberty.

On the offensive side of the ball, coveted in-state four-star tight end Riley Williams of Portland Central Catholic and four-star receiver Kyler Kasper of Gilbert (Ariz.) Williams Field are scheduled to visit. The Ducks are expected to be real threats for both four-star targets.

Also expected on campus is Chandler (Ariz.) High sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola — one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the country regardless of class.

On3’s ScoopDuck has a more complete rundown of the weekend visitors that can be viewed at this link.

USC hosting South Florida Express squad on visits

Seven-on-seven competition allows recruits from all parts of the country to face each other in game-like settings. It also allows some recruits to check out college campuses across the country and get in front of coaches that they might not normally see on visits. That’s exactly what’s taking place this weekend with USC and top prospects from the South Florida Express.

Around 20 of the top prospects on the South Florida Express roster will be in Los Angeles this weekend for a 7-on-7 competition. Before they battle on the field, they will be at USC on Friday for an unofficial visit.

While not all of the players on the roster are interested in the Trojans and vice versa, it’s important for Lincoln Riley and Co. to get top recruits like five-star receiver Carnell Tate of IMG Academy, five-star cornerback Cormani McClain of Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson, five-star safety Tony Mitchell of Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson and four-star receiver Brandon Inniss of Miami Gardens (Fla.) American Heritage on campus.

“It’s huge,” Scott Schrader of On3’s WeAreSC said. “While some of these guys might not be into USC at this point, that could quickly change once they get on campus and see what Lincoln Riley’s program is all about. It could open up some doors that might have been previously closed.

“And the same is true about USC. They might get to know somebody that wasn’t previously on their radar and take a liking to them, too.”

On3’s WeAreSC has a full list of top targets from South Florida Express visiting on their website, and you can read more about the visitors here at this link.

Clemson hosts top 2024 targets

The Clemson Tigers have set their sights on the 2023 and 2024 classes and that focus crystalizes this weekend with a quality group of visitors slated for unofficial visits.

While there are some juniors scheduled to visit, the list does lean more toward the 2024 class, headlined by top sophomore recruit and No. 1 quarterback Jadyn Davis of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day.

Clemson has been heavily involved in Davis’ recruitment for quite some time. During the fall football season, he told On3’s Jeremy Johnson he’s built a great bond with Tigers’ quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. 

While a lot of the attention has been on Davis’ visit, insiders are just as fired up about KJ Bolden’s trip to Clemson this weekend. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound four-star prospect out of Buford, Ga., ranks as the No. 7 2024 prospect in the country.

Bolden told Joseph Hastings of On3’s Clemson Sports that he recently hopped on the phone with wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham ahead of his trip.

Four-star 2023 linebacker Jamal Anderson of Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek is heading to Clemson this weekend with hopes of earning an offer from the Tigers.

Anderson ranks as the No. 202 player in the On3 Consensus. He’s definitely a candidate for an offer because other linebacker offers, like Drayk Bowen (Notre Dame) and Raylen Wilson (Michigan), have already committed elsewhere. The Tigers have also started to expand their offer board with other names like Dee Crayton. Anderson certainly is a top prospect like Crayton. The good news is that the On3 RPM is trending toward the Tigers at 37.3%. That lean is even before Clemson has offered.

For more on Clemson’s recruiting weekend, be sure to check out On3’s Clemson Sports.

Key defensive targets set for Florida visits

While you won’t find Florida ranked in the top 25 of the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking, make no mistake the Gators have some major momentum on the recruiting trail.

Florida is coming off an impressive visit weekend on March 5 that allowed the Gators to gain some serious traction with some top targets like five-star EDGE Keon Keeley, five-star OL Francis Mauigoa, five-star ATH Samuel M’Pemba and many others.

Now the Gators hope to keep their foot on the gas with another solid visit weekend featuring top names like four-star linebacker Raylen Wilson of Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln and four-star receiver Bryson Rodgers of Zephyrhills (Fla.) Wiregrass Ranch.

Wilson has been committed to Michigan since early December. Yes, he’s reaffirmed his commitment to the Wolverines. But it’s also clear he’s going through the recruiting process and the Gators have a shot in this. The others that will for sure get visits are Georgia and Alabama.

Rodgers recently told Corey Bender of On3’s Gators Online that he communicates daily with the UF coaching staff.

Others on the visit list this weekend for Florida include 2023 four-star linebacker Jaden Robinson of Lake City (Fla.) Columbia, 2023 three-star defensive lineman Andrew Rumph of Palmetto (Fla.) High and 2023 safety Cameron Upshaw of Havana (Fla.) Gadsden County.

For a complete look at this weekend’s visits and much more, be sure to check on On3’s Gators Online.

Another solid visit weekend on tap for LSU

While it won’t rival last week’s junior day event at LSU, there are still some quality prospects lined up to check out Brian Kelly’s program.

Some of the headliners set to visit Baton Rouge this weekend include St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet four-star tight end Mac Markway, Miami Gulliver Prep four-star receiver Jalen Brown, Corona (Calif.) Centennial four-star cornerback Aaron Williams and four-star Seattle Rainer Beach cornerback Caleb Presley. Coveted 2024 cornerback Jason Mitchell of Gardena (Calif.) will also be visiting.

It’ll be many of the out of region target’s first opportunity to see what LSU is about. So, this weekend could go a long way toward seeing where the Tigers stand in their long-term recruitment. It could also help ensure that the recruits come back for official visits later in the process.

On3’s The Bengal Tiger has the recruiting weekend covered, and you can read more about the trips by following this link.

Oklahoma hosting Troy Bowles

Tampa Jesuit four-star linebacker and top-100 recruit Troy Bowles, son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, will be visiting Oklahoma this weekend.

Oklahoma had six top-100 recruits in Norman last weekend, led by Lehigh Acres (Fla.) Lehigh Senior four-star running back Richard Young, La Grange (Texas) four-star cornerback Bravion Rogers and Houston Langham Creek four-star wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway.

This is the second straight weekend Bowles has gone on a major visit. Over the past weekend, he was at Alabama and Nick Saban extended an offer to the linebacker.

Key OL target set for Michigan visit

Four-star Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North offensive tackle Cayden Green is returning to Ann Arbor this weekend after making an impressive trip in January.

On his first visit, the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder told On3’s Tim Verghese the Wolverines made a strong first impression on him. But since then, Oklahoma has made a major move in this recruitment and is the overwhelming favorite, according to the On3 RPM.

That being said, the visit this weekend is a great opportunity for the Wolverines to get back some momentum and become a long-term player in Green’s recruitment.

There are a few other visits on tap for Michigan this weekend, including four-star Oswego (Ill.) High tight end Deakon Tonielli, three-star Carmel (Ind.) High safety Winston Berglund and rising 2025 Findlay (Ohio) High quarterback Ryan Montgomery.

On3’s The Wolverine has a good look at the recruiting weekend and will have plenty of coverage that you can find on their website.

Missouri to get top OL recruits on campus

It’s a banner year for talent in the Show-Me State and in the St. Louis region. The Missouri Tigers hope to take a big step toward locking up two important local offensive line targets this weekend.

Eliah Drinkwitz will host Raytown (Mo.) High offensive tackle Logan Reichert and East St. Louis (Ill.) High four-star offensive tackle Miles McVay on visits this weekend.

Both are priority recruits for the Tigers, especially since it looks like Green from the Kansas City area is heading out of state.

The Tigers are leading for both Reichert and McVay, according to the On3 RPM, so they could strengthen their position with positive visits this weekend.