Weekend visit preview: Clemson hosts Arch Manning, big weekends for Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon

Week 9 of the college football season is upon us and there are a lot of good matchups, which means top recruits will be flocking to campuses again for official and unofficial visits. On3 previews the top recruiting trips scheduled for the weekend and breaks down the most important visits.

Next stop on Arch Manning tour: Clemson

He had the red carpet rolled out for him at Georgia, Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss. Now, Arch Manning visits Clemson to watch the Tigers battle Florida State.

Manning – the nation’s No. 1 junior prospect and the third generation of Manning quarterbacks set to star in college football – will be the toast of Death Valley. He is the most important visitor on an impressive list of prospects at the game.

Clemson was the first school Manning visited earlier this summer. It was at the Tigers’ summer camp that many fans finally got their first chance to see Manning air it out and impress onlookers.

“I’m looking forward to going back up and seeing the guys I met before during my visit in the summer,” Manning told Clemson Sports on Wednesday. “Just building the relationships and seeing what the game is like.”

The battle for Manning’s commitment is shaping up to be one of the biggest in recent memory. The On3 experts have made the first predictions in the industry on where he might end up. While the confidence level is low from most, there is a current consensus on the program most likely to land his pledge.

The Tigers are seemingly behind in the race to land Manning. So, that’s why this weekend’s visit is shaping up as a big one for the Tigers.

Manning not only top target visiting Clemson

The Tigers are hosting a good group of visitors this weekend. Joining Manning will be consensus four-star junior defensive lineman Peter Woods of Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson and consensus four-star cornerback A.J. Harris of Phenix City (Ala.) Glenwood School. Woods ranks as the No. 17 junior in the country, and Harris at No. 35.

Other coveted juniors expected are consensus four-star offensive tackle Monroe Freeling of Mount Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside Collegiate Academy and consensus four-star interior offensive lineman Markee Anderson of Roebuck (S.C.) Dorman.

Freeling ranks as the No. 54 junior in the country and Anderson is No. 101 on the On300. Consensus four-star junior DL Darron Reed of Columbus (Ga.) Carver, another On300 member, should also be there.

A top senior target expected is DL Khurtiss Perry of Montgomery (Ala.) Pike Road. Perry, the No. 100 senior in the country, is scheduled to visit Auburn in late November. Clemson is also battling Alabama, Texas and UCF for his commitment.

Kiyaunta Goodwin highlights key MSU weekend

It should come as no surprise that the biggest game of the weekend – Michigan at Michigan State – should attract some big-name recruits.

And the biggest name on the visit list for Michigan State this weekend is five-star offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin of Charlestown (Ind.) High.

Goodwin, who is the nation’s No. 16 player and top offensive tackle, is a longtime Kentucky commitment. However, that’s not stopped other programs, like Michigan State, from heavily pursuing him.

While much of the focus has been on Alabama’s pursuit of Goodwin, the Spartans have also been relentless in their recruitment. Even before his commitment to the Wildcats, the Spartans were in his top five largely thanks to the efforts of offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic.

Michigan is also another school getting an official visit from Goodwin. So, it’ll be a good opportunity for the Spartans to make a big impression on and off the field against one of their recruiting rivals.

Michigan State hosting another 5-star

Cypress (Texas) Cy Park linebacker Harold Perkins only received an offer from Michigan State earlier this week. However, the five-star is expected to be in attendance on an official visit, according to a report from 247Sports. He was originally scheduled to visit Oregon this weekend. But that ultimately didn’t materialize.

The reported trip to Michigan State is a big surprise for Perkins, who told On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons this summer that he wants to play in the SEC.

On3 Consensus four-star senior cornerback Jeremiah Caldwell of Belleville, Mich., is also making an unofficial visit this weekend for the big game. Caldwell, who is 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, was committed to Kentucky at one point in the process. He backed off that pledge in early August.

Michigan State has been a team that has remained in contact with Caldwell. H’s been a fan of the Michigan State coaching staff.

Consensus three-star EDGE Zion Young of Atlanta Westlake has been committed to West Virginia since June 28. But Michigan State has remained in contact. Now the Spartans are expecting to host Young on an official visit this weekend.

Read more about Michigan State’s big recruiting weekend.

Nation’s No. 1 player scheduled to visit Ohio State

Much of the luster was knocked off what would have been a top-10 showdown and arguably the most pivotal Big Ten game of the season when the Nittany Lions lost at home to unranked Illinois last weekend. But this remains a huge matchup for Ohio State in the conference race, and it’s no surprise the Buckeyes are using it to host a big group of visitors.

The headliner is the nation’s No. 1 overall senior – five-star EDGE Marvin Jones Jr. of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage. Jones visited Oklahoma in September, will be in Columbus this weekend and is visiting Alabama on Nov. 6 and Florida State on Nov. 13. Clemson is getting an unofficial visit on Nov. 20.

The recruitment for Jones remains one of the most hotly contested battles in the country, and the Buckeyes are doing everything they can to make a big impression this weekend.

Other Ohio State visits

The other big names in for official visits are four-star IOL Earnest Greene of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco and DL Hero Kanu of Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic.

Greene has already visited Georgia and Texas, and the Buckeyes are also battling Alabama and USC for him. Kanu is in the middle of his visit schedule with Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma the top contenders along with Ohio State.

Overall, the Buckeyes expect more than 60 top prospects at the game, including some of the nation’s top juniors and sophomores. On3’s Letterman Row has a more in-depth look at the key visitors on both sides of the ball.

USC set to host 4-star LB David Bailey

One of USC‘s top remaining SoCal targets is consensus four-star linebacker David Bailey of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder will be on his official visit this weekend to USC this weekend.

USC has always been a school high on Bailey’s list, but he wasn’t sure if he was going to visit the local school because he’d been on campus a number of times.

Bailey has already visited Cal on June 12, Stanford on June 25 and UCLA on Oct. 2. A trip to Oregon is also in the works. However, he’s not officially scheduled it yet with the Duck coaches. Intel indicates USC and Stanford are Bailey’s top two schools.

WeAreSC’s Scott Schrader has more information on two other official visitors for the Trojans this weekend.

Oregon set to host key defenders

While a lot of the national attention has been focused on the recruiting efforts of Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Clemson, Oregon has quietly assembled a class that ranks No. 12 in the country.

The Ducks’ hopes of landing a top-10 class and remaining No. 1 overall in the Pac-12 Conference recruiting rankings could hinge on how things go with an impressive crop of visitors scheduled for this weekend.

The biggest name expected in Eugene is On300 EDGE Cyrus Moss of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.

Moss is returning to Oregon after a summer official visit that he rated a “perfect 10.” He also talked highly about his relationship with Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal and co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Joe Salave’a.

Coveted OT visits Oregon this weekend

Seattle Rainier Beach offensive tackle Josh Conerly is coming to campus for an official visit. The No. 52 player in the country is a priority target for the Ducks. Oregon is trying to gain recruiting momentum after the four-star recruit was at Michigan for an official visit early in September.

Oregon would gladly love to pair Moss with On300 Nyjalik Kelly of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard as the final piece in this class. The nation’s No. 98 player is scheduled for an unofficial visit. He officially visited earlier this summer.

Another On300 prospect slated to be on campus is linebacker Lander Barton of Salt Lake City Brighton. The consensus four-star prospect ranks as the No. 177 player in the On300. He’s already visited Michigan, Texas and hometown Utah. Ultimately, the Ducks get the chance to make the last impression on an official visit before a decision is made.

The last big name on the visit list is fast-rising junior cornerback Keionte Scott of Snow (Utah) College. Scott announced on Tuesday that he was tripping to Oregon this weekend.

Scott is quickly establishing himself as one of the nation’s top juco prospects. He has nearly 30 offers, after adding a scholarship earlier this week from LSU. On Sunday, Scott tweeted out a top 12 list and the Ducks were definitely one of the teams high on his list.

Read more about Oregon’s big recruiting weekend.

Aubrun hosts juco CB

Auburn is playing host this weekend to Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College cornerback Marquise Gilbert. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound juco target has already visited Colorado (Sept. 17) and has a Tennessee visit also on the schedule for Nov. 12. Gilbert’s stock is quickly rising with recruiters. Some believe he’s the top defensive back available in the juco ranks.

Baylor’s big weekend

With Texas coming to town, Baylor is using the opportunity to host a quality crew of players already committed, top uncommitted targets, and some good 2023 and 2024 names from the Lone Star State.

A few names to keep an eye on:

• 2024 S Maurice Williams from Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek
• Junior running back Dawson Pendergrass of Mineola, Texas
• 2023 DL Trey Wilson of Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial
• 2023 WR Montrel Hatten of Carthage, Texas
• 2004 IOL Koltin Sieracki from The Woodlands, Texas

All five are highly coveted underclass names.