Weekend visit preview: Florida, UGA, Oklahoma ready to host key recruits

With only two weekends remaining before National Signing Day and the list of uncommitted recruits dwindling every day, official visits are more important than ever. That’s especially true at schools like Florida, LSU and Oklahoma where coaching changes forced the programs to shuffle recruiting priorities and scramble to complete classes. But there are other schools, like Georgia and Alabama, who are looking to add final pieces to an already special class.

On3 previews the top recruiting trips scheduled for the weekend and breaks down the most important visits.

UF set for another big visit weekend

Give Billy Napier credit. The new Florida head coach is working overtime to transform the Gators’ 2022 recruiting class down the stretch. Last weekend, UF hosted eight official visits, including Five-Star Plus+ linebacker Harold Perkins. This weekend the Gators are expected to host at least six official visitors.

The biggest name on the list is On3 Consensus four-star safety Jacoby Mathews of Ponchatoula (La.) High. According to the latest intel from On3’s Chad Simmons, LSU is “still viewed as the favorite” but the Gators get a chance to swing the momentum their way this weekend.

To help sell Mathews on UF, the Gators are also bringing in two of its top signees from the 2022 class – four-star LB Shemar James and four-star IOL Tony Livingston.

Another interesting name to keep an eye on is Max Brown, a three-star quarterback out of Tulsa, Okla.

Brown has been a longtime Central Michigan commitment, but he did not sign during the early signing period. He decided to wait on bigger programs to show interest and the Gators are definitely intrigued by the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder. The intel is that if the Gators were to offer on the visit, he would have a hard time turning it down. That’s true, even though he has an official visit lined up next weekend for Washington.

Other visitors to keep an eye on this weekend in Gainesville are three-star TE Hayden Hansen of Weatherford, Texas, and DL Jayson Jenkins out of Trenton, N.J. Hansen was a former UL commit and has become a priority target for the Gators. Jenkins has offers from Pittsburgh, Indiana and Boston College. The Gators could offer on the visit this weekend.

There will be a handful of 2023 prospects also on campus this weekend at UF, including four-star RB Cedric Baxter Jr., four-star DL Derrick LeBlanc and four-star CB A.J. Harris.

On3’s Gators Online will have full coverage of UF’s big official visit weekend.

Florida D-linemen set to visit OU

The Sooners have been making headlines in the transfer portal and are still awaiting news on former USC quarterback Jaxon Dart. But this weekend is also big on the high school recruiting front for OU.

The Sooners will host several top 2023 targets, including five-star DL David Hicks, who will be back for a second trip to Norman. But maybe more importantly OU hopes to close out its 2022 recruiting efforts with additions from two Florida defensive linemen scheduled for official visits.

The biggest name on the list is four-star EDGE R Mason Thomas of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons. He’ll be joined on the visit by his three-star defensive line teammate Ahmad Moten. Thomas is currently committed to Iowa State. But the Sooners and Miami are believed to be the teams to beat by recruiting insiders. The Hurricanes get the last official visit next weekend.

Last weekend, Moten took double-dip visits to Tennessee and North Carolina. Oklahoma will host Moten on an official visit this weekend. He will then close things out with an official visit to Miami.

“I am just taking things day by day,” Moten told On3 on Wednesday. “It is a lot. I know I will have to make a tough decision, but it will be a good one for me. These visits are important to me. Although it is going to by super-fast, I am trying to slow it down. I am taking it minute-by-minute right now.”

There could be a few names added to the list in the next. Some names to watch for visits could be four-star cornerback Jamarrien Burt and Gracen Halton. But neither had confirmed officially they will be in Norman this weekend as of Thursday morning.

5-star weekend for Dawgs

Most of the intel has indicated it’s a two-team race between Texas A&M and Miami for five-star defensive lineman Shemar Stewart. However, Georgia looks to change the narrative with an official visit this weekend. It might be a tough task, especially with a Miami official visit on the schedule for next weekend. That visit comes after he was in Coral Gables on Jan. 14 for an unofficial visit.

Yet, Kirby Smart and Co. will be able to sell that Stewart could be a part of a special defensive line class that also features five-star Mykel Williams and four-star Bear Alexander. The national championship trophy is also a good sales tool, too.

Also, set for an official visit is three-star in-state linebacker E.J. Lightsey of Fitzgerald, Ga. Lightsey is a former Florida commitment and if the Dawgs push, he could join the class.

Joenel Aguero, a four-star 2023 target, is also slated to be in Athens for an unofficial visit. Aguero ranks as the No. 3 safety and UGA appears to be the clear-cut team to beat, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

On3’s DawgsHQ will have full coverage of UGA’s official visit weekend.

Key RB target set for LSU visit

Lake Charles College Prep (La.) running back TreVonte’ Citizen will take an official visit to LSU on Friday, On3’s Billy Embody reported on Wednesday.

Citizen will bring his mother on campus to check out Brian Kelly’s program before running in a track meet on Saturday then ending up back on campus on Sunday.

It’s a key visit for a big-time in-state target on LSU’s board. The Tigers are battling it out with Auburn, Florida and Miami for the 5-11, 218-pound back. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives LSU a 57.5% chance of beating out Auburn and Florida for his signature.

This looks like it’ll come down to a National Signing Day decision for Citizen, who is expected to visit Florida and Miami down the stretch officially as well. Auburn hosted him for an unofficial visit earlier this week.

Not only is Citizen talented – he’s the No. 4 running back in the country – he’s also an important gauge on how well Kelly is doing with local talent.

On3’s The Bengal Tiger will have full coverage of Citizen’s official visit this weekend.

Clemson gets shot with Caden Story

Four-star defensive lineman Caden Story of Lanett, Ala., backed off his Auburn commitment this past Sunday and is set to visit Clemson this weekend. He’ll also be at Florida on the final visit weekend.

But Clemson is trending for the nation’s No. 24 defensive lineman. New Tigers defensive tackles coach Nick Eason is now his lead recruiter for Clemson. Eason has a strong relationship with Story from when he was at Auburn. 

Auburn isn’t out of it, but this weekend’s trip to Death Valley could go a long way toward establishing where Story ends up.

Also slated to visit Clemson this weekend are three-star safety Kylon Griffin and three-star linebacker Kobe McCloud. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine lists Clemson as the overwhelming favorite to land both prospects.

On3’s Clemson Sports will have updates and full details of the Tigers’ official visit weekend.

Bama to host red-hot TE target

A week after decommitting from Cincinnati, New Iberia (La.) Westgate tight end Danny Lewis picked up an offer from Alabama.

He was originally planning on visiting LSU this weekend. But the Crimson Tide are now expected to host him this weekend after the offer came in.

If he makes it out of Tuscaloosa without a commitment, he will trip to Florida on the final visit weekend of the year.

Other key visits

• Four-star running back Ajay Allen Jr. is one of the few remaining four-star running back recruits that has yet to sign. That’s true, even though the 5-foot-10, 170-pounder from Monroe (La.) Neville has been a longtime commitment to TCU. And since he’s still on the board, Allen is now set to take an official visit to Nebraska this weekend.
  
• Kansas State could be in line for commitments from two official visitors this weekend. The Wildcats extended an offer on Wednesday to Goodyear (Ariz.) Desert Edge three-star quarterback Adryan Lara. He canceled plans to visit Fresno State and instead switched his trip to K-State. With the Wildcats going all-in on the former Washington State commitment, it’s expected he will become a part of K-State’s class. Also expected on campus for a visit is Florida running back Travis Bates. The On3 Consensus three-star running back has already visited Air Force and Temple, but the Wildcats are in the driver’s seat.
  
• After an official visit last weekend to Florida, three-star ATH Arlis Boardingham is scheduled to visit Oregon. A decision between the Gators and Ducks is expected pretty quickly after his visit to Eugene.
  
• Former Oregon EGDE commitment Emar’rion Winston is slated to visit Washington this weekend. He is set to return to Eugene on the final visit weekend. He also tripped to Florida on Jan. 14. The Huskies also hope to host three-star California running back Derek Boyd. He has yet to officially be offered, but that could come on the trip.
  
• After an “eye-opening visit” to Oregon last weekend, four-star DL Christen Miller is set to visit FAMU this weekend.