Weekend visit preview: Huge trips on tap for Horns, Hawkeyes, Aggies

Week 6 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.

Horns hosting at Red River Shootout

The Texas Longhorns are the host school in this season’s “Red River Shootout.” That means the Texas staff can provide tickets for recruits and families, but they cannot have any interaction at the Cotton Bowl. 

Still, it’s an important recruiting event for the Longhorns, who have picked up some momentum on the field and on the recruiting trail with the pledge from On300 receiver Brenen Thompson.

The Longhorns expect at least seven of their 2022 commitments to be at the game, but it’s the uncommitted senior prospects who will generate the most attention.

The biggest headliners are No. 4 overall WR Evan Stewart of Frisco (Texas) Liberty, No. 17 overall OL Devon Campbell of Arlington (Texas) Bowie, No. 42 overall S Jacoby Mathews of Ponchatoula (La.) High, No. 101 overall WR Shazz Preston of St James (La.) High and No. 121 overall OL Kam Dewberry of Humble (Texas) Atascocita.

The Horns are battling hard and considered finalists for each one of those targets. If they land a combination of any of them, it could put them in a great spot to land the nation’s No. 1 class. Interestingly, OU also is a top team for several of those top targets.

There also will be an elite list of 2023 prospects at the Red River Shootout highlighted by No. 17 ranked overall junior CB Malik Muhammad of Dallas South Oak Cliff, top-25 overall junior WR Johntay Cook II of DeSoto (Texas) High and No. 59 overall WR Ashton Cozart of Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus.

On3 National Analyst Gerry Hamilton has a more complete list and updates on new prospects heading to the Cotton Bowl on the Inside Texas message board.

Important weekend for Hawkeyes

What has become the game of the year in the Big Ten also has become one of the biggest recruiting weekends of the season for No. 3 Iowa.

With No. 4 Penn State heading to Iowa City, it’s the first top-five matchup at Kinnick Stadium since 1985. Iowa is using the key game – and expected electric atmosphere – to host a long list of top targets.

At the top of the priority list are the top two in-state recruits and teammates from Altoona (Iowa) Southeast Polk.

Four-star safety Xavier Nwankpa, the nation’s No. 62 player, will be on his official visit with the Hawkeyes this weekend. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Nwankpa recently narrowed his list of schools to Iowa, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Intel indicates that Iowa has picked up recruiting momentum with Nwankpa.

Joining Nwankpa on campus will be teammate and 2023 four-star OT Kadyn Proctor. He recently released a top-12 list. It is a who’s who of powers-that-be on the list for the 2023 offensive tackle. It’s one that is led by programs known as offensive line juggernauts in Alabama, Iowa and Notre Dame. Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Iowa State, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M round out the list.

But make no mistake, Proctor tops the wish list for the Hawkeyes. There’s genuine interest on his part, too, having visited Iowa six times already throughout the recruiting process.

Two other star junior offensive line prospects are expected to visit – Charles Jagusah of Rock Island (Ill.) Alleman and consensus four-star Cayden Green of Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North. Jagusah is the No. 34 player in the On3 Top 100 for 2023. Another top junior to watch this weekend at Iowa is EDGE Joshua Mickens of Indianapolis Lawrence Central. He’s No. 80 player in the 2023 class.

Iowa also will have most of their commits in town this weekend, including Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High running back Jaziun Patterson, who will be making his official visit. Those are just some of the names scheduled to visit; On3 breaks down other key visitors heading to Iowa City this weekend.

A&M hopes to make move with visitors

This weekend is shaping up as the biggest recruiting weekend of the season for Texas A&M. The biggest name on the visit list is five-star DL Walter Nolen of Powell (Tenn.) High. Nolen, the nation’s No. 6 player overall, will be in College Station for the Aggies’ game against No. 1 Alabama.

It’s a pivotal recruiting weekend for A&M, with a massive list of prospects in the 2022 and 2023 class coming to town. It’s also a critical weekend for the Aggies in their pursuit of Nolen. He lists Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama as his top teams.

Another official visitor is longtime Georgia commitment and On300 CB Marquis Groves-Killebrew of Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb. Groves-Killebrew is the No. 124 player in the country and has been committed to UGA since May 2020. But A&M has continued to work on him and will get him on campus this weekend for the visit.

An impressive group of defensive linemen is also expected, including five-star Anthony Lucas of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral and Bear Alexander of IMG Academy.

Alexander is down to A&M and UGA. He was in Athens last weekend, so the visit will be a chance for A&M to hold serve with the priority target. Lucas named Alabama, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and USC as his top seven early in August. He recently added UCLA back to the list after an impressive visit.

On300 WR Chris Marshall of Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend Marshall is also going to be in College Station this weekend. A&M is battling USC, Alabama and others for his commitment.

A&M also is hosting No. 23 cornerback and longtime Florida commitment Julian Humphrey of Houston Clear Lake on an unofficial visit. Humphrey is still on the Florida commitment list. But he is exploring his options. The Aggies are one of those options, and so is Georgia.

There’s also a long, long list of underclassmen heading to College Station. The headliners in the group are On3 Top 100 members RB Rueben Owens of El Campo (Texas) High , IOL Harris Sewell of Odessa (Texas) Permian and DL Johnny Bowens of Converse (Texas) Judson.

Top QBs tripping to Ole Miss

While Ole Miss remains in hot pursuit of quarterback Arch Manning – the No. 1 player in the 2023 class – On3 National Analyst Chad Simmons confirmed five-star QB Nicholaus Iamaleava of Downey (Calif.) Warren will be on an unofficial visit to Ole Miss this weekend.

Iamaleava, the No. 9 prospect in the 2023 class, already boasts more than 20 offers, and the Rebels continue to step up their pursuit of the 6-foot-6, 200-pound quarterback.

Then there is senior quarterback Devin Brown, the USC commitment from Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has been working on Brown. He’s hoping to get the flip from the On300 prospect while USC is searching for a new coach.

Along with Iamaleava, another SoCal quarterback will be in Oxford for an unofficial visit this weekend. Sophomore quarterback Elijah Brown – who led Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei to a 42-21 victory over St. John Bosco last Friday night – will be visiting, too. Brown was 13-of-18 for 263 yards and five touchdowns in the game. After that performance, USC offered over the weekend and Ole Miss extended an offer Tuesday.

Ole Miss also is hosting Georgia Tech commit and On300 linebacker Jaron Willis on a visit. He’s been a major priority for the Rebels and his commitment to Tech hasn’t slowed the pursuit from Ole Miss.

Big-time prospects heading to Auburn

Auburn is scheduled to host four prospects for official visitors, including consensus four-star DB Austin Ausberry of Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab. The Tigers are battling Florida, Alabama, LSU and Michigan for Ausberry. Also taking official visits are Tiger commits RB Damari Alston, QB Holden Geriner and DB Caleb Wooden.

There’s also a massive list of 2023 and 2024 targets expected. The headliner is consensus four-star LB Drayk Bowen out of Indiana. He’s interested in both football and baseball, so the Tigers have a chance to make a big impression this weekend.

Another big-time junior visiting is DL Kelby Collins of Gardendale (Ala.) High. Collins ranks as the No. 38 player in the 2023 class and is shaping up to be a big-time SEC recruiting battle.

Auburn Live recruiting insider Jeffrey Lee has a complete list of who’s expected on The Plains this weekend and will provide updates throughout the weekend.

Other key visits

+ Florida is hosting a couple of On300 recruits on official visits in DL Quency Wiggins of Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep Academy and LB Wesley Bissainthe of Miami Central. There’s intel that Florida has a better chance than many believe with both four-star prospects.

+ Ohio State gets its turn to impress IMG Academy junior WR Carnell Tate. The Buckeyes and Notre Dame are engaged in a big-time recruiting battle for the 2023 star. Ohio State is expecting AJ Harris of Phenix City (Ala.) Glenwood School on an unofficial. Harris is the No. 27 junior in the country.

+ Tennessee gets a chance to shift the momentum this weekend with On300 EDGE Joshua Josephs of Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb. Michigan is in the driver’s seat, but an impressive visit this weekend could change that. The Vols also are hosting Davison Igbinosun of Union (N.J.) High on an official visit. Igbinosun is a Rutgers commitment who has been looking at Tennessee and Ole Miss.

+ North Carolina is hosting top-15 junior Caleb Downs of Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek on an unofficial visit this weekend. Downs, an elite safety prospect, is considering Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State.