Weekend Visit Preview: Loaded groups headed to Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss

The Weekend Visit Preview has returned. After nearly a monthlong break where prospects couldn’t make recruiting trips to college campuses, things are heating back up again with a one-week-only window.

Prospects aren’t allowed to take official visits during this period, but that won’t preclude programs from rolling out the red carpet for VIPs, especially those in the 2023 class. Multiple programs are hosting major recruiting weekends with dozens of prospects in town, while others are narrowing their attention to just a few high-profile targets.

Because these visits are unofficial, there will be some attrition from these lists as prospects either choose to visit elsewhere or forgo trips altogether. And as always, these will be updated as more information becomes available.

Florida hoping to capitalize on loaded weekend

No program is expected to have more elite talent on campus than the Gators are, with five-stars James Smith, Qua Russaw, and Samuel M’Pemba all expected to be Gainesville. Five-Star Plus+ cornerback Cormani McClain and 2024 No. 2 overall prospect Desmond Ricks are also on the likely visitor list, according to GatorsOnline.

In addition, a number of prospects considered to heavy Florida leans will be joining the festivities over the next few days. On3 top-30 prospect Kamran James, four-star safety Jordan Castell and one-time Miami commit Andy Jean are among them. On300 prospects defensive lineman Will Norman, running back Michael Mitchell and offensive tackle Tyree Adams are expected as well.

For coverage of the full weekend, head to GatorsOnline.

Texas A&M hosting massive group for the Pool Party

Off to a bit of a slow start in 2023, especially compared to last year’s best-ever recruiting class, Texas A&M is looking to make a splash — literally. Jimbo Fisher and Co. will host a long list of prospects for the Pool Party this weekend.

Among the expected prospects in town are five-star Denton Ryan linebacker Anthony Hill, the aforementioned Love, Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic five-star WR Shelton Sampson, Austin (Tex.) Westlake four-star IOL TJ Shanahan, and Shiner (Tex.) High four-star DB Dalton Brooks. The Aggies are currently in pole position with with both Brooks and Shanahan, and will be looking to make a move with Sampson, who is considered a strong LSU lean.

After his visit to Notre Dame, Novosad is considering a trip to College Station over the weekend, but nothing has been finalized there. Among the other notable 2023 prospects planning to be there are former A&M commit Johnny Bowens and New Orleans (La.) De La Salle four-star OL Caden Jones. Keep an eye on four-star running back Christopher Johnson and in-state stud EDGE Derion Gullette as well.

The 2024 list is a bit more unpredictable, though four-star wideout Micah Hudson, Willis (Tex.) High four-star QB DJ Lagway, Denison (Tex.) High four-star S Kenyan Kelly and Durant (Okla.) High four-star DL Xadavien Sims are among the notable names who could be make their way into town.

For a full running list of visitors, head to AggieScoop.

LSU hoping to close with Shelton Sampson Jr.

The list in Baton Rouge this weekend isn’t a gaudy one, but the Tigers will have a couple of key prospects in town that they hope to lock down. Atop that list is Shelton Sampson Jr. While he is expected to see A&M as well, LSU has the advantage of being right down the road from his home in Baton Rouge. With coveted four-star Jalen Brown already committed, locking in Sampson (who according to On3’s Sam Speigelman, could be committing at any time) would be massive for Brian Kelly.

Four-star offensive tackle Tyree Adams, also considered a strong LSU lean, will be in town, and he is another prospect Kelly and Co. very much want to get in the fold. The Tigers are still without a quarterback, but are hopeful to get Baton Rouge passer and Purdue commit Rickie Collins on campus. He has remained steadfast in his pledge to the Boilermakers, but has become LSU’s top target at the position now.

For the full list of 2023 and 2024 visitors expected, check out The Bengal Tiger.

Ole Miss looking to add to commit list

Five months away from the Early Signing Period, Ole Miss has just five prospects on its list of commitments. (Note that four of them are blue-chippers.) But Lane Kiffin and Co. are looking to change that with an impressive list of visitors expected in Oxford. Their biggest recruit is one already committed: four-star linebacker Suntarine Perkins. After committing to the Rebels in November, he has been heavily courted by Alabama, and the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine projects him to flip to the Crimson Tide.

The Rebels feel good about their chances of keeping him, according to OM Spirit’s Zach Berry, though. The top-75 prospect is a huge prize for Ole Miss, and he will be priority No. 1 on campus this during this weekend visit.

Among the uncommitted prospects joining him are four-stars Ayden Williams, Tyree Adams, Neeo Avery, and Christopher Johnson. Kiffin and Co. will also have a few visitors who are currently pledged elsewhere in Oxford: Georgia tight end commit Lawson Luckie, USC defensive back pledge Braxton Myers, Texas verbal Jamel Johnson and Penn State commit Dakaari Nelson.

Whether those targets are legitimate ones remains to be seen, but getting them on campus is always a step in the right direction.

For all the Rebel-related scoop, hit up OMSpirit.

Notre Dame brings elite 2024 crop to South Bend

Marcus Freeman and his staff have done yeoman’s work in the 2023 class, with Notre Dame currently holding down the No. 2 spot in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. The Irish already have 20 commits in the fold, and there’s very few holes left to fill. The two biggest are at quarterback and running back, where four-star Baylor commit Austin Novosad and top-65 prospect Jeremiyah Love have become the top two targets. Novosad was on campus with the large 2024 contingent yesterday, as well as four-star receiver commit Jaden Greathouse and linebacker pledge Drayk Bowen.

Texas A&M, Ohio State and Baylor are the other contenders for the country’s No. 10 quarterback. Love officially visited South Bend in June, and there was some hope of getting him on campus this week. It appears Texas A&M will get the visit though, according to AggieScoop’s Tim Verghese. A battle between the Aggies and Irish looks to be shaping up, with no commitment date set for Love.

The Irish got the party started a little early by bringing their recruits to campus yesterday. Among the 2024 prospects making their way to South Bend, On3 five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott was the headliner. The No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 On300 has a heavy Midwestern feel to his recruitment at the moment, and Notre Dame getting him on campus with its other elite targets is a good sign.

On the offensive side of the ball, elite St. Louis (Mo.) University High wide receiver Ryan Wingo made his way to town, and BlueandGold.com’s Mike Singer has added a prediction in favor of the Irish after the visit. Missouri, Arkansas, Texas and Texas A&M are all contending for the No. 11 prospect in the On3 Consensus as well. Joining — and recruiting him — was 2024 commits CJ Carr, Cam Williams, and Jack Larsen.

For more, visit BlueandGold.com.

Other notable weekend visits around the country

• Five-star Katy (Texas) Paetlow defensive lineman David Hicks is expected to be at Oklahoma for its own recruiting pool party, and he could make his way to Texas A&M as well. Spiegelman recently dropped in a prediction in favor of the Aggies, with this shaping up to be a two-team battle across state lines.
• Five-star Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle tight end Duce Robinson is en route to Oregon for an unofficial visit, according to ScoopDuck’s Justin Hopkins. USC is considered the leader here, but the Ducks, along with Alabama and Texas, are making a major push for the nation’s No. 1 tight end.
• Four-star Baton Rouge (La.) Woodlawn cornerback Jordan Mathews will be back at Texas in the next few days, according to Spiegelman. Alabama is looking to get him on campus in September for an official visit, the Longhorns are hoping to close the book on that this weekend.
• A lot of questions remain about four-star safety Javien Toviano, who could be at either Texas or Texas A&M this weekend, with the possibility he could see both schools, says Spiegelman. Those two, along with LSU, are considered the main contenders in his recruitment.
• On3 five-star offensive tackle Zalance Heard will be at Florida and Florida State over the next two days, though in-state LSU looks to be the leader by some margin.
• Most of the prospects Georgia has on campus this weekend are already pledged to the Bulldogs, but a couple uncommitted targets will be high on the priority list. On3 top-50 prospect Tyler Williams is expected in town, as are four-star offensive tackle Monroe Freeling and fast-rising 2023 prospect Rickey Gibson.
  Among the 2024 prospects on the list are top-10 prospect Ellis Robinson IV, top-30 cornerback Charles Lester III, and coveted EDGE KingJoseph Edwards.