Weekend Visit Preview: Top prospects hit the road following dead period

As July nears its end and the dead period has officially come to an end, the Weekend Visit Preview is back to look ahead at one of the biggest recruiting weekends of the summer. Several of the nation’s top prospects will be out and about getting one final look at schools before the new season kicks off in August.

Over 50% of the five-star prospects in the On3 Industry Ranking have already announced their college pledges and while several of those prospects will visit the schools they’re committed to, others will travel elsewhere.

Here’s a look at some schools set to have huge recruiting weekends.

Auburn

Big Cat Weekend is set to be a major event for Auburn this year as they host several top prospects including a trio of five-star recruits. In-state linebacker Demarcus Riddick is one of those prospects and returns to campus just a few days after flipping to the Tigers from Georgia.

Another five-star recruit the Tigers are trying to flip away from his current pledge is Foley (Ala.) wide receiver Perry Thompson. Thompson is a long-time Alabama pledge having committed to the Crimson Tide last June. That hasn’t stopped Auburn’s pursuit of flipping away from their Iron Bowl rival.

Five-Star Plus+ safety KJ Bolden will also be on campus just a few days before he makes his college decision. Bolden is set to announce his commitment on August 5. Auburn made the cut for Bolden’s final five along with Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State.

The Tigers will also have some high-profile 2025 recruits on campus as well. Troy (Ala.) Charles Henderson four-star EDGE Zion Grady is the highest-ranked player in that group set to be on campus. Grady is ranked as the No. 15 player in the 2025 class and is trending towards Auburn according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Head over to Auburn Live for all the latest on the Tigers.

LSU

LSU was the leader for much of Colin Simmons recruitment in the RPM up until Simmons’ latest trip to Texas. With the Longhorns now leading there, LSU gets Simmons back on campus one last time this summer to try and swing momentum back their way. He’s also set to return in November for an official visit.

Simmons won’t be the only five-star recruit on campus in Baton Rouge this weekend though. In-state defensive lineman Dominick McKinley will also be there. Keeping McKinley home is a priority for Brian Kelly’s staff as they seem to the favorites so far.

Simmons’ teammate four-star running back Caden Durham will also make the trip with him. Durham is a top target for LSU along with four-star in-state cornerback Wardell Mack who will also be there for the weekend.

On top of the elite 2024 talent that will be on campus, LSU will also have several high-profile 2025 targets there as well. That list includes in-state four-star running back Harlem Berry, the No. 1 running back in 2025, the cycle’s No. 10 overall recruit in wide receiver Dakorien Moore and Georgia offensive tackle commit Micah Debose.

Head over to The Bengal Tiger for all the latest on the Tigers.

Oregon

Many of Oregon’s 2024 pledges will be in town this weekend for the Ducks’ annual recruiting event, Saturday Night Live. That includes four-star quarterback Michael Van Buren, four-star cornerback Ify Obidegwu, four-star safety Aaron Flowers, four-star wide receiver Jordan Anderson and nine other commitments.

While it was expected that several of those recruits the biggest name set to be in Eugene this weekend is Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Lee’s Summit North Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri. Nwaneri is the No. 1 player in the 2024 On300 and didn’t take an official to Oregon during June. That official visit is set for September and he holds the Duck in high regard along with his other top schools.

Other uncommitted 2024 recruits also expected to be in town include four-star running back Jason Brown and four-star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan

Oregon legacy and 2025 four-star quarterback Akili Smith Jr. will also be on campus alongside two other 2025 four-star signal-callers in Bear Bachmeier and Malik Washington.

Head over to Scoop Duck for all the latest on the Ducks.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M has been one of the hottest teams on the recruiting trail since June and the Aggies have a huge weekend ahead of them. As part of their annual pool party, several five-star recruits will be down in College Station this weekend taking in what Jimbo Fisher has to offer.

The Aggies already hold an offer from one five-star receiver in Cam Coleman and will have the chance to make an impression on another in Ryan Wingo. Wingo will head down to College Station following trips to Missouri and Tennessee. Texas is currently trending to land him in the RPM but Coleman will likely try to flip things the Aggies way while Wingo is in town.

Two other five-star recruits in town that weekend are cornerback Kobe Black and offensive tackle Aydin Breland. Black is a heavy lean towards Texas so the Aggies will have some work to do on that front. Breland’s recruitment is more wide-open and he included A&M in his top 10 schools in May.

The one five-star trending heavily towards Texas A&M that will also be on campus is in-state athlete Terry Bussey. Texas A&M sits and a 94.5% chance to land Bussey according to the RPM. This trip will mark his first trip back since March and according to Bussey, will be one of his last before he makes a decision.

A top 2025 five-star recruit will also be visiting as in-state cornerback Devin Sanchez plans to get a closer look at the program. Sanchez is ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2025 class.

Other key visits around the country

• South Carolina is set to host a pair of top 2024 recruits over the weekend in Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Dylan Stewart and four-star athlete Jalewis Solomon. Both guys are top priority targets for the Gamecocks especially Stewart who has visited campus several times now. They’ll also host several elite 2025 recruits with  five-star defensive lineman Elijah Griffin headlining that group.
• Chandler (Ariz.) Bash four-star quarterback Demond Williams Jr. will be one of the many recruits attending Arizona’s “Desert Stars” recruiting event on Saturday. A former Ole Miss pledge, Williams decommitted from the Rebels on July 7. Arizona has been trending as the favorite since then.
• Already boasting the No. 1 class in the country, Georgia will some of his top commits like Dylan Raiola and Ryan Puglisi on campus this weekend. Top-40 defensive lineman LJ McRay will be the highest-ranked uncommitted 2024 prospect in Athens this weekend. Getting a start 2025 class seems to be the priority for Kirby Smart and his staff as a trio of top-10 2025 defensive prospects in Zayden Walker, DJ Pickett and Na’eem Offord will all be in town.
• After a two-day trip to Auburn on Wednesday and Thursday, top-40 defensive lineman Kamarion Franklin will spend his Friday and Saturday down in Coral Gables. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Miami has the third-highest odds of landing Franklin’s pledge. Tennessee currently sits at the top at 73.2%.