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Fifteen weekend visits to watch

Ashley Williams Jr.
Ashley Williams Jr.

One of the busiest visit weekends of the year is upon us and top prospects will be traveling across the country to get a final look at schools before the season starts. Here are 15 trips we are particularly interested in this weekend.

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Ashley Williams Jr. to Auburn  

The four-star defensive end from Zachary, La., committed to Nebraska on July 10, and the Huskers scored big because Williams can play. But Auburn has never relented in his recruitment and he’s headed to The Plains this weekend. A flip might be in order, and only time will tell, but if Williams leaves the weekend trip still committed to the Huskers then maybe they dodge a bullet.

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Cormani McClain to Florida  

Florida has made up so much ground from earlier this offseason, when the Gators were running a distant third behind Alabama and Ohio State. The Buckeyes have fallen off and now the Crimson Tide hold the edge, with Florida and Miami right there as well. Getting in The Swamp, getting to be around position coach Corey Raymond and feeling out the Florida program will be big this weekend.

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Matayo Uiagalelei to Louisville  

Louisville is recruiting at such a high clip right now that Uiagalelei going there is not only interesting but could easily turn into more. He has Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco teammates committed to the Cardinals. He’s not completely locked in with anything in his own recruitment now as Ohio State, USC and Oregon look best.

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Shelton Sampson to LSU, Texas A&M

The feeling now is that LSU is too far ahead and will be very difficult to beat for the high four-star receiver from Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic. So one day after he visits LSU – the school down the road – Sampson is expected at Texas A&M’s pool party and the Aggies will try their best with him.

He’s a talented outside receiver and those types of players have thrived in College Station, so maybe something could be pulled off.

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Rickie Collins to LSU

Collins has been committed to Purdue since October and he’s been adamant when asked numerous times about his commitment that he’s locked in with the Boilermakers. When others were slow to get involved with Collins, Purdue showed a ton of interest and that loyalty could pay off. But LSU is making a run at the Baton Rouge (La.) Woodlawn standout, and turning down the hometown Tigers could be tough.

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Jerrick Gibson to Florida

The No. 1 running back in the 2024 class, who had been committed to Florida, will return to Gainesville this weekend as the Gators try to get him locked back up. This is definitely a good situation for this Florida coaching staff as the big Friday Night Lights camp is happening and Gibson has not tossed out the Gators after his de-commitment. Georgia, Oregon, Miami, Texas A&M and others remain involved.

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Jadyn Davis to Michigan, Georgia  

This weekend could end up being massive for the 2024 five-star quarterback as Michigan has become a serious contender in his recruitment and Georgia is definitely high up there as well, among others.

Things have changed as some 2024 quarterbacks have come off the board and this is a very important weekend for the Wolverines and the Bulldogs to keep selling their vision for him. It’s also important to watch how Georgia handles this since it’s interested in fellow 2024 five-star Julian Sayin.

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Chris Parson to Mississippi State  

After backing off his pledge to Florida State it looked like a quick pop to Mississippi State could happen, but Parson has not made his decision yet. A stop at Vanderbilt is expected and TCU, Cal and others are in the mix.

But Mississippi State definitely looks like the key player in Parson’s recruitment right now. A good visit to Starkville over the weekend could seal it.

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Ayden Williams to Ole Miss  

The Ridgeland, Miss., standout has emerged as one of the better receivers in the Southeast, if not nationally, this offseason as he’s gotten more exposure to national events, and now Williams will be in Oxford for a big visit. Ole Miss is looking very strong in his recruitment, and when coach Lane Kiffin sells the vision about how the offense is going to get the ball in his hands the lead could grow.

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David Hicks to Oklahoma, Texas A&M  

The 2024 five-star defensive end is planning to take visits to both Oklahoma and Texas A&M, which is no surprise because those are his top two schools. The Aggies seem to have gained an edge in his recruitment and his move to Katy (Texas) Paetow for his senior season cannot hurt, but these trips will be big.

If he favors one over the other, it could be the answer he was seeking. If Oklahoma blows him away, the Sooners could sneak right back to the top.

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Colin Simmons to Oregon

The current No. 1 prospect in the 2024 class is paying his way to Oregon, which should make coach Dan Lanning and his staff very excited. It might be tough to pull the Duncanville, Texas, five-star edge rusher out of the state or beyond LSU and the SEC. But the Ducks have recruited well at defensive end and Simmons is definitely interested in checking out the program, so this weekend could be really important.

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Nyckoles Harbor to South Carolina  

When it comes to Harbor, all programs remain under serious consideration because there are still so many things going on in his recruitment, including whether he’s going to turn pro in track.

Maryland, Penn State, USC and others remain serious contenders, but the five-star edge rusher still seems open to everybody and the Gamecocks have done well with defensive linemen over the years. Coach Shane Beamer is influential, so getting Harbor on campus is big.

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TJ Shanahan to Texas A&M  

It’s going to be a massively important weekend at Texas A&M, and it starts with the five-star offensive lineman who will be taking another visit to College Station. The Aggies are now considered the team to beat for Shanahan, and this could further lock in his decision-making process.

USC, Texas, Georgia and LSU are the other frontrunners, but this now looks like a battle between the Aggies and the Bulldogs.

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Anthony Hill to Texas A&M  

The five-star linebacker is down to Texas and Texas A&M and unless there is a surprise, Hill will only be visiting College Station this weekend and didn’t make it to the Texas party that was held on Thursday. The Aggies have been considered the far-and-away favorite here and another solid visit to A&M over the weekend could only make this more telling.

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Jeremiyah Love to Texas A&M  

Notre Dame and Michigan have been battling it out for the four-star running back from St. Louis Christian Brothers, but Love has gotten enamored with some SEC schools and Texas A&M is going to take its biggest shot yet with him this weekend. The Irish and the Wolverines still have to like their chances in landing him, but the longer this goes and the more Love visits SEC powers, it could get interesting.

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