Mid-South Spotlight: Five notable visits for top prospects
Visit season is clicking on all cylinders right now and prospects from every corner of the country are taking trips to get a closer look at some of their top programs. We take a look at five of the most surprising and interesting upcoming visits this week, continuing today in the Mid-South region.
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TY HAYWOOD'S VISIT TO MICHIGAN
There are several other programs I would slot ahead of Michigan right now, but the Wolverines could potentially emerge as a front-runner in Haywood's recruitment. Alabama, Texas A&M, TCU and Oklahoma are all scheduled to host the five-star prospect this summer and I would say it is likely he ends up signing with one of those programs. But Haywood was very complimentary of the Wolverines when they offered in February.
Haywood said the fact that Michigan won the national championship and that offensive line coach Sherrone Moore was now the head coach was something that stood out and could mean something down the line.
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RILEY PETTIJOHN'S VISIT TO USC
Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State and USC are all set to receive official visits, but the Trojans are the most interesting among the group. Just looking at the recent defensive output under both Lincoln Riley and USC, being in true contention for a top-100 linebacker seems a bit odd.
But the new hires on the defensive staff in Los Angeles have caught Pettijohn's attention. There is a sense Texas leads for the four-star prospect, but the Trojans could make a significant push.
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LAMONT ROGERS' VISIT TO MISSOURI
This one can fit into both the interesting and surprising categories. It is not often Missouri is in the running to land one of the premier offensive linemen in Texas, so this could lead to some rare storylines. And to go along with that, Missouri will not just receive a visit, but appears to be in the lead here.
Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and some regional powers are in the hunt, but it’s the Tigers who could spoil all their efforts.
It is not likely he will commit coming out of a visit (I think he will wait until he gets through the summer) but that Missouri visit on May 31 could decide his recruitment.
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TAZ WILLIAMS JR.'S VISIT TO USC
Williams Jr. taking an official visit to USC isn’t all that surprising when you look at the positional history and offensive production for the Trojans. But USC extended an offer only three weeks ago, much, much later than other programs involved in his recruitment. Texas A&M, Michigan and Ohio State, who will all receive official visits, have been in the picture for well over a year.
Williams questioned at times why the Trojans had not offered, but once they did, he immediately knew he wanted to visit. That interest could mean something legitimate when he does make his way to an official visit. The Trojans could make some noise.
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RILEY WORMLEY'S VISIT TO OKLAHOMA STATE
Three programs are confirmed to receive official visits from Wormley: Oklahoma State, TCU and Oklahoma.
Oregon, Ole Miss and Texas are three others that could be added to the list in the coming weeks. Because of this, Oklahoma State has Wormley set to visit on April 7, one of the earliest times available to visit.
The Cowboys know they have some work to do in his recruitment and will look to take an early shot at gaining his interest and then hoping to stick it out through the summer. They will try to sell the Dallas-Fort Worth standout on following the same tracks as 2023 Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon.