Midwest Spotlight: Biggest official visits of September

For the final year, September marks the beginning of the official visit season for seniors, and this month has seen important official visits take place with prospects throughout the Midwest. Here is a look at the five biggest official visits that have taken place, or will take place, this month.

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Destination: USC, Sept. 15

Reason: USC was the last school Smith unofficially visited in the summer – spending several days with the Trojans during a late July family vacation to Southern California – and now it is the first school he officially visits during his senior year. That is a lot of momentum that Clay Helton and his staff are building up going into the stretch run of this recruitment. There are those saying this will come down to a Penn State-Ohio State battle, but Smith is a California kid who grew up in the Golden State and still has a lot of family and friends in the area. This was a major official visit as it relates to this recruitment.

Destination: Notre Dame, Sept. 8

Reason: There are two official visits here to choose from, because Gervin also took one to Oklahoma the weekend of Sept. 15. The Notre Dame official visit was bigger, though, because it represents a new wrinkle in this recruitment. Gervin was previously committed to the Fighting Irish, but then said he was no longer considering them after de-committing in May. Now they are not only back under consideration, but they get his first official visit. The Oct. 20 official visit to Virginia Tech is a big one in this recruitment, because the Hokies are the team that has held the edge all summer. But we still do not know how that Notre Dame visit will affect the path of this recruitment.

Destination: Oklahoma, Sept. 1

Reason: Asamoah set a decision date for early August, and then … crickets. For several weeks there was no commitment, and no explanation as to why. In the end, he just needed to be sure. Oklahoma and Pitt were considered the two top contenders for the Columbus-area native going into his early August commitment date, and ultimately this was the big battle. He had planned to follow up his official visit to Norman with one to Pittsburgh, but never got that far. After showing Asamoah and his family around the campus and facilities and giving him a chance to bond with the team, the Sooners coaches received a call from Asamoah a few days after he returned home where he made his commitment.

Destination: Texas, Sept. 8

Reason: This is one of the most wide open recruitments in the Midwest heading into the fall. Oklahoma was gaining momentum coming out of the spring before Bob Stoops stepped down as head coach. Lincoln Riley and Co. have done a good job of keeping the Sooners near the top of Perkins’ interest list, even though the new head coach did not have a previous relationship with Perkins. The official visit to Texas was Perkins’ first time on the Longhorns’ campus and he left Austin with a strong vibe for the program and the community. His football schedule may not allow for any more official visits in the near future, meaning the vibe off the Texas visit gets to simmer for awhile.

Destination: UCLA, Sept. 29

Reason: Trout came into the month with a new top six that consisted of Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Missouri, UCLA and USC. He will exit the month on an official visit to see the Bruins when they host to Colorado in the Rose Bowl. Trout has never been to the state of California, but USC is also expected to get one of his official visits. How he likes the Golden State on this first trip to the West Coast, though, could signal how strong the Pac-12 schools are in the Rivals100 prospect’s recruitment.