Recruiting buzz: This weekend's 15 biggest visits
The dead period is over and prospects are back on the road. Here are 15 of the biggest visits this weekend and what they could mean.
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FACT OR FICTION: Texas Tech has a legitimate shot at Micah Hudson
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Grant Brix to Iowa
Iowa already has a commitment from the state’s top player in OL Cody Fox, but landing Brix would be huge as well and there is some serious competition for him in Nebraska, Kansas State, Iowa State and others. From Logan, Iowa, Brix is closest to the Huskers but getting him to Iowa City and selling the offensive line tradition there, and more, could be compelling.
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TA Cunningham to Miami
The high four-star defensive end transferred from Johns Creek, Ga., to Los Alamitos, Calif., and it wasn’t a smooth transition as things happened outside of his control off the field. Still, Cunningham has also shown an affinity for Southern California, but a weekend trip to Miami could be big.
Coach Mario Cristobal and his staff are selling him on early playing time and so much more with the Hurricanes, and it’s a big deal that he’ll be in Coral Gables.
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Jonathan Daniels to Florida
Florida State could have the slightest edge for the Pensacola (Fla.) Pine Forest four-star offensive tackle who has seen his recruitment take off in recent months, so this trip will be crucial for coach Billy Napier and his staff to get the Gators front and center. To see the long-term vision and to spend time with position coach Rob Sale could help Florida immensely this weekend.
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Marcos Davila to Purdue
It’s a big recruiting weekend for first-year coach Ryan Walters and his staff as a bunch of top prospects will be in West Lafayette and Davila is one of them. The former TCU quarterback commit is very high on the Boilermakers, but Miami and others are giving chase as well.
Still, he could be Purdue’s to lose. This weekend’s trip could solidify things even further, and a commitment wouldn’t be a complete shock.
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Micah Debose to Alabama
The Crimson Tide have had success over the years at Prichard (Ala.) Vigor but the 2025 four-star offensive lineman chose Georgia over Alabama and many others when he committed in mid-January.
A little over a month later, coach Nick Saban and his staff are getting the massive offensive lineman on campus. While Debose says he’s locked in with the Dawgs, Alabama is not going to give up on an in-state prospect who’s so talented.
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Jontae Gilbert to Tennessee
Ohio State landed a commitment from Gilbert in late July and there is no real reason for the Buckeyes to be super concerned at this point, but a visit to Tennessee does make things interesting.
Does the Atlanta Douglass four-star cornerback want to play in the SEC? Will he see a lot of excitement in a Tennessee program that beat Alabama and Clemson last year? After this weekend, we should know a lot more.
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Micah Hudson to Texas Tech
Everybody is talking Texas or Texas A&M or Ohio State when it comes to the five-star receiver, but Texas Tech has been in his recruitment from the very beginning. He loves the coaching staff there and the Red Raiders are a real contender to land him.
For coach Joey McGuire and his staff, this could be an all-in situation to beat the bigger-named programs and Hudson seems to be very interested. He wouldn’t be going to Lubbock if he wasn’t.
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Jake Merklinger to North Carolina
This could end up being a battle between North Carolina and Tennessee, so the four-star quarterback spending the weekend in Chapel Hill could be huge. Spending time with new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey will be monumental for the Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day standout, but the Vols and others are battling hard here as well.
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Williams Nwaneri to Oklahoma
An Ohio State offer is big, a recent Tennessee visit made a big impression, Missouri is right there along with Alabama and others, but Oklahoma is squarely one of the top teams for Nwaneri, so getting him on campus this weekend is extremely important.
The Sooners have a lot of talent, but a spark from arguably the best defensive end in the 2024 class – especially one that is being pursued so heavily – would be another major win for Oklahoma.
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Joseph Phillips to Auburn (Wednesday) and Georgia (Thursday)
Phillips could not wait. Instead of taking trips on the weekend, the four-star linebacker from Tuskegee (Ala.) Booker T. Washington was expected at Auburn on Wednesday and then Georgia on Thursday as he’s become a hot commodity through the Southeast. The rumor is that Auburn definitely looks the strongest in his recruitment and the last few days could have helped as he inches closer to a decision.
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Eddy Pierre-Louis to Texas and Texas A&M
The powerful four-star offensive lineman from Tampa (Fla.) Catholic has been pegged to Florida for a long time, with UCF and many others in the mix. But Pierre-Louis has recently said he remains wide open.
Seeing Texas and Texas A&M this weekend could be really important because both programs are impressive and both have done a great job recruiting offensive linemen in recent years. If Pierre-Louis is looking to leave the state of Florida then the Texas schools could make things interesting.
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Jeremiah Smith to Florida State
If there is a serious threat to Ohio State, where Smith committed in December, it might come from Miami, but a weekend visit to Florida State is definitely a big deal as well. The Seminoles have been recruiting the South Florida standout for a long time. The turnaround in Tallahassee looks like it’s happening and Smith is interested enough to see it.
Still, Ohio State has to like its position, especially since his former South Florida Express teammates are there.
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David Stone to Texas A&M
Oklahoma and Michigan State are the frontrunners, with Ohio State also in the mix, but it’s telling that the five-star defensive tackle from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy is visiting Texas A&M and others in the coming months.
The Aggies have been recruiting ridiculously well along the defensive line, but it shouldn’t scare off Stone. If anything, he has the type of personality to mesh with those players.
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Joshisa Trader to Florida State
Miami is the frontrunner and the Hurricanes can be tough to beat for the Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna standout, but Ohio State is another school to closely watch since his teammate, Jeremiah Smith, is already committed to the Buckeyes.
But Smith and Trader are expected in Tallahassee this weekend, which could be a huge opportunity for the fellow five-star receiver. Things could get more interesting after his trip to FSU.
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Bryce Underwood to LSU
There is a lot of talk that a bunch of Big Ten schools are heaviest in his recruitment right now, but the top-rated quarterback in the 2025 class is going to see a bunch of other schools – especially some in the SEC – and it starts this weekend with LSU.
From Brian Kelly to position coach Joe Sloan and others, the Belleville, Mich., standout could be really intrigued by what’s happening in Baton Rouge and the receivers coming in.