Rivals recruiting buzz: Ten most intriguing visits this weekend
The second weekend of official visits leading up to signing day later this month should be much busier and have many more top prospects – high school, junior college and transfer portal – on the road. Here is a look at some of the biggest visits this weekend.
RUMOR MILL: News keeps coming as signing day looms | 2024 cycle enters the homestretch
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be No. 1 in the 2024 Rivals250?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | There's a new No. 1 in 2024 | Meet the new five-stars
Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Gorney's thoughts | Ten biggest risers
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | Breaking down the QBs | Breaking down the RBs | Breaking down the WRs/TEs | Breaking down the OL
Thursday: Defensive position rankings released | Breaking down the DL | Breaking down the LBs | Breaking down the DBs
Friday: State rankings released
NEW POSITION RANKINGS: Athlete | Cornerback | Safety | Inside linebacker | Outside linebacker | Strongside DE | Weakside DE | Defensive tackle | Offensive tackle | Offensive guard | Center | Tight end | Wide receiver | Running back | All-purpose RB | Pro-style QB | Dual-threat QB
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Braylon Burnside - Mississippi State
Burnside is from Starkville. He was once committed to Mississippi State. But as the Bulldogs’ offense languished under former coach Zach Arnett, Burnside reopened his recruitment. It’s now down to Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin would love nothing more than to steal one of the state’s best - and a Starkville kid - from first-year Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby. This weekend will be important as Lebby sells his vision for Burnside and how things will run in his offense now.
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Dealyn Evans - Alabama
All the talk about a possible flip for the Texas A&M four-star defensive end has been focused on Florida but Evans is now expected to visit Alabama this weekend. The four-star defensive end from Longview (Texas) Pine Tree is big, physical and tough like a lot of other Alabama defensive ends over the years, and if coach Nick Saban really works to flip him, this one could get more interesting.
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Jameer Grimsley - Florida
Although the four-star athlete from Tampa (Fla.) Catholic has been committed to Alabama since July 1, rumors about a potential flip to Florida have been coming in for months and now he’s taking his official visit to Gainesville. The Crimson Tide could use his speed and versatility but the Gators have been putting in a ton of work, so this is one to watch.
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Carlon Jones - Ohio State
The four-star defensive end from Bay City, Texas, has seen his recruitment take off in recent weeks and two big trips are coming up before a final decision is made. Jones, who had been committed to Nebraska earlier in his recruitment, will be at Ohio State this weekend and the Buckeyes are definitely a major frontrunner. A trip to USC should happen on the closing weekend before signing day.
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Robert Lewis - Auburn
Auburn desperately needs more playmakers on offense if coach Hugh Freeze’s system can be implemented more broadly. Enter Lewis, the Georgia State receiver who’s in the transfer portal and looking for a new home. This past season, Lewis caught 70 passes for 877 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2022, Lewis had impressive numbers and was the second option behind Jamari Thrash, Louisville’s leading receiver by far this season. Auburn is hoping to find its Thrash in Lewis, who is also expected to visit Cincinnati soon.
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Chris Paul - Ole Miss
A three-star prospect coming out of Cordele (Ga.) Crisp County, Paul has significantly outplayed that ranking since getting to Arkansas where he’s been a tackling machine, including this past season where he totaled 74 tackles (6.5 for loss) with two sacks. Paul has since entered the transfer portal and this weekend he will be in Oxford. Staying in the SEC West would be a crusher to the Razorbacks.
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Koi Perich - Ohio State
The Esko, Minn., four-star safety has been committed to Minnesota since April but in recent months numerous Big Ten schools have been trying to flip the playmaking Perich, and Ohio State gets another shot this weekend. It’s always hard to say no to the Buckeyes, so we’ll see how this plays out in the closing weeks.
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Jeremiah Smith - Florida State
The five-star receiver who remains committed to Ohio State was in Tallahassee in recent days playing for the state championship and now he’ll be back at Florida State for yet another visit. As signing day gets closer, Smith’s situation is getting a little more convoluted. This is no longer a simple situation of he sticks with Ohio State or he flips to Florida State. Miami is now actively trying to flip Smith’s high school quarterback, Cedrick Bailey, from NC State, and there are some rumors that if that happens then the No. 1 player in the 2024 class could really look at the Hurricanes again. As one source told me this week, Smith isn’t about the NIL money but schools are going to offer it - and maybe nobody is better at it than Miami.
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Michael Van Buren - Mississippi State
Oregon and the four-star quarterback parted ways in recent weeks as four-star Luke Moga remains committed and the Ducks look to be the frontrunner to land transfer QB Dillon Gabriel. So, Van Buren had to hit reset on his recruitment and a visit to Starkville has now come up. Van Buren is a talented quarterback who was not surrounded by elite receivers at Baltimore St. Frances this season, so pairing him with coach Jeff Lebby in the SEC could be an interesting situation.
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Antwane “Juice” Wells - Tennessee
Wells is looking for one final huge season before heading to the NFL. Arguably the best receiver in the transfer portal, Wells was phenomenal at James Madison and then posted big numbers at South Carolina as well, but this season didn’t go as planned as Wells injured his foot early on. Now back in the transfer portal, Wells is expected at Tennessee over the weekend - an offense that could be even more explosive if the Vols had a few more big-time playmakers on the outside.