Rivals national analysts John Garcia Jr., Adam Gorney, Greg Smith and Sam Spiegelman debate a couple topics surrounding weekend recruiting visits.
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1. What is the biggest visit this weekend?
Garcia: Jayvan Boggs to Florida State. FSU continues to get elite recruits on campus despite its stumbles on the field this season, and top pass-catchers like Boggs taking the trip this weekend couldn't be more timely. The Seminoles have lost out on all three wide receiver commitments in the class of 2025 thus far in the cycle, so it is back to the drawing board in a big way beginning this weekend. Boggs not only set this official visit more than a week ago, but there has been high anticipation for the visit on both sides since the scholarship offer from Mike Norvell and company came in. UCF has held the commitment of Boggs for some time, but the defections are piling up under Gus Malzahn as questions begin to arise surrounding his own status as the head Knight moving forward. Throw in an offense inept in the passing game and the potential flip of Boggs from UCF to FSU begins to have even more legs than the simple desperation angle the Seminoles are working with on the trail.
Gorney: Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng going back to Michigan is huge. It feels like a two-team race between Michigan and Notre Dame for the five-star linebacker from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy as both have phenomenal defenses, great linebacker play and solid academics. Florida, Ohio State and USC are also involved in Owusu-Boateng's recruitment but the Irish and the Wolverines could be battling it out. What felt like a decent Notre Dame lead (his brother played there and the LB tradition is hard to match) is no longer as the Wolverines are definitely making a big move.
Smith: Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng visiting Michigan. Schools around the country would love to sign the five-star linebacker. He’s a dynamic player at the inside linebacker position with great bloodlines. This seems to be a Michigan versus Notre Dame battle but the Wolverines have a major chance to impress as the buzz around the program picks up.
Spiegelman: Donovan Murph at South Carolina. The four-star wide receiver re-classified into the 2025 recruiting cycle earlier this year and is set for the first of two official visits this weekend, beginning with a return trip to Columbia to check out the Gamecocks in action in primetime against Texas A&M. South Carolina and Clemson are both in line to get official visits from one of the state's blue-chip prospects with schools such as Tennessee, Ohio State and others also chipping away at Murph. Both Shane Beamer and Dabo Swinney are intent to keep Murph in-state.
2. What program has the most to gain with recruits this weekend?
Garcia: South Carolina. While many in the SEC and certainly beyond have more gaudy visitor lists to their name, the Gamecock tally is a strong one with key SEC opponent Texas A&M in town. Not only is there room to impress on the field with a potential upset in front of the always-rowdy home crowd, but the recruits on hand are needle-movers in key positions along the offensive and defensive lines. Coveted defensive linemen Kevin Wynn and Braxton Kyle are expected along with offensive linemen Darius Gray and Damola Ajidahun, and an impressive performance against a stacked trench roster like that of the Aggies could work a long way for the future of the program. South Carolina, particularly on defense, has flashed like few programs have been able to thus far, and Shane Beamer and company know how to distribute the love when elites are in town — so expect success in South Carolina regardless of the scoreboard.
Gorney: Penn State. If not now, when? Coach James Franklin's record against top-10 teams is nothing to write home about but Ohio State feels wounded in some way as the Buckeyes couldn't run the ball against Nebraska and just don't seem as totally dominant as in years past. Drew Allar is banged up but practiced this week and the Nittany Lions remain undefeated even if some wins haven't been pretty. A big group of recruits will be in Happy Valley and the place should be rocking. Penn State should be able to make the playoff even with a loss, but it still feels like the expectation here is for the Lions to hold on at home.
Smith: Penn State has a gigantic opportunity ahead this weekend. Not only is this game critical for the perception of coach James Franklin, it’s important for recruiting. The program is treating it that way, too. About 100 prospects from coast to coast will be in Happy Valley this weekend, including four-star Missouri QB commit Matt Zollers, Michigan four-star tight end commit Andrew Olesh and 2026 four-star defensive back Jakob Weatherspoon.
Spiegelman: Auburn has been the site of numerous big recruiting weekends throughout the fall and that theme will continue into this weekend as the Tigers are prepared to host multiple blue-chip recruits and flip targets, as well as some notable recruits in next year’s recruiting cycle. One five-star expected on the Plains is defensive lineman Justus Terry, who is coming off of an official visit to Texas and is high on Alabama and Georgia with a month away until early signing day. Terry is scheduled to see Auburn, Florida State, Alabama and Georgia before he finalize his plans, and with time running low each visit is a massive importance. Auburn will also welcome newly uncommitted four-star quarterback, Jared Curtis from the 2026 cycle to campus for the first time in months, the once Georgia verbal is set to visit Auburn this weekend before trips to Oregon, Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama over the rest of the month with USC and South Carolina also trending for visits down the road. Auburn will also get four-star USC cornerback commit Shamar Arnoux to campus again.
