Southeast Spotlight: Latest news on region's biggest names

It was a busy weekend in Southeast recruiting, and with the early signing period just seven weeks away, the action promises to stay intense. This week we look at the latest recruiting news on some of the biggest names in the region.

MORE: Latest news on biggest names in the Midwest

Five-star Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic offensive tackle Cade Mays seemed destined to play for the Tennessee Volunteers from the moment he picked up a football. The Vols legacy grew up around the program and didn’t wait very long from the time he emerged as a recruit to join the school’s commitment list back in 2015. But here we are, less than two months away from when Mays will sign his letter-of-intent and all of a sudden things are in flux.

With Butch Jones and his staff’s status in doubt beyond this season, Mays has elected to take visits to other campuses for the for time since the summer of 2015. After two years of being loyally committed to the Vols and helping build the school’s 2018 class, Mays is reevaluating his options, just in case.

This past weekend, he visited Clemson and was spotted having a great time alongside longtime friend and Clemson commit Mike Jones, Jr. Mays visit coincided with fellow five-stars K.J. Henry and Xavier Thomas and featured an impressive victory by the Tigers. Following the trip, Mays confirmed that he will be back at Clemson for an official visit in Nov. 18, and will also be taking trips to Georgia (this Saturday) and Ohio State (Nov. 11) before returning to Tennessee for his official on Nov. 25. Mays is also likely to take official visits to Georgia and Notre Dame in December.

Will Jones still be the Vols' coach by then? How might a change impact Mays with so little time before his final decision? Mays ending up elsewhere was once unthinkable and while it’s still a longshot, three of college football’s heavy hitters have now entered the picture.

Jamaree Salyer was set to take an official visit to Ohio State over the weekend, but he decided late not to make that trip. Once that was confirmed, we also learned Salyer was officially down to two schools — Clemson and Georgia. There were four schools on the list, but Florida and Ohio State have been eliminated. Salyer is planning to be in Athens this weekend to see Georgia play South Carolina. That will be an unofficial visit. He has set up an official visit to Clemson the weekend of Nov. 18, when the Tigers host The Citadel.

An announcement of his decision will come Dec. 15 at Atlanta (Ga.) Pace Academy, then he will sign with the school he commits on Dec. 20. Salyer says it is "very close" between Clemson and Georgia at this time.

Rivals250 Tennessee wide receiver commit Alontae Taylor finished his high school career off last Friday with seven touchdowns and then made his way to Notre Dame for his first official visit. Despite his exploits on offense, the Irish view Taylor as a cornerback and the trip did enough for him to realistically consider the possibility. Much like Mays, Taylor was integral in the building of the Vols' 2018 class but he is now looking at other options as well.

The Irish are clearly a factor and Taylor will take official visits to Georgia (Nov. 18), Wake Forest (Dec. 2) and Tennessee (Dec. 9) before announcing a final decision. Taylor will also visit Knoxville this weekend and said he’s looking forward to talking to Jones face-to-face as he continues to work to sort out rumors from facts.

Dylan Wonnum has stood by what he said during the spring and that is he will take his time with his recruitment and go at his own pace. The Tucker (Ga.) coaching staff likes it when their players make early commitments so it does not become a distraction during the season. Josh Vann committed to South Carolina in August and Michael Harris committed to Auburn in July. Wonnum is likely to follow one of them. His brother, D.J. Wonnum is having a strong season at defensive end for the Gamecocks. South Carolina seems to be trending again after the Tigers seem to be early in the season. Wonnum continues to say he will commit after the season.

Asa Martin has taken in a couple of games at Alabama this season, but he is an Auburn commit. It also looks like Alabama will receive the final official visit. Martin is going to graduate in December and is is planning on taking four official visits. He is going to Clemson on Nov. 17, Auburn the following weekend and Alabama wants him to visit the second weekend in December. He will likely take another visit to FAU, but the Owls are not viewed as a threat. When Martin committed in August, it was close between the two in-state schools, so the real threat here is Alabama. It is definitely something to track until Martin signs in December.

Jaycee Horn has been on the road almost every weekend this season and the Vols may need to be worried about this Rivals250 cornerback. He has visited Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and he has taken in two games at South Carolina already. The Gamecocks were at one time the school to beat before Horn committed to Tennessee in August and they may be trending again. Horn has always said he will take visits, so that is not a surprise, but there seems to be a little more chatter about South Carolina in recent weeks.

With the news of Jim McElwain’s dismissal at Florida dominating headlines over the past few days, many opposing coaches immediately turned their attention to the Gators' commitment list in an effort to see which prospects they might be able to flip. Rivals100 wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is one the names that is clearly circled, with Michigan and Georgia joining longtime suitors TCU and LSU. Chase told Rivals.com nothing has changed regarding his commitment status, but Georgia already has his close friend and teammate Aaron Brule committed and can also offer a path to early playing time. Expect Chase to take some official visits and things to get a little hectic regarding several of the other high-profile Gators commits.

Is it only a matter of time before Christian Tutt, a four-star defensive back out of Thomson (Ga.) commits to Nebraska? All signs are still pointing that direction. Tutt admitted he almost committed while on his official visit to Nebraska in September, but he has held off. There was talk about him committing to the Huskers over the summer, too. The school that may be next in line at this time is Auburn. Alabama has been talked about some as well, but it looks like Tutt may be at Auburn for the Georgia game. Nebraska has had an up and down season with a 4-4 record, but the program's staff has done an excellent job of making Tutt and his family feel very important. This race on the outside does not appear to be that close at this time, so lets see if Nebraska can close on this one and get one of the best in the Peach State to head west.