The college football season is in full stride as the month of September winds down, so the visits and chatter on the recruiting trail are picking up simultaneously.
Rivals takes a look at some big-name senior recruits in the state of Florida ahead of another busy round of visits nationally -- with even more to come.
The former Florida State and Alabama commitment is taking his time ahead of his final decision, set to come in December, but Hilson is scheduled to get back on the road and take his first game day trip since backing off of the FSU pledge. It will be the local program, UCF, that hosts the five-star talent, this time for its tilt with Colorado. Many eyes will be on the Orlando showdown and there's plenty of recruit demand, too, as UCF announced announced there are no more recruiting tickets available by Tuesday morning. The senior wants to take trips to truly dig into where he may wind up in the end, and with only a handful scheduled, the local stop shouldn't be overlooked.
The longtime Miami commitment reclassified to the senior class earlier this month and now his recruitment could see a bolt of energy into it with just a few months until the Early Signing Period opens up. Toney, one of the most polished wide receiver recruits regardless of class, amassed a massive scholarship offer list as an underclassman and he has maintained some communication with select programs. One of them, Alabama, is set to host Georgia in the game of the week and Toney will make his first road trip since moving up a class. With Alabama's youth infusion at the wide receiver spot and the profile of the game itself, it's worth keeping an eye on.
Still a strong commitment to Brian Kelly and LSU, where he jumped in back in the summer months, LaJessee Harrold is still quite coveted in the region. Other programs have circled back around on the Tiger pledge, including Coach Prime at Colorado -- emphasized by its fresh official offer Harrold's way. At one point it seemed like CU was going to take a smaller class of 2025, but with on-field momentum and the flip of Antonio Branch fresh, it looks like the 2025 class will become bigger than expected. Harrold is also hearing from in-state Miami and UCF, as well as Texas A&M. He is considering visits, but reports no set plans to hit the road just yet.
Another reclassified talent from the 2026 class, Samuel has seen prospects around his recruitment pick up since he flipped to Florida in late July. UCF will get the area standout on campus this weekend but the Knights are far from the only program working on a flip of the senior. Samuel says LSU is the newest program in communication with him while Alabama, Miami, Tulane and the program he was once verbally committed to -- Syracuse -- continue to make the effort. Samuel is of course monitoring things in Gainesville with plenty of noise around Billy Napier's future. Future trips are still to be determined, but it appears as if Samuel will surely hit the road.
Branch made the flip from Penn State to Colorado after taking his official visit to Boulder over the weekend, getting plenty of one-on-one time with Deion Sanders in the process. The coveted safety has been a known name in South Florida since he was an underclassman and now he plays at Miami Northwestern, under high profile first-year prep coach Teddy Bridgewater. With the news that CU is likely taking a larger recruiting class than initially anticipated, Branch could become a key peer recruiter for Prime and co. in the coach's native state. Expect more Floridians to at least visit Boulder going forward.
Speaking of Colorado looking into Big Ten recruits, the Wisconsin commitment is another it has its eyes on in the Sunshine State. Not only has communication with the Buff staff picked up here, but Telemaque tells Rivals an official visit to Boulder is all but set for later this season (date still to be determined after a recent scheduling conflict). Other programs are also working on the Badger pledge, including another potential official visit destination with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the works. Telemaque is a teammate of new Colorado commitment Branch at Miami Northwestern.
A breakout junior season (1,057 yards, 22 touchdowns) has been followed up by an even better start to the 2024 season for the Arizona commitment. Mizell has already put in 656 yards and seven more scores on just 30 receptions through five games as a senior. It, combined with verified 10.4-second speed in the 100 meter dash, has pushed Mizell's recruitment to the next level. He was offered by Notre Dame and will take an official visit to campus this coming weekend to explore the program more. Michigan and in-state Florida, where his brother Aidan currently plays wide receiver, are two more programs picking up the pace with the speedster.
Another senior riser who is playing his way towards more attention, North Carolina just jumped in with the offer to the Orlando-area back on Monday. Perry is very comfortable with the ball in the air but it's his ground work against high-profile opponents, as he averages better than 8 yards per carry, that holds attention. UNC is a program he has already been building with, as it has hosted him more than a handful of times already. More programs are likely to get over the hump with Perry, he expects, so he is in no rush to end the recruiting process just yet.
