There are some major games in the SEC this weekend and some big-time visitors across the country as Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney looks at the 10 that intrigue him the most.
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Isaiah Campbell - North Carolina
After a surprising decommitment from Clemson, Campbell quickly narrowed down his choices to North Carolina and Tennessee. The four-star defensive end from Durham (N.C.) Southern Durham already visited with the Vols and they could be really tough to beat especially since they’re playing so well but the Tar Heels cannot be counted out.
This will be a big weekend of visitors in Chapel Hill and closing the gap with Tennessee will be crucial here.
Michael Carroll - Colorado
This is an interesting one that caught a lot of people, even some close to Carroll, off guard and while it still feels like a long shot that the elite offensive tackle would flip from Alabama, getting him to Boulder could be the start of that attempt.
Jordan Seaton’s success this season has definitely intrigued the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout but the Crimson Tide still seem to be really strong here. If the weekend blows Carroll away then a conversation will be had but Alabama won’t go down without a fight.
Tramell Jones - Florida
Could this be as simple as Jones decommits from Florida State earlier this week only to commit to Florida shortly after – whether that is following this weekend’s visit or on National Signing Day? It’s starting to look like that.
The Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin four-star quarterback resisted the Gators’ overtures for such a long time. He said at the Elite 11 this summer he was locked in with the Seminoles and so on, but after a disastrous 1-9 season and Florida’s continued pursuit, the Gators look very strong here.
Julian Lewis - Georgia
The five-star quarterback has been committed to USC since August 2023 but in recent months it looked as if Colorado was the biggest threat to flip the Carrollton, Ga., standout.
Georgia is making another run at Lewis, though, as the Bulldogs look for a second quarterback in this class as current commit Ryan Montgomery is visiting this weekend. Does Lewis stick with the Trojans to play for Lincoln Riley, does he flip to Colorado to play for Deion Sanders or does Georgia actually win out in the end?
After this weekend, we should know more.
Ryder Lyons - BYU
USC remains the leader in Lyons’ recruitment but Ole Miss, BYU and others are definitely making this interesting as the 2026 five-star quarterback visits with the Cougars this weekend. BYU remains undefeated and that has caught Lyons’ attention plus he’s planning a religious mission after high school, commonplace among BYU athletes.
Still, BYU feels like a little bit of a long shot and if Riley is still with the Trojans, USC leads.
Naeshaun Montgomery - Alabama
Earlier this week four-star receiver Caleb Cunningham flipped from Ole Miss to Alabama and now Montgomery will be taking a trip to Tuscaloosa. Could this be Cunningham’s replacement? The four-star receiver from Miami (Fla.) Central has been committed to Florida since August and he’s been adamant about sticking with the Gators.
But this is an intriguing late visit for Montgomery as the Crimson Tide look to fill Cunningham’s spot.
DJ Pickett - Florida
The five-star athlete was at The Swamp earlier this season when Miami embarrassed the Gators and now Florida will get another shot at the Zephyrhills, Fla., standout (although it’s lost on no one that Pickett is visiting when LSU coming to town).
Pickett has been pledged to the Tigers since July, so it will be tough to flip him. But Florida has cleared up coach Billy Napier’s future, at least for one more season, and that could be compelling.
Carter Smith - Wisconsin
Over the last couple weeks since his decommitment from Michigan, it looked like Wisconsin was in the driver’s seat to land Smith’s commitment but things got even more interesting in recent days after Tramell Jones backed off his Florida State pledge.
The Seminoles are now targeting the Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot standout as a replacement in their class and after this weekend a trip to Tallahassee is very possible. This will be the Badgers’ main opportunity to convince Smith to stay in the Big Ten instead of the Sunshine State.
Jared Smith - South Carolina
One of the bigger visits that isn’t being talked about enough is Smith to South Carolina since the Gamecocks were so heavily involved in his recruitment the first time around before the four-star defensive end committed to Auburn.
It could be tough to pull the Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson standout away from the Tigers since they do have defensive ends playing well and Auburn is just two hours from home, but the environment in Columbia should be great and there has always been interest there.
Jahkeem Stewart - USC
Stewart has been making his final rounds of visits over the last few weeks and the chatter has been that LSU and Oregon will battle it out until the end, although Ohio State and USC are also very involved in his recruitment.
For a long while, Stewart has been intrigued with the Trojans. He loves the new defensive coaching staff there, especially Eric Henderson, and there could be significant NIL opportunities. But unless there’s a surprise here, this still feels like the Tigers and Ducks will battle to the end here.
