Weekend Visit Preview: Five schools with huge weekend visits

Florida looks to be the epicenter of the college football recruiting world on Saturday with a pair of big games attracting prospects from across the country to the Sunshine State. There is also a unique recruiting visitor situation happening with the Red River Rivalry. We explore all of that in our weekly visitor preview.

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

The Big Three in the state of Florida all get involved with this weekend’s recruiting action because Florida State is traveling to Miami to take on the Hurricanes in their annual ACC tilt. This is a watershed game for both programs, who are looking to overcome early-season losses and build momentum into the second half of the season. However, the recruiting implications could rival the on-field results in terms of importance.

Miami’s Mark Richt knows an ideal recruiting opportunity when he sees one, and he’s utilizing the in-state rivalry to showcase his program to the Hurricanes' top targets. That includes wide receiver Jadon Haselwood, fresh off the five-star’s decommitment from Georgia. Haselwood is headed to Coral Gables as one of several official visitors, which also includes four-stars JJ Weaver and Mark-Antony Richards.

The list of expected unofficial visitors bolsters the strong collection of official visitors and features several five-stars, including class of 2020 prospects Leonard Manuel and Fred Davis. We could also see some interesting surprises, like 2019 five-star Akeem Dent, who was once committed to the Hurricanes but now sits on Florida State’s commitment list. Miami’s 2019 class is ranked No. 20 with 15 commitments, but its 2020 class already boasts 12 commitments and ranks No. 1.

>>To see all the prospects expected at Miami Saturday check out CaneSport.com<<

The biggest game in the SEC this weekend is going down in Gainesville, where a one-loss Florida team is set to host No. 5 LSU. Recruiting maybe has not been as fruitful as Dan Mullen would have hoped with his first full class for the Gators. They currently have a 15-man group that ranks 22nd nationally, but a game like Saturday’s could be the shot in the arm needed and Mullen’s crew has delivered with an impressive visitors list.

Official visits are always the highlight of a recruiting weekend, and with plenty of spots still available in 2019 Florida has a strong collection of official visitors scheduled. The headliners would have to be a pair of Texas natives who have strong ties to the Sunshine State. Rivals250 wide receiver Elijah Higgins and Rivals100 safety Lewis Cine have both lived in Florida for periods of their lives, and the Gators are hoping to attract them back home. They will headline a group of official visitors this weekend that could number as many as eight.

There does not appear to be any impending commitments from Florida’s group of visitors this weekend, but anything can happen on a visit. More important than instant results is putting itself in position down the road, with 2019 official visits and underclass unofficial visitors alike. Florida is off to a solid start with four commitments in the 2020 class, and will have juniors they are strong with in attendance Saturday, such as four-star athlete Curtis Jacobs and three-star running back Jordan Simmons.

>>To see Florida’s full list of expected visitors check out GatorsTerritory.com<<

The on-field results are not worth writing home about yet, but Chad Morris does have recruiting humming in his first year as Arkansas’ head coach. The current Rivals team recruiting rankings have Arkansas’ 20-man class checking in at No. 14 for 2019. The Razorbacks have yet to land their first 2020 commitment, but with how important this first full class is for Morris and his staff, most of their eggs are in the 2019 basket right now.

Alabama is a 35-point favorite as it head to Fayetteville to clash with the Razorbacks this weekend, but what Morris knows is that even if they lose big, it can be beneficial for recruiting because prospects might see early playing time and the opportunity to turn a program around. And, if they beat the No. 1 team in America or play to a close final, then the atmosphere at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium will be rocking. It’s a recruiting win-win.

This weekend’s list of expected official visitors is hovering right around 10, and could fluctuate before prospects start to arrive. Several of the confirmed official visitors are commitments, including four-stars Adonis Otey and Eric Gregory. There are, however, several uncommitted prospects expected for official visits, with four-star safety Jalen Catalon and four-star defensive end Dante Walker among the most noteworthy.

>>For the full list of expected Arkansas visitors check out HawgBeat.com<<

After this weekend, Texas A&M does not host a home game until Nov. 10, so the Aggies are going to take advantage of an undefeated Kentucky team coming to College Station and put a large contingent of recruiting visitors in the stands at Kyle Field on Saturday. Jimbo Fisher and Co. have the No. 2 ranked 2019 class in the country right now, and their 25 total commitments is second only to Ole Miss among Power Five programs. The Aggies are also rolling in 2020 with six commitments, including Rivals100 wide receiver Demond Demas, in a class that ranks No. 4 nationally.

Despite those large commitment numbers, Texas A&M is still swinging away in both classes and several of its top targets are expected visitors Saturday, including Rivals100 defensive end Marcus Stripling. Keep an eye on this official visitor list as Saturday draws closer because it could include prospects committed to other schools, including Florida State commit Derick Hunter.

Among the expected underclassmen visitors, it will be interesting to see where five-star 2020 running back Zachary Evans ends up this weekend, because both A&M and Oklahoma have designs on him being among their gameday visitors Saturday.

>>For Texas A&M’s full visitors list check out AggieYell.com<<

The Red River Rivalry presents an interesting recruiting visitor situation this weekend. The annual Oklahoma-Texas showdown has not been contested at either schools’ campus since 1923, but instead has taken place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas since 1932. The teams alternate “home team” designation, with Oklahoma being the home team for this year’s contest. The Sooners, then, are allowed to invite unofficial visitors to the Cotton Bowl, but since the game is not on campus the coaching staff and school personnel cannot have any in-person contact with recruiting visitors, who pick up their passes from will call.

Despite those unique circumstances, recruits definitely do attend the rivalry game every year, and both schools use it as an opportunity to showcase their programs to the talent-rich Dallas Metroplex area. Oklahoma’s 2019 visitor list this weekend is commitment-heavy, and includes Dallas-area five-stars Trejan Bridges and Theo Wease.

Those 2019 commitments could be pseudo-hosts – unofficially, of course – to a group of underclassmen visitors that is very impressive and should include the likes of 2020 Rivals100 running back Seth McGowan and offered 2021 linebacker Kendrick Blackshire.

>>Head to SoonerScoop.com for the full list of expected visitors<<