Preview of Upcoming 5/29 Official Visit Weekend – SEC

Auburn

• 4-star CB Joshua Dobson (Cornelius, NC)
• 4-star CB Tae Walden Jr. (Collierville, TN)
• 4-star DE Jabarrius Garror (Mobile, AL)
• 4-star DT Sam LeJeune (Poplarville, MS)
• 4-star LB Isaac McNeil (Mobile, AL)
• 4-star DE James Pace III (Hyattsville, MD)
• 4-star WR Deshawn Hall (Prattville, AL)
• 4-star OL Niko Kampas (London, EN)

New head coach Alex Golesh is hitting the ground running during this huge recruiting weekend. The Tigers sit in a very good position with a few of these recruits, but also have some ground to make up with others. Most likely to commit this weekend are McNeil and Kampas. McNeil has a top four of Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Georgia, but is the Tigers to lose, while Kampas is expected to end his process this weekend despite still considering Michigan. Auburn is also in a good place with Walden, who was a late addition this weekend after cancelling his visit to Clemson, Garror and LeJeune. The same can’t be said for Hall, Dobson and Pace, who Auburn needs to work some magic with this weekend.

Florida

• 4-star OL Antonio Berry (Tupelo, MS)
• 4-star OL Kennedee Jackson (Lithonia, GA)
• 4-star LB Ja’Bios Smith (Swainsboro, GA)

Florida is on a recruiting roll which has a very good chance of continuing this weekend. The Gators are the heavy favorites for Smith, are in a good position with Jackson leading up to his June 10^th commitment date and are suddenly trending in a good direction with Berry. Since Smith is basically considered locked up, here is a closer look at the other two. While Florida is in a good position with Jackson, the wildcard is that he is scheduled to visit Georgia next weekend. The Berry situation is interesting, because Florida wasn’t considered a serious player until he scheduled his official visit. He still has visits to Ole Miss and Alabama scheduled in June, but the Gators have made themselves a viable threat even before this visit.

Georgia

• 4-star DT Kasi Currie (Chatsworth, CA)
• 4-star CB Chance Gilbert (Sharpsburg, GA)
• 4-star S Davion Jones (Cornelius, NC)
• 4-star WR Sean Green (Kingsland, GA)

As is the norm, this is another impressive recruiting weekend in Athens. Head coach Kirby Smart’s staff has the inside track with four-star safety Davion Jones and explosive in-state wideout Sean Green, both of whom will be on commitment watch this weekend. The Bulldogs are also getting the critical first crack at Currie, as they try to pull the California four-star away from Oregon. Finally, there is Gilbert who has openly named Georgia as his top school ahead of this visit. Coach Smart knows how to close and will have a few big opportunities this weekend.

LSU

• 5-star DT Jalen Brewster (Cedar Hill, TX)
• 4-star WR Easton Royal (New Orleans, LA)
• 4-star ATH Xavier Sabb (Glassboro, NJ)
• 4-star DE Abraham Sesay (Exton, PA)
• 4-star S Adryan Cole (Atlanta, GA)  

Everyone has been waiting for new head coach Lane Kiffin to make more recruiting noise in Baton Rouge. This weekend he has a chance to achieve that. Leading the way is Brewster, one of the elite recruits in the country. He also happens to be committed to Texas Tech, but that didn’t stop LSU from getting him in for an extremely important visit. The Red Raiders will be sweating this visit out. Another fanbase that will be sweating is in Austin. Royal is firmly on flip watch, as the in-state product is committed to Texas but has been increasingly linked with the Tigers.

Sabb’s visit came as a surprise, as he has been considered an Alabama lean since two of his brothers, Keon and Amari, currently play for the Tide. Only time will tell if Sabb has legitimate interest in the Tigers, but the visit raised some eyebrows. As for Sesay and Cole, LSU has ground to make up. Sesay is currently favoring Penn State and Notre Dame, while Cole has been leaning towards Georgia and Ole Miss. We’ll find out if Kiffin can sway their minds.

Mississippi State

• 4-star LB Frederrick Ford (Greenwood, MS)
• 4-star CB Bryce Woods (College Park, GA)

Head coach Jeff Lebby and his staff have prioritized both players as foundational pieces for the Bulldogs’ future defense. And this pitch has worked, as Mississippi State currently is in a good position with both.

This is especially true with Ford, who has noted that he wants to take all of his official visits before making a decision, but the Bulldogs have firmly established themselves at the top of his recruitment. As for Woods, this will be his fifth visit to Starkville for the Georgia cornerback. This in itself proves that the Bulldogs are a serious player. While he is exploring heavy interest from programs like Ohio State and Tennessee, Mississippi State’s consistency has given them a legitimate chance to land his commitment.

Missouri

• 4-star OL Kyler Kuhn (Kansas City, MO)

This looks like it will be coming down to Missouri vs. Nebraska. Iowa and Penn State are also players, but they both have a ton of ground to make up to compete against the Tigers and Huskers. Kuhn has established strong bonds with the coaching staffs and has made multiple visits to both.  Everything may come down to his visits to Columbia and Lincoln.

Oklahoma

• 4-star ATH Gabriel Osborne Jr. (Mustang, OK)
• 4-star ATH Bode Sparrow (Kaysville, UT)
• 4-star OL Brian Swanson (Dallas, TX)
• 4-star CB Bryce Williams (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

Osborne is the headliner for this official visit weekend. This has become a duel between Oklahoma and Ohio State, as the Sooners are fighting to keep a top in-state target home. Sparrow recently announced a top four list of Oklahoma, Oregon, BYU and Utah. The Sooners will need to convince him to turn his back on two in-state programs, plus the top program on the West Coast. With that said, they are serious contenders.

The other two top visitors will need more work. Getting Williams on campus is a victory, but he is considered a heavy Nebraska lean. With him scheduled to visit the Huskers next week, the Sooners will need to make a monumental impact this weekend. The situation is similar with Swanson. While Oklahoma is in a better position with him than Williams, Swanson has long been leaning towards staying in-state and committing to Texas. Beating out the rival Longhorns would make his commitment extra sweet, but it will be an uphill battle.

Ole Miss

• 4-star ATH Braylon Calais (Carencro, LA)
• 4-star DE Derwin Fields (Brookhaven, MS)

Considering both players are committed to other programs, Ole Miss will have to hit a grand slam this weekend to pull off potential flips. Calais, who committed to LSU in April, has remained a priority for Ole Miss, but you can be sure that Lane Kiffin will make it a priority to keep him committed. As for Fields, Ole Miss was considered the favorite, until an April visit to Austin resulted in his Texas commitment. As expected, the Rebels haven’t backed down since then and won’t until Fields signs with the Longhorns.

Texas A&M

• 5-star CB John Meredith III (Fort Worth, TX)
• 4-star WR Eric McFarland III (Bradenton, FL)
• 4-star DE Frederick Ards (Orlando, FL)
• 4-star LB Mikahi Allen (Ramsey, NJ)

The Aggies are piecing together an amazing class, which can be further boosted this weekend. Meredith is the key visitor, as Texas A&M is entangled in a recruiting battle with Texas. While the Longhorns have made up some ground, the Aggies are still seen as the favorite. They are also considered the favorite for McFarland, who reclassified from the Class of 2028. The Aggies immediately made him a priority, which has worked in their favor.

Texas A&M is also in a good position with both Ards and Allen. The Aggies have made up substantial ground with Ards, who at certain points was seen as a Florida and South Carolina lean. As for Allen, pulling him out of New Jersey won’t be easy, but Texas A&M is a serious player along with Penn State and Notre Dame. The Aggies do have ties to his high school, Don Bosco Prep, with recent graduate Chase Bisontis being drafted in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals in April.

Vanderbilt

• 4-star OL Jasper Ngokwere (Richardson, TX)
• 4-star S Kaleb Elkins (Indianapolis, IN)

Vanderbilt is in the mix for Ngokwere, despite scheduled June visits to Texas and Texas Tech. He has already taken a visit to Northwestern, showcasing his desire to attend an elite academic university. The Commodores will have to sell their combination of high academic standards with SEC football. Vanderbilt faces a steeper, uphill battle for Elkins. Securing an official visit was a victory, but Indiana, Missouri, Purdue and Oregon are all ahead of the Commodores at this point.