Ten most important recruiting visits on tap this weekend
A major weekend of college football is upon us and many top prospects are headed back on the road. Here are the 10 visitors who are most interesting to Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney as some marquee matchups are bringing in top players.
MORE GORNEY: Recruiting Rumor Mill | Lane Kiffin should not pursue Florida job when it opens | Florida commits in wait-and-see mode
1. Jackson Cantwell – Missouri
The 2026 five-star offensive tackle visited Nebraska for its big win over Colorado and the environment was off the charts as the Huskers continue to push up his list of favorites. The Nixa, Mo., standout will be back in Columbia this weekend and while the atmosphere won’t be as raucous, it still gives Cantwell a chance to be around the Missouri coaches and players and see a top-10 team in action.
Nebraska, Missouri and a host of SEC schools remain the main contenders.
2. Deuce Geralds – Oklahoma
There are still a plethora of schools making a major impact on the 2026 high four-star defensive tackle who was dominant at the Rivals Five-Star this summer but the word is that Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma have jumped to the top early on.
Geralds will be in Norman this weekend for the Sooners’ big showdown against Tennessee and it should be one of the best environments this college football season.
RELATED: Five most important visitors for Tennessee vs. Oklahoma
3. Elijah Haven – LSU
LSU is going to be a major frontrunner for the 2027 five-star quarterback throughout his recruitment as the Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham standout will be back on campus this weekend as the Tigers host UCLA.
Getting around coach Brian Kelly, offensive coordinator Joe Sloan, other recruits and possibly seeing a blowout shouldn’t hurt the Tigers. It also sets a baseline as Haven is expected at Alabama next weekend for the Georgia showdown.
4. Peyton Houston – Oklahoma
One of the top 2027 quarterbacks nationally, the four-star from Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian could be in a battle between Oklahoma and Texas for his services. Many others will be involved but those two have definitely jumped out early on so getting back to Norman to see the huge matchup this weekend is crucial.
Houston has all the tools in the world and the Sooners have made him a top priority in the 2027 class.
5. Deuce Knight – Auburn
Is this happening or not? That is the question surrounding the Notre Dame quarterback commit who is now taking his third visit this season to Auburn but has not yet flipped yet. The word is that the Lucedale (Miss.) George County four-star quarterback will end up eventually picking the Tigers but he hasn’t made the move yet.
It should be another great crowd on The Plains this weekend and Knight will be there again. Is this when he flips?
6. Ousmane Kromah – Florida State
Auburn and Florida State are basically battling it out for the four-star running back from Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County who hardly talks about his recruitment but the Tigers are believed to be the frontrunner.
This will be Florida State’s chance to flip the script there because it looks like things are trending heavily in Auburn’s favor. A decision could be coming in the next few days/weeks so the Seminoles will have one final shot to change Kromah’s mind.
7. Andrew Olesh – Michigan
A Michigan commitment since July, Olesh is planning a big round of visits coming up so getting back to Ann Arbor could center him and reinforce why the Wolverines won out in the first place.
The Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh standout is being pushed hard by Oregon and will visit soon. He’s also heading to Alabama next week, and is planning on a game at Penn State and a trip to Notre Dame. The Big House should be rocking this weekend so that could help Michigan but others are working hard to flip.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MICHIGAN FANS AT MAIZEANDBLUEREVIEW.COM
8. Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng – Michigan
Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC round out the top five for the five-star linebacker but the word has been the Wolverines and Irish stand out most. His brother played at Notre Dame and he loves the linebacker tradition there so that could be tough to overcome but Michigan also has had a lockdown defense and pumps players into the NFL.
That – along with the great atmosphere at the Big House this weekend – could help the Wolverines a lot.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MICHIGAN FANS AT MAIZEANDBLUEREVIEW.COM
9. DJ Pickett – LSU
The five-star committed to LSU over the summer. A few months prior, the Zephyrhills, Fla., standout told me Miami was the leader in his recruitment and even after his pledge to the Tigers, the Hurricanes have been pushing very hard to flip him.
Pickett was dapping up the Miami players at Florida after they beat the Gators to start the season and the coaching staff has made him a priority. This will be Pickett’s first game at LSU. It’s arguably the best environment in college football and we should have a better gauge of where things stand following it.
10. Jordan Young – Clemson
Young had planned to make his commitment in mid-October and after numerous visits to NC State recently it looked like the Wolfpack were going to land the Monroe, N.C., four-star safety. But in recent days, Young has decided to postpone any commitment and now he’ll be back at Clemson over the weekend. The Tigers could be making a big push here as NC State looks to now have a bigger fight on its hands.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH CLEMSON FANS AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.COM
