The first massive official visit weekend of June kicks off in only a few days and Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney looks at 10 storylines he’s following.
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THOMALLA ON FLIP WATCH
Four-star quarterback Jett Thomalla committed to Iowa State in mid-April but less than a month later, Alabama came through with an offer and now the Omaha (Neb.) Millard South standout is headed to Tuscaloosa this weekend.
Thomalla loves coach Matt Campbell and the opportunity in Ames and there is some consideration that Alabama just landed five-star quarterback Keelon Russell last recruiting cycle but the Crimson Tide could be tough to turn down.
CAN ALABAMA MAKE A MOVE WITH TOP RECRUITS?
Beyond Thomalla’s visit, it’s a huge weekend in Tuscaloosa. Four-star defensive end Nolan Wilson will be there and Alabama is the front-runner. Four-star safety Jett Washington has Alabama and Oregon battling it out. Four-star running back KJ Edwards changed his visit schedule to get to Alabama before a decision although Texas could be tough to beat.
Five-star receiver Boobie Feaster will be in town as Texas A&M has surged to the top with LSU. A whole host of elite defensive linemen will be headed to Alabama, which has only five commitments right now but this weekend could go a long way to adding some elite names.
DUCKWORTH ON THE PLAINS
Last recruiting cycle, Auburn beat Ole Miss and others for five-star quarterback Deuce Knight as the Rebels tried everything down the stretch to land the in-state standout.
Ole Miss leads for four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth but Auburn, South Carolina, Florida State and others are battling and it will be coach Hugh Freeze’s opportunity this weekend to get the Jackson, Ala., standout thinking. It could be tough because of Duckworth’s relationship with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin but it will be a crucial visit.
CAN CLEMSON CONVINCE TARGETS TO COMMIT?
Clemson is not the type of program to bring in dozens of recruits every weekend so when a big visit weekend happens, you should pay attention. This will be one of those and now the question will be whether these next few days is when the Tigers landed some of the elite players throughout the Southeast.
Four-star running back Jae Lamar will be there as Georgia seems to have a slight edge now. Same on both fronts with five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson. The Tigers lead for four-star OL Carter Scruggs so this will be a crucial trip. Bryce Perry-Wright, Zavion Griffin-Haynes, Joey O’Brien and other elite defensive players will meet with coach Dabo Swinney, too, so a productive weekend should be ahead.
MOMENTUM, FLIP WATCH AT FLORIDA
A big group is coming to Gainesville - all with a different story. Florida is working to flip Nebraska speedster pledge CJ Bronaugh from the Orlando area. The Gators are looking to possibly extend a lead for four-star defensive end JaReylan McCoy and stave off Ohio State and others for four-star safety Bralan Womack.
There is also flip watch beyond Bronaugh as well as Florida State linebacker commit Karon Maycock and four-star Syracuse offensive line pledge Javeion Cooper from Melbourne (Fla.) Central Catholic will be on campus. Coach Billy Napier only has two pledges so far in the 2026 class, some things need to start breaking the Gators’ way.
GEORGIA MAKES RUN AT ALABAMA LEANS
Rarely does Georgia play from behind in recruiting but this weekend will bring a few high-level players who are probably leaning someplace else.
Let’s start with No. 1 running back Ezavier Crowell, who has Alabama as the leader, but is coming back to Georgia and that is always worth watching. Five-star receiver Cederian Morgan, who is also high on the Crimson Tide, will be in Athens and it will be interesting to see if the Georgia coaches pitch a George Pickens-esque future for him.
You want to talk flip watch? Four-star Ole Miss linebacker commit Izayia Williams has already made five pledges and he’ll be at Georgia to hear out the coaches this weekend, too.
BENTLEY HITS THE ROAD
Bowe Bentley is down to LSU and Oklahoma and the four-star quarterback from Celina, Texas will be in Baton Rouge this weekend.
Heading into the trip, the feeling is that the Sooners have the slight edge in his recruitment even though four-star QB Jaden O’Neal is committed because Bentley is super close with new OC Ben Arbuckle and Oklahoma had a jumpstart on Bentley’s recruitment. But his relationship with LSU OC Joe Sloan is very strong and playing with all those elite receivers is compelling.
KEYS IN CORAL GABLES
Five-star receiver Tristen Keys committed to his dream school, LSU, in March but other visits are happening and it’s never unwise to watch Miami in recruiting especially as things get closer to signing day and there will always be a compelling NIL pitch made.
LSU got burned by five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood in part to an NIL deal last recruiting cycle and in part five-star OL Jackson Cantwell’s decision to pick Miami over Georgia and others a few weeks ago was because of a deal his agent Drew Rosenhaus made. It will be interesting to see what the Hurricanes pitch to Keys especially during a weekend that’s loaded with talent in Coral Gables.
OJO HEADS TO OHIO STATE
Texas is the front-runner for five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo. Maybe nothing can change that.
But Ohio State is bringing in an impressive group of prospects headlined by the Mansfield (Texas) Lake Ridge standout and the Buckeyes are in second place right now in his recruitment. After meeting with coach Ryan Day and new position coach Tyler Bowen, being around the national championship trophy and around the program for an extended period, that might change. Or it might not.
MEADOWS MAKES TRIP TO COLUMBIA
South Carolina went to Washington, D.C., in its 2024 class for five-star defensive end Dylan Stewart and he was a superstar for the Gamecocks this past season. It would be very surprising if the Gamecocks’ coaching staff didn’t pitch four-star defensive end Carter Meadows on being Stewart 2.0 and it would be very surprising if Meadows wasn’t already thinking it.
The Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga edge rusher plays with a different style but at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, Meadows has all the tools to be special and it shouldn’t be a hard sell for the South Carolina staff to sell him on being the next great defensive end in Columbia.
