Storylines to follow during June's second huge visit weekend
It's the second massive weekend of official visits and camps across the country. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney looks at 12 major storylines to watch.
MORE: Several elite quarterbacks hitting the road for pivotal official visits
RECRUITING RUMOR MILL: Latest buzz on nearly three dozen prospects | June kicks off with a bang | Baltimore | Detroit
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CLOSING TIME FOR BAMA
It's a big weekend at Alabama with a handful of top targets that the Crimson Tide should close on in town as well.
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Five-star safety Jireh Edwards was at Auburn last weekend but the chatter is that Alabama is out front in his recruitment. Former USC four-star linebacker commit Xavier Griffin, an Alabama legacy, will also be there.
He's coming off a phenomenal Ohio State trip but the Crimson Tide have the edge there, too. Four-star QB Matt Ponatoski, who wants to play baseball and football in college, is visiting as Alabama, Oregon and others are involved.
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CAN AUBURN SHOCK WITH FIVE-STAR QB?
Auburn has another big weekend as coach Hugh Freeze has the recruiting train rolling strong on The Plains but the biggest outcome of this entire week could be the Tigers making a serious move with 2027 five-star quarterback Elijah Haven.
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The Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham standout made his first visit to Auburn this week and already said he plans to be back because he loves coach Freeze and position coach Kent Austin. LSU is considered the front-runner and could be tough to beat but Haven has some thinking to do now.
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FLIP WATCH AND MORE AT FLORIDA
Auburn defensive end commit Hezekiah Harris is coming to Gainesville as he's more seriously looking at some others. Michigan defensive back pledge Brody Jennings and Florida State receiver commit Darryon Williams will be there, too.
On top of some major flip candidates, Florida will also have four-star edge rusher Jake Kreul there and while Oklahoma might have the edge and Ohio State blew him away last weekend, the Gators are making a serious move for him. High three-star offensive lineman Chancellor Campbell is coming, too, as Florida and Georgia are engaged in a major battle. Five-star receiver Cederian Morgan is expected and while Florida is a long shot, it gets its chance this weekend.
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DL WATCH AT GEORGIA
Vodney Cleveland. Dre Quinn. Kendall Guervil. PJ Dean. Ebenezer Ewetade. It's a loaded defensive line list coming to Athens this weekend and it wouldn't be a shock at all to see coach Kirby Smart and his staff close on some of those big names down the stretch.
There are some others that Georgia has some work on. Four-star running back Savion Hiter is expected as Ohio State, Tennessee and others are involved there. Four-star, long, athletic defensive back Tamarion Watkins is also expected in Athens as South Carolina could have the edge there. Smart is the best recruiter in college football, though, so another big weekend awaits in Athens.
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FAHEY GOES TO BLOOMINGTON
One of the last uncommitted quarterbacks in the class is Luke Fahey as Stanford and Indiana are the two front-runners pending a visit to Ohio State later this month.
The Mission Viejo, Calif., standout had an excellent visit to Stanford last weekend and it's tough to beat sitting down with general manager Andrew Luck. But there is serious intrigue in the Hoosiers and the opportunity there. Of course, this could all collapse later this month if Ohio State offers but until then it's really a two-team race.
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THOMALLA BACK AT IOWA STATE
Landing a commitment from four-star quarterback Jett Thomalla was a massive recruiting win for Iowa State in April. Keeping him will now be the challenge. The Omaha (Neb.) Millard South standout visited Alabama this weekend and the Crimson Tide want him to return for another trip soon. In between all this, Thomalla will be back in Ames this weekend.
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Alabama is Alabama and the Crimson Tide need a quarterback so that's tempting. But Iowa State recruited Thomalla so well. How this plays out down the stretch will be interesting.
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PREMER WATCH IN LAWRENCE
There has been a serious influx of tight end talent from small-town Kansas the last two recruiting cycles. Last time, four-star Linkon Cure from Goodland chose Kansas State over Oregon and others. This recruiting class, Ian Premer from Great Bend (population 14,000) has Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Michigan and Notre Dame as his favorites.
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The talk, though, is that Iowa State has a slight edge over Kansas right now. This will be a crucial weekend for the Jayhawks to turn that tide ever-so-slightly in their favor to keep the talented 6-foot-5 225-pound tight end home.
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BENTLEY BACK AT OKLAHOMA
A better understanding of where everything stands with four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley should occur after this weekend.
The Celina, Texas standout was at LSU last weekend and had a fantastic visit with offensive coordinator Joe Sloan and many others. But the word has been that the Sooners hold the edge in his recruitment so it's a big weekend for new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and others. The feeling is that Arbuckle wants Bentley in this class so it's a big early test for him in Norman this weekend.
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MASSIVE WEEKEND IN EUGENE
It's been written enough that Oregon has had a tough couple weeks losing quarterback Jonas Williams to USC, five-star quarterback Jared Curtis to Georgia and five-star offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell to Miami. Now is the time for another major recruiting weekend in Eugene where the Ducks could load up. It's a huge list.
Five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson is coming back. Five-star defensive end Richard Wesley, who was committed to the Ducks but backed off since those close to him didn't sign off, will be back and that could be huge. Five-star athlete Brandon Arrington will be there as Texas A&M and others battle for him. Coach Dan Lanning is one of the best and weekend like this are becoming the norm.
DUCKWORTH BACK TO SOUTH CAROLINA
Last weekend, four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth went to Auburn and got a massive recruiting pitch from coach Hugh Freeze. That could be compelling and the Jackson, Ala., standout didn't seem fazed by having Jackson Arnold and Deuce Knight in the QB room. There appears to be enough NIL money to go around.
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There has been some chatter that South Carolina is once again very much in this recruitment (he was committed to the Gamecocks earlier) but Ole Miss is not going away easily. This is a crucial weekend for coach Shane Beamer and his staff.
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BIG DOGS HEAD TO AUSTIN
It's not a massive list but an important group is heading to Texas this weekend and even though there are some long shots, coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff know how to take a big swing.
No. 1 running back Ezavier Crowell is coming and even though Alabama will be tough to beat and Georgia is pushing, Texas has always been held high by him. Texas A&M and LSU lead for five-star OL/DL Lamar Brown so it's crucial to get him in Austin and see what they can do. Four-star edge rusher Jamarion Carlton is a big visitor along with four-star cornerback Davon Benjamin among others.
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BIG OPPORTUNITY AT TEXAS A&M
It's a huge weekend at Texas A&M with a ton of opportunities to woo recruits. Fresh off working out at Ole Miss, five-star LSU receiver commit Tristen Keys will be in College Station. So will four-star nickel Bralan Womack, four-star offensive lineman John Turntine, Tank Jones, Tank King and many others.
Some big targets - like five-star Lamar Brown - are visiting elsewhere but the Aggies have a huge opportunity this weekend with so many big names. Coach Mike Elko and his staff appear to be on the verge of really turning this thing around.
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