Rivals.com: Rivals Football & Basketball Recruiting - Rivals recruiting buzz: The most intriguing visits this weekend (2024)

The first full week of the college football season is here and so top prospects are back on the road. Here is a look at the most intriguing visitors this weekend even if many will be attending neutral-site games.

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Oregon beat out Texas and others for the 2026 four-star running back in July but the in-state programs are absolutely not going to give up because Ball is so talented. The Texarkana (Texas) Texas standout has all the qualities of an elite running back and he should see a raucous environment in College Station this weekend.

As his recruitment goes on, does staying closer to home creep into his thinking?

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The Newberry, Fla., four-star defensive tackle lives fewer than 20 minutes from The Swamp so getting over to Florida for its game against Miami should be no problem at all. That should be a major selling point from the Gators’ coaching staff especially if they have a strong performance in this rivalry matchup.

Florida is trying to flip Carter from Ohio State, where he committed this summer. Florida needs help at key spots and letting someone as talented as Carter out of essentially the hometown would be tough.

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There are always opportunities to double-dip on recruiting visits and this could be a perfect time for Cooper to do just that.

Miami is the team to watch mostly for the 2026 five-star athlete from Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna but Florida is also pushing hard as is every other program since Cooper has versatility on both offense and defense.

The outcome of Saturday’s game might not be the end-all, be-all of his recruitment but it could go a long way.

Alabama emerged as the front-runner for Cunningham through the summer and the high four-star receiver from Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County committed to the Crimson Tide over Auburn, Mississippi State (which is 30 minutes down the road) and others, giving first-year coach Kalen DeBoer a major recruiting win.

But Ole Miss is making a major push for the in-state prospect and the Rebels could be a national title contender this season. He’ll get a first look at Ole Miss this weekend in what should be a blowout.

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Is Ole Miss setting itself up to land the 2026 four-star quarterback from Mission Viejo, Calif.? There are definitely others involved but almost all of the top signal-callers in Fahey’s class are coming off the board so a decision could be pushed up.

Ole Miss was involved early, Fahey loves how coach Lane Kiffin runs his offense and he’ll be joined in Oxford by Mission Viejo teammate and four-star receiver Vance Spafford, who has called Ole Miss his dream school.

Georgia has been the front-runner for a long time. Georgia remains the top team in his recruitment. Georgia should get him at some point. But Georgia still doesn’t have Griffin locked up with a commitment as Miami and USC try to hang on.

The Bulldogs should have an impressive defensive performance – big surprise – on Saturday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium and that could only further push the five-star defensive tackle to the Dawgs.

The question needs to be asked whether Griffin will be the next USC commit that settles back into home, sees Georgia dominate in person and then decides to flip his commitment to the Bulldogs or another Southeast program.

The Trojans scored a big win landing Griffin in late July but there’s no question Georgia, Alabama and others will continue to pursue the Gainesville, Ga., standout and he’ll see the Bulldogs in person this weekend.

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Is this the weekend Knight flips to Auburn from Notre Dame? There has been speculation all summer that the Tigers would eventually flip the high four-star quarterback from Lucedale (Miss.) George County and this could be the next - and possibly final - step in that process.

Top running back commit Alvin Henderson will be on The Plains as well and that could set things in motion even faster. It’s definitely something to watch.

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USC remains the front-runner for the 2026 five-star quarterback from Folsom, Calif., as Lyons will see BYU play Saturday and then head to Las Vegas to see the Trojans against LSU on Sunday.

His brother, Walker, is back from a religious mission and is at USC now so that’s an added bonus as well as the Trojans are the team to beat in his recruitment. His best SEC visit this summer was to Ole Miss so that should be watched as well.

Georgia, USC and Utah are the three programs standing out most to the elite four-star receiver from Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon so this trip to is crucial for the Aggies to stay high in his recruitment.

There’s no doubt A&M intrigues Myles and so seeing the offense this weekend - and the raucous environment in College Station - could be huge for the star receiver who has legitimate five-star potential.

There have been times during Pickett’s recruitment that both Florida and Miami were ahead of the pack but the five-star athlete committed to LSU in July.

That commitment remains firm but there has been talk that staying closer to home could be part of the decision-making process here so there’s no question the Gators and the Hurricanes will keep pursuing the Zephyrhills, Fla., standout who will be in The Swamp this weekend.

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The five-star cornerback has been committed to Ohio State since February and he would form a dynamic duo with fellow five-star CB Devin Sanchez but the in-state programs are making a serious run at him.

The Birmingham (Ala.) Parker standout has flirted with both Alabama and Auburn through the offseason and now he's planning to make the trip to The Plains this weekend which could be huge. Maybe no team in the country has had more recruiting momentum than Auburn in the last few months and a flip from Offord would be the biggest yet.

The 2026 No. 1 prospect is highly interested in both LSU and USC. So it only makes sense that when the two meet in Las Vegas that Stewart would find his way there.

Ohio State and many others remain in the mix for the elite defensive lineman from New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine but seeing the Tigers in person is crucial and watching the revamped USC defense is maybe even bigger.

After early commitments to Georgia and USC didn’t work out, Terry is taking his recruitment much more slowly this time around and not rushing a thing. Getting him to Georgia’s season opener in Atlanta is another big step for the Bulldogs with the Manchester, Ga., standout as Alabama and Florida State are also pushing.

It would be a major surprise if Terry doesn’t end up back in UGA’s class but this recruitment has been a wild one.

The Tampa (Fla.) Tampa Bay Tech four-star receiver has been committed to Oregon since January but the in-state programs have never given up with Florida and Miami being the main two. The two meet in The Swamp on Saturday and Wilson will be there.

The feeling is that the Ducks have a firm commitment from Wilson and that any other school has some ground to make up but that could be started with an impressive atmosphere this weekend.