College football aficionados have had the weekend of May 31-June 2 marked on their calendars for some time now. School is out and summer is upon us, which means the start of a very busy few months of visiting. And visiting means commitments.
How to establish a top storyline for the class of 2025: And to give you a further preview of what will be a fantastic weekend — 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins and national analyst Tom Roy break down five storylines that will appeal to a national audience.
Let's start with the champion.
When will Michigan win a championship?
Heading into the weekend, Michigan is ranked No. 41 in the 247Sports composite team rankings, good for 12th in the new Big Ten Conference, behind Northwestern, Rutgers and Indiana.
The defending national champion team was expected to have a slight decline in strength after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL, but one of the main reasons Sherone Moore was chosen to replace Harbaugh was to maintain continuity in Ann Arbor.
To be fair, the Wolverines have always had a player development program and, unlike other teams, have consistently proven our rankings wrong by developing three-star freshmen into NFL draft picks, but shouldn't more promising blue-chip players make the jump to this team?
| 2013 | Florida | 3rd place | 14 |
| 2014 | Ohio State University | 4th | 18 |
| 2015 | Alabama | First place | twenty four |
| 2016 | Clemson | The 7th | 12 |
| 2017 | Alabama | First place | 26 |
| 2018 | Clemson | 3rd place | 19 |
| 2019 | LSU | 3rd place | 18 |
| 2020 | Alabama | The second | twenty four |
| 2021 | Georgia | The second | twenty two |
| 2022 | Georgia | First place | twenty four |
| 2023 | Michigan | No.41 | Five* |
*As of May 31, 2024, there are 5 students scheduled to enroll in 2025.
A quick look at this Michigan Weekend Visitor List Some of the best players in the country have indicated they're at least open to the idea. The Wolverines will have five-star wide receiver Derek Meadows on campus, as well as tough safety Kainoa Winston and space-eating nose tackle DJ Sanders. Moore will also get a chance to go up against one of the best offensive linemen west of the Mississippi River in Douglas Utu. Michigan may not be top of the list for any of these four prospects right now, but the Wolverines will have a chance to change the narrative with each recruit.
Tom's thoughts on the Wolverines: This could be a big weekend for future Michigan recruits, but it's absolutely possible that the five visitors scheduled to head to campus could slip up. From what I can gather, the Wolverines aren't a commanding lead over any of the five, but that could change. I've broken this down further for subscribers of TheMichiganInsider.com.
Alabama may be able to solve its looming QB problem.
Cullen DeBoer has had to improvise and learn since succeeding Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, and while there is plenty of catching up to do as he prepares for his first season at Alabama, a long-term roster question that hasn't been discussed much on a national level is what plans the Crimson Tide have at quarterback next season following the departure of Jalen Milroe.
Keep in mind that five-star quarterback signee Julian Sain transferred to Ohio State just a few weeks after DeBoer was hired. DeBoer brought a promising playmaker to Alabama in Austin Mack, a transfer from Washington, but the Crimson Tide and DeBoer's new-look staff have yet to secure the commitment of a high school quarterback.
That's where SMU commit Kieron Russell comes in. Some will laugh at the idea of almighty Alabama trying to steal a player from the Mustangs (who, by the way, are moving to the ACC this year), but Russell has proven to be an elite playmaker at the position and a highly efficient passer. Over the past two years, Russell has compiled a 29-1 record and led Duncanville to back-to-back Texas 6A D-1 titles. Even more notable, his 69.6% career pass completion percentage is the best among Top247 quarterbacks.
Ole Miss, Florida and Oregon have all made moves to acquire Russell, but Alabama will be the first to make a move on him this weekend as it leads the way in official visits.
Tom's take on the Crimson Tide: Using the 247Sports crystal ball, we're pretty much predicting the Crimson Tide will take the No. 39 overall pick in the country. Russell may end up at SMU, but Alabama has more than captured his interest. The success that DeBoer and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan have had with their quarterbacks thus far, along with all the great tradition that Alabama represents, clearly resonates with Russell.
A crucial weekend for Clemson
We all know Dabo Swinney doesn't believe in the transfer portalThat makes this weekend a make-or-break weekend for Clemson, which is a bit ironic considering it wasn't that long ago that Swinney was opposed to summer official visits.
The Tigers are set to host nearly 30 prospects over the next few days for what is all but certain to be the program's only official visit weekend before the July dead period, a group that includes more than a dozen prospects ranked in the Top 247. Clemson is already off to a great start in the 2025 cycle with the No. 1-ranked class in the ACC, but history has shown that if the Tigers can't secure some of their priority targets in the near future, a drop in the rankings will be tough to overcome as the staff pivots to second choices.
The centerpiece of the visiting team is five-star offensive tackle David Sanders. Former Mississippi head coach Matt Luke, who now coaches Clemson's offensive line, did a great job of getting the Tigers to the negotiating table with the nation's No. 1 tackle, but as off-field negotiations get into full swing, the momentum Clemson gained a few months ago seems to have faded. Can Swinney and the Tigers flip the scenario and get Sanders to go full-on to Clemson?
Other notable players scheduled to meet with the Tigers include cornerback Grayson Littleton (June 3), offensive lineman Mario Nash Jr. and wide receiver Cortez Mills. Littleton is a cornerback with the height, weight and speed to boot, whose evaluation has skyrocketed in recent months, while Nash is an athletic trench runner who can play three or four positions up front. Mills is a technical route runner from Miami-Dade, the type of talent that Clemson has had plenty of success with over the years.
Tom's take on the Tigers: Clemson will have nearly 30 prospects on campus this weekend, and the staff is all set to add players to its 2025 commit list. All eyes are on Sanders. Clemson prefers to get commitments early and end the process at that point. There's no “shut up, commit, then visit” mantra that other prospects like to follow at Clemson. My 247Sports Crystal Ball has had my eye on the Tigers for a while, but Ohio State, Tennessee and others make it a lot more interesting than it was a few months ago. Anna Adams of 247Sports covers Carolina and really likes Tennessee. For Sanders.
Clemson247 has more details on other Tigers recruiting news available exclusively to subscribers.
Georgia is in a position to show strength
This weekend's game against Georgia will be a star-studded one, but that's no surprise, as the emphasis is on the point of attack, with three five-star pass rushers in Zayden Walker, Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson, plus two huge offensive tackles in Juan Gaston and Iowa transfer Nick Brooks.
The word coming out of Athens is that Kirby Smart wants Walker, wants Walker a lot. It's not surprising, as Walker is a do-it-all front-seven defender who plays intense football. While Walker will obviously get the red carpet treatment, the hiring of Terry and Gibson may shed a little more light on the current state of college football. Both live in the Peach State and were seen as Georgia-biased behind the scenes until they announced surprise commitments to USC in March.
As for Gaston and Brooks, they would open up even more space on Georgia's offensive line. Last year, the Bulldogs signed six offensive linemen. All six were at least 6'5″ tall, and the average weight of the group was 345 pounds per man. Gaston and Brooks were both listed at 6'7″ tall and 345 pounds, and when evaluated in person, those numbers don't seem too far off. Good luck to the chefs at the University of Georgia football facility if Gaston or Brooks sign with Georgia.
Tom's take on the Bulldogs: The list of visits to Athens this weekend is sure to be robust, and it's only a matter of time before Georgia moves up from its current ranking of 14th. Of the total 15 prospects heading to Athens, multiple are five-stars. My attention is on whether Georgia can flip two five-star defensive linemen from USC, Justus Terry (Manchester, GA) and Isaiah Gibson (Warner Robins, GA). The staff is hoping they regret their early commitment to the Trojans, and the Duggs are pretty good at getting what they want in the recruiting process.
For Dawgs247 subscribers, we have given more details on what Georgia's visitation weekend will look like.
UCF is on a roll and looking to acquire a QB
UCF added its highest-ranked freshman player of all time last cycle and made splashy additions during both the winter and spring transfer portal periods. Year one in the Big 12 may have been a tough year for the Knights in terms of wins and losses, going 6-7, but this weekend's list of visitors suggests Gus Malzahn is trying to build a winning team. He's taking full advantage of Orlando's appeal by showing off attractions like I-Drive and Universal Studios.
Of UCF's 24 official visitors, two immediately stand out: four-star quarterback Malik Washington and Mississippi State-bound Kamario Taylor. Both are dynamic athletes who have shown off their arm talents on the offseason camp circuit and have punched their tickets to next month's Elite 11 finals. While a high-profile quarterback would typically command a high price tag in the NIL era, UCF has a strong team and more than 350,000 alumni in the surrounding area. Washington and Taylor's dual-threat abilities make them a perfect fit for what Malzahn wants to do on offense.
Tom's take on the Knights: To call this a big weekend for the UCF staff would be an understatement. The list of visitors is outstanding, and the staff is working hard to ensure some of these prospects eventually call Orlando home. UCF will do everything in their power to land Kamario Taylor, but it won't be easy. He's committed to Mississippi State and the Bulldogs will be tough to beat. But there is another quarterback on campus in Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding's Malik Washington. A top 247 talent, he's seen his ratings soar this offseason, and UCF is hoping to pluck him out of the DMV.
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