First big weekend College football's summer recruiting calendar is over, but there are still three to go, and a ton of big news came to fruition after visits last week: Georgia landed five-star linebacker Zayden Walker, and Alabama landed four-star quarterback Kieron Russell from SMU.
What to look out for this weekend? There's a saying in recruiting circles: “Follow the visits; commitments usually follow.” 247Sports experts from around the country will break down the biggest visits they're tracking during recruiting weekend, June 7-9. Don't expect recruiting rankings for the 2025 class to be the same in a few days.
Top 10 player Elijah Griffin returns to Coral Gables
Five-star Elijah Griffin, the nation's top defensive lineman and the No. 8 overall prospect, will take his first official visit to Miami this weekend. Griffin first visited Coral Gables in March. Thanks to the efforts of defensive line coach and NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, the Hurricanes have been Griffin's primary choice since then. But primary isn't synonymous with leading the way.
Georgia is clearly at the top, even though Griffin hasn't explicitly said so. Georgia State isn't expected to host Griffin on an official visit until the fall, closer to his late fall or winter decision time, but expect the Peach State product to take an unofficial visit to Athens (and possibly Clemson) this month or next. USC is scheduled to host Griffin on an official visit later this month. It won't be easy to dethrone Georgia State, but Miami will get its chance this weekend. — Anna Adams, 247Sports
Can the Wolverines get the ball rolling?
Michigan convinces 4-star DL to cancel visit to Miami
“Michigan was able to get Palatine (Ill.) four-star defensive lineman Jalen Williams to withdraw from a scheduled visit to Miami and sign with the Wolverines instead, a key development as Michigan capitalizes on its crystal ball opportunity to get Williams the lead. Williams is a 6-foot-6, 265-pound combo lineman who plays both inside and outside. The nation's 20th-ranked defensive lineman has official visits scheduled to Tennessee and Nebraska and may finish up an informal deal with Texas A&M before officially signing with the Aggies. Miami is likely no longer a contender.
Williams has long held Michigan in high regard and is connected to Nate Marshall, a defensive lineman from Illinois who has committed to the Wolverines. The key here is that Williams quickly developed a relationship with new defensive line coach Lou Esposito. Esposito was brought in late in this recruiting cycle but has been a stabilizing force for the team from the Michigan side. Michigan's class was ranked 41st a week ago. With other schools moving up in the rankings, Michigan is now ranked 47th. We're looking forward to making a move once a commitment is made.” — Allen Truew, 247Sports
Notre Dame aims for gold again
The Fighting Irish Want Support from California's Elite
Will the Notre Dame Fighting Irish land an elite California linebacker for the second straight cycle? This weekend could be a big one for Marcus Freeman as Top247 prospect Madden Faraimo will be in South Bend for an official visit. The physical defender from JSerra Catholic in San Juan Capistrano (California) is set to make a decision over the summer, with a busy start to the season at Washington (May 31) followed by trips to Ohio State (June 14) and Texas (June 21) remaining.
Neighboring USC has also been involved, as it was with former Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco star Kinston Billiam-Asa, but the Irish have gotten the job done there and could approach the same angle with the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Faraimo, who is ranked No. 12 overall in California’s 2025 class.” — Blair Angulo, 247Sports
Ohio State aims to build foundation for second class
6-foot-7 OT Jackson Lloyd wasted no time in returning.
This will be Carmel (Calif.) offensive lineman Jackson Lloyd's first official visit to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the latest school to offer the 6-foot-7, 290-pound Lloyd, but he first did so when coach Chip Kelly was head coach at UCLA. Alabama is scheduled to take Lloyd an official visit next weekend, and he'll cap it off with a visit to USC, but the Buckeyes will get their first chance. It comes just three weeks after Lloyd took an unofficial visit to Columbus in mid-May. Alabama has been the favorite to take the lead for a while, at least since Karen DeBoer took over as head coach. Washington was high on Lloyd's list a year ago.
Ohio State offered Lloyd in March, giving the Buckeyes the opportunity for a quick, unofficial visit, and now that he's taking his first official visit, the Buckeyes are well positioned to land the No. 146 prospect in the country. The Buckeyes currently have the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, but that class only includes one offensive lineman under contract, so Lloyd would be a big boost.” – Brandon Huffman, 247Sports
Penn State wants to fill WR space
Lions looking to acquire first wide receiver in 2025 class
“None of the three receivers Penn State acquired through the portal or high school in the 2023 class are committed to the program, and after losing leading receiver Ke'Andre Lambert-Smith, who re-entered the portal in the spring, the 2024 class isn't ready to step into a significant role. That's why the Nittany Lions added Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming as a team leader this year, but have yet to develop a definitive player on the roster, which means fans are eager to see something good materialize at the position in 2025.”
Penn State has 13 prospects and is ranked 10th in the country in their class, but is short on receivers. The only receiver expected to enroll is Brooklyn Erasmus Hall's Lyric Samuel. But the priority target is Norcom's Matthew Outten on the Norfolk (Va.) campus. Outten is a four-star prospect and listed as the No. 5 athlete in the country, but is being recruited as a receiver.
The conventional wisdom is that Penn State's visit weekend, which also includes Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Maryland, will be a big part of the signing tackling effort. It's imperative that Penn State receivers coach Marques Hagans and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki put in a great performance for Autten.” — Brian Doane, 247Sports
Can Texas A&M sign a five-star player?
The Aggies could be coming off a big weekend.
“Texas A&M has some of the top prospects in the country coming up for the big weekend, and this looks like a perfect opportunity to land five-star linebacker Jonah Williams from Galveston (Texas) Bowl. The Aggies have been pushing for this player all spring, and sources we've spoken with are the most optimistic the Aggies will land the dynamic defender. In fact, I just changed my crystal ball prediction for Williams from Oklahoma to Texas A&M.”
“Williams is a promising major league prospect, and baseball could play a big role in his acquisition, as the Texas A&M baseball team, which will host a Super Regional this weekend, is one of the best in the country right now. Mike Elko and the Aggies are currently the seventh-ranked team in the country, and a deal to sign Williams would be a big start to what Aggies fans are looking forward to in a summer of recruiting. It would also potentially give Elko its second five-star player in the 2025 cycle.” — Mike Roach, 247Sports
USC can compete with in-state stars
Last chance for Trojans and 4-star LB Noah Mikhail
“It's a very important weekend for the USC Trojans when it comes to the signing of La Verna (Calif.) Bonita Top 100 linebacker Noah Mikhail. The 6-foot-3, 227-pound Mikhail is ranked 83rd overall in the 2025 class and is approaching a decision on June 30. His three final schools include USC, Oregon and Texas A&M. Mikhail will head to College Station next weekend before concluding in Eugene the following weekend.
Initially, many expected Mikhail to commit to USC. But things have changed and Oregon has come out on top. After a visit this spring, it was Texas A&M that came out on top. Many see this as a battle between the Ducks and the Aggies, so now is the time for USC to do everything they can to turn this battle in their favor again. This is their last visit with Lincoln Riley and his staff, so it will be interesting to see if the Trojans can make a compelling offer. USC has the No. 5 class in the nation and Mikhail would be a great addition.” — Tom Roy, 247Sports
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