Rivals Roundtable: Spotlight on weekend visits

Our national recruiting analysts weigh in on some of the most important recruiting visits on tap this weekend.

RELATED: The top 15 visits this weekend

COMMITMENT PREDICTIONS: Midwest prospects | Southeast prospects | Mid-South | Florida | West | Northeast

John Garcia Jr.: Julian Lewis returning to USC. A commitment returning to the program he has been pledged to for more than 13 months isn’t the most appealing on paper, but when it’s potentially the next great Lincoln Riley quarterback when other programs still want in on him – it just means more. Lewis has been a busy recruit since the offseason, checking out USC in addition to Colorado, Auburn, Indiana and other places, though he has said all the right things about remaining on board with the Trojans despite the trips. Even as Auburn has filled out its QB spot with Deuce Knight flipping from Notre Dame, the Colorado hype, momentum and theoretical path to playing time following the Shedeur Sanders era combines for quite the threat for Riley’s hold on Lewis. Shoot, Indiana is playing even more efficient offensively than Coach Prime’s squad and Lewis’ rapport with assistant Tino Sunseri is well documented. Both programs appear as a stronger on-field threat to lure Lewis away from USC than many would have otherwise considered entering the 2024 season.

Adam Gorney: There are some huge ones this weekend but I’m going to go with a late addition of Alabama four-star WR commit Caleb Cunningham going to LSU. After Cunningham was at Alabama’s win over Georgia it sounded like he might be done with recruiting, wrap it up, shut it down and sign with the Crimson Tide that night. But he has always had a significant interest in LSU and Ole Miss – the in-state power – is also not giving up on him. It still sounds like the Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County standout is locked in heavily with the Crimson Tide but that environment in Baton Rouge will be awesome and could give the star receiver something to consider.

Marshall Levenson: There are plenty of worthy candidates for the most important visit of the weekend, but I’ll go with the highest-ranked uncommitted player in the class of 2025. Five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart is now officially in the 2025 cycle and will be taking his first official visit. Oregon is not considered to be the leader, but the Ducks are set to have their biggest gameday environment, potentially in program history, hosting the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. The fact that it marks his first official visit certainly makes it significant. The Ducks are major NIL players and with a strong class already committed, they will be working to do what it takes to get Stewart in the fold.

Greg Smith: Jahkeem Stewart to Oregon. Every time the superstar defensive lineman takes a visit it’s been big news. However, now that he’s officially reclassified to the 2025 class these visits have even more importance. His first visit after the news goes to Oregon which has always been a dark horse in his recruitment. Ohio State is also heavily involved in the recruitment so he gets to see both programs on the field. The Ducks have ground to make up here but you can never count out Dan Lanning.

Sam Spiegelman: Elijah Griffin to UGA. Griffin is making his return to Athens this weekend, which coincides with the five-star defensive lineman’s birthday. More importantly, it fit his mother’s schedule. Griffin made official visits to both Miami and USC over the summer. He’s caught the Dawgs in the opener in Atlanta. As he moves closer and closer toward a decision, which he certainly is, Griffin would like his mother, little sister, grandmother and other members of his immediate family to see Georgia, which has already been trending in the right direction with the top-10 recruit for a few months.

John Garcia Jr.: Oregon with Ohio State in town. Sure this is a top-five showdown that needs not another ounce of hype, but it’s the first Big Ten version of this rivalry between the pair of favorites in the conference at this stage of the season. As per usual, Oregon is set to take advantage with multiple five-stars descending on Eugene such as cornerback Na’eem Offord and defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, among others. The Ducks don’t recruit much locally, so nationally-relevant games like this in that type of atmosphere are among the best selling points for Dan Lanning and company on a national scale. Should UO continue to operate among the premier programs in the country, it will have to dip more into Texas, the traditional SEC footprint as well as the classic Big Ten footprint to keep the roster toward the top of the sport. Showing as much against perhaps the best roster in the country and/or national title favorite Ohio State would surely go a long way toward confirming long-term plans for the Ducks to remain in the mix among the very best regardless of their conference affiliation.

Adam Gorney: Oregon has a big weekend here. Not only are the Ducks playing in arguably the biggest game of the weekend, on primetime, hosting Ohio State, it’s a statement game for Oregon in the Big Ten and there are going to be tons of top recruits in Autzen Stadium. Many of who are also considering Ohio State. Commits Trey McNutt and Dorian Brew will be there. Ohio State commit Na’eem Offord will be there. Top 2026 prospects Kendre Harrison, who is considering both the Ducks and the Buckeyes, will be there. This is a huge opportunity for coach Dan Lanning and the entire program. It’s also big for Ohio State for all the same reasons.

Marshall Levenson: There is not a bigger game in the country than Oregon vs. Ohio State which is naturally bringing a star-studded group to town. There will be big fish of every kind in attendance, ranging from 2025 uncommitted targets, 2025 flop targets, and down into the underclassmen, hosting some premier 2026 and 2027 talent. Their highest-rated commit in Dakorien Moore will be making the cross-country trek Saturday morning and alongside many other commits will do his best to gain the interest of prospects such as five-star Jahkeem Stewart, five-star Ohio State commit Naeem Offord, and 2026 elite four-star Kendre Harrison. 2025 Baylor three-star linebacker commit Kaleb Burns is another sneaky name to keep an eye on as he will be taking an official visit. A win for the Ducks would surely vault them to No. 1 in the country in the polls and would give their already strong recruiting efforts a massive boost.

Greg Smith: There are some very intriguing visit weekends happening around the country. Tennessee, USC and Oklahoma all deserve a shout out but the answer is Oregon for me. The program has the bulk of its commits coming to town which helps with retention. But there is a potential five-star flip candidate on campus – defensive back Na’eem Offord – to keep an eye on. Five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart will be in town. There is also elite future talent like 2027 TE Mark Bowman taking in the game. It’s going to be a huge weekend in Eugene.

Sam Spiegelman: USC. The Trojans have hit the Southeast with conviction under this new defensive staff. This weekend, USC will aim to take a massive leap forward by bringing in not only five-star QB commit Julian Lewis and Rivals250 CB commit Shamar Arnoux back for the Penn State game, but four-star DL target Kevin Wynn committed to Florida State. Additionally, several of the region’s top 2026 prospects as well. Among the notable blue-chippers expected in the Coliseum include five-star LB Atkinson and four-star DL Deuce Geralds, four-star LB Ant Davis, four-star DL Bryce Perry-Wright, four-star ATH Tyriq Green and four-star DB Nassir McCoy, and the Trojans are right in the thick of it with a handful of those targets.