Weekend Recruiting Primer: Five-stars hit the road for summer signature recruiting extravaganzas

It is a five-star recruiting weekend on the trail as top high school football prospects hit the road to see top schools.

For many of them it will be their last time on college campuses before making their decision on where they’ll attend school.

On3 looks at the biggest visits taking place.

Two stops for top-ranked OT David Sanders Jr.

Charlotte (NC) Providence Day School five-star plus offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. is in Lincoln on Friday before heading back to Tennessee on Saturday.

The Huskers and Vols are in the final four alongside Georgia and Ohio State for the On3 Industry’s No. 2 ranked prospect overall.

This is Sanders’ second-time in Lincoln after taking his official visit over Mother’s Day Weekend. Nebraska has been a late riser in the Sanders sweepstakes.

“It was a very unique trip for me,” Sanders told HuskerOnline back in May. “Lincoln was a cool experience. I had never been to Nebraska or anywhere in the Midwest. I was expecting a lot of cornfields and a lot of flat land. It was very unique seeing the buildings and different things like that. It was pretty cool.

“Then, obviously, on the football side and everything, coach (Matt) Rhule was a very down-to-earth head coach. I just enjoyed my whole visit. Dylan (Raiola) was a big reason why I went on my visit. I actually wasn’t able to hang out with him when I was there because his sister graduated (from college). Everybody did a phenomenal job.”

Sanders made it clear how big of a factor Raiola had in getting him to visit Lincoln. The two have a relationship dating back to when Raiola was a quarterback commit to Georgia.

“Dylan,” Sanders said when asked what Nebraska did to get on his radar. “When they pulled the No. 1 player out of the 2024 class, they can get the No. 1 offensive tackle from the 2025 class to protect him. If you have a high-caliber quarterback like that, you need somebody that’s going to protect him. I feel like he’s done a great job, even when he was committed at Georgia. That’s one of the main reasons I took that visit because he did such a good job building that relationship with me and letting me know ‘I need you to come block for me.’ His tune never changed when he committed to Nebraska.

“He was like, ‘Bro, I’m just at a different school. I’m still the same person.’ If he says all these great things about the University of Nebraska, I think it’s definitely worth a visit.”

Tennessee gets the last visit from Sanders. A campus he has frequented going back to eighth grade. There are sources that think the Vols lead. No question the staff has poured a lot into landing the franchise left tackle target.

“I just love Tennessee’s coaching staff,” Sanders has said. “Coach (Josh) Heupel and Coach (Glen) Elarbee, they do a great job with that personal connection. I think out of anybody, they do the best job calling, texting, just staying in contact with my parents and building that relationship. I just feel like you can be yourself at Tennessee, there’s nothing you have to do differently, even though it’s a big SEC school that wins a lot of games and is in contention for winning national championships year in and year out, that’s a place you can go and freely be yourself. I feel like you can go there, develop and be the first big-time offensive tackle to come out of Tennessee. They have everything you need to do to be successful there.”

Sanders decision date is set for Aug. 17.

Tennessee has On3’s No. 12 ranked class. Nebraska currently stands at No. 27 .

Five-stars and elite talents at Oregon

The jewel of the Ducks No. 5 ranked recruiting class in top-ranked receiver and the On3 Industry’s No. 3 prospect overall Dakorien Moore is back in Eugene for Saturday Night Live. He isn’t the only elite prospect slated to be in town hanging out with head coach Dan Lanning and company.

The nation’s No. 2 safety Trey McNutt will return on Friday fresh off a stop at Texas A&M. Those are the two battling down the stretch for the Shaker Heights (Ohio) High standout who will announce his commitment on Aug. 3. Oregon is the On3 RPM favorite and the intel still favors the Ducks.

The On3 Industry’s No. 1 ranked athlete Michael Terry III will be back in Eugene. This visit is sandwiched between returns to Texas and Nebraska. All three of those programs are in the thick of it for Terry who does not have a decision date.

Elite 2026 prospects confirmed include the On3 Industry’s No. 1 overall recruit Chris Henry Jr. who says he’ll be in Eugene. So will the No. 1 tight end Kendre Harrison and top-ranked cornerback Elbert Hill . On300 running back Tradarian Ball is trending towards the Ducks on the On3 RPM ahead of his visit.

Georgia slated to host the country’s top two defensive linemen

The On3 Industry’s top two ranked defensive linemen in Elijah Griffin and Justus Terry for the Dawg Days of Summer recruiting event.

The Bulldogs are the On3 RPM favorite for both coveted in-state targets. Griffin is the No. 5 prospect in the On3 Industry while Terry checks in at No. 7.

For more on who’s expected click here . The Bulldogs have On3’s No. 4 class .

Bayou Splash brings out the stars for LSU

LSU has On3’s No. 3 ranked class headlined by the No. 6 overall prospect in the country in cornerback DJ Pickett . Fresh off choosing the Tigers over Oregon and Miami among others, Pickett will be back in Baton Rouge.

So wil On3’s No. 1 ranked safety Jonah Williams . Set to commit at the end of August, LSU is a front-runner for Williams as he also strongly considers Oregon, Texas A&M and Texas where he visited on Thursday.

On3 Industry five-star receiver Jaime Ffrench will be at both LSU and Miami beginning with the Tigers. Both are battling Texas.

For more on who’s expected at the Bayou Splash which includes elite 2026s in Jahkeem Stewart and Jackson Cantwell among others, click here .

Auburn’s Big Cat Weekend should net big returns

The Tigers are trending for many of the top prospects slated to be on The Plains on Saturday.

That list begins with Hoover (Ala.) Thompson On300 edge Jared Smith . He is set to commit on Aug. 3.

Smith’s teammate in blue-chip safety Anquon Fegans will visit LSU, Auburn and Alabama this weekend. The Tigers are the heavy favorite going into his final wave of trips.

We also like Auburn for four-star defensive back Blake Woodby . Alabama commit and the nation’s No. 2 athlete Derick Smith is also expected. Auburn is recruiting him as a two-way player and there is confidence around the Tigers they can flip Smith. BamaOnLine reports Smith will be back in Tuscaloosa on Sunday.

Auburn has On3’s No. 16 ranked class .

In the 2026 cycle, the Tigers are out in front for On300 recruits in edge rusher Hezekiah Harris and linebackers Shadarius Toodle and JaMichael Garrett going into their visits.

For more intel heading into Big Cat Weekend click here .

More notable trips

Five-star receiver and Alabama commit Caleb Cunningham headlines the list of expected visitors at Ole Miss’s Juice Fest, per OM Spirit’s Zach Berry. BamaOnLine reports Cunningham will be back in Tuscaloosa on Sunday for the Cold Summer Cookout. On300 running back Shekai Mills-Knight is considered a Rebels lean going into his return to Oxford.

An exciting weekend is taking shape at Tennessee as they work to flip the On3 Industry’s No. 4 tight end DaSaahn Brame from Oregon. They’re also trending to land a commitment from On300 safety Lagonza Hayward and of course the big news is getting David Sanders Jr. back on campus. Quarterback commit George MacIntyre will in town, as will the top quarterback prospect in 2026 in Faizon Brandon . The Vols are the On3 RPM favorite for Brandon ahead of his Aug. 3 decision date.

Per Chad Simmons, Roswell (Ga.) Fellowship Christian On3 Industry five-star offensive lineman Josh Petty will be back at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets, Florida State and Ohio State are battling with the Buckeyes working to grab late momentum. FSU is the On3 RPM favorite but nobody is sleeping on the Yellow Jackets as well. Petty will commit on Aug. 12.

On300 receiver Andrew Marsh headlines Michigan’s Barbecue at the Big House visit list .

On3’s No. 1 ranked linebacker Ty Jackson will be at Florida for the Grill in the Ville, as will four-star receiver Naeshaun Montgomery who the Gators are trending for on the On3 RPM. Jackson won’t decide until December and has Florida among his favorites with the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Penn State and Florida State. Montgomery will commit on August 25.

Miami’s cookout is star-studded including On300 safety Bryce Fitzgerald . The Hurricanes have Top 10 classes in 2025 and 2026.

Alabama will bring back a lot of their top-ranked class on Sunday.

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