Tennessee, Texas A&M, Auburn Hosting Key Recruits for Saturday Spring Games
The first of the two biggest spring football game day weekends are upon the college football works, and while for many it means the latest in a quarterback battle or the first impression of a new coaching staff, for the future of the sport it means prospect visits.
For some, it even means official visits, meaning the destination program can foot the bill for the recruit and his family's entire trip over a 48 hour period. April and June are the months in which the top recruits begin taking official visits ahead of a college decision.
Sports Illustrated breaks down some of the biggest recruiting trips set for the weekend, centered around spring game showcases.
WR Carnell Tate - Tennessee
Perhaps the nation's top receiver taking his first official visit has to be considered big no matter how it's presented. Tate has been at many campuses of late, including Georgia, Ohio State and Notre Dame, but each of those trips were of the unofficial -- all on the prospect's dime -- variety. This weekend, Josh Heupel and the Vol staff can roll out that orange carpet surrounding their spring showcase, all while hosting a slew of important recruits on campus, along with the actual UT fan base out in full force to help remind the smooth wide receiver of their desire to root for him at the next level. Tate has a clear top five including the programs on the visit slate as well as Alabama, but there is a quiet confidence coming from the Tennessee side of the pitch of late. Many feel the Chicago native is keeping a close eye on the future quarterback plans of the program he may pick, and of the top contenders only UT has a QB publicly committed in electric Californian Nico Iamaleava, who Tate has already visited UT with in the past.
DE Matayo Uiagalelei - Clemson
Another elite working with a relatively narrow group is Uiagalelei, who has been busy in his native Pac-12 region having taken recent trips to USC and Oregon. The SEC and ACC will have a say in this national recruitment, however, and there is plenty of familiarity with Dabo Swinney's program since Matayo's older brother D.J. was recruited to lead the Tigers. In addition to a fresh look at his big brother's progress, the family seeing Clemson has added value coming off of what the football standout's father Dave Uiagalelei posted on social media about the lack of effort from Swinney's staff on courting the two-way talent out of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco. If CU is going to begin making up ground in the race, Saturday would be a good start.
"I haven’t heard from one coach at @ClemsonFB yet," Dave Uiagalelei posted in a since-deleted Tweet. "No DC, no D-Line or D-End coach. I don’t understand, do you even want Matayo ???"
LB Troy Bowles - Auburn
The race for one of the top three-down linebackers in the class of 2023 has been linked towards plenty of programs, most notably Ohio State and Georgia with Alabama looking to make a move, so Bowles checking out Auburn becomes an intriguing trip to track. Bryan Harsin's program has done a good job getting area recruits on campus throughout the new year, including sole verbal commitment and lineman Bradyn Joiner, but elites outside of the pipeline aren't flocking to the Plains in volume. Saturday has a chance to reverse that perception with talent like Bowles heading to town, especially considering there is an uphill climb ahead if the Tigers are to contend for the Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit star. An in-person impression, especially on A-Day with fans in full force, won't hurt.
WR Johntay Cook - Texas A&M
Shocking, we know, but Jimbo Fisher's program has a monster list of top recruits headed to College Station this weekend. Cook, as one of the fastest wide receiver recruits in the country, is among them and there is a lot to like of Texas A&M's chances to land the in-state star. Not only has Cook admitted the program is recruiting him the hardest, with a need for offensive explosiveness as a primary pitch, but the bond he shares with fellow top skill recruit Rueben Owens plays well. Not only will Owens also be in town this weekend, but the duo continues to talk about playing together at the next level and Cook said he was more likely to play with Owens than Arch Manning, who spent time at Virginia Friday, just last month.
DB Tony Mitchell - Texas A&M
A&M has not always been near the top of the list for the Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson High School star. An early commit to Tennessee, the race for Mitchell shifted to an Alabama vs. Georgia battle for the bulk of the years since, but here comes Fisher's program at the right time. The safety projection recently visited for the first time and immediately made plans to get back to campus for Saturday's spring game -- a great sign with a program who closes well on the recruiting trail. The 2022 cycle flexed the A&M reach well beyond Texas, as it landed top targets from Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, Pennsylvania and more, especially with defensive recruits. Mitchell picking the program over the last two national champions that are much closer to home would be a strong indicator that the No. 1 class was no one-year fluke. Florida and Oregon round out Mitchell's top five, though no decision is to be expected in the near future.
OT Lucas Simmons - Tennessee
Perhaps the fastest-rising offensive tackle recruit up collegiate boards is the 6'7" athlete native to Sweden. Simmons has hit several visits this spring, including Florida, Florida State and most recently USC, each leaving a lasting impression. Now Tennessee, with a huge weekend of visitors surrounding the spring showcase, gets him on campus for the first time. Simmons recently told SI that UT was the program increasing its efforts to become a contender with him the most and that is now being reciprocated with the trip. UT made the Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International standout's top group of schools last month, but this recruitment could also be a ways away from wrapping up.
OT Shamurad Umarov - Auburn
This one is relatively simple to frame. Auburn has not been able to recruit the offensive tackle position at a strong rate over the last several recruiting cycles, a trend that must change if the Harsin administration will have staying power in the SEC West. Umarov is a rising recruit from an intensity standpoint, with new programs throwing their hat into the ring for the 6'6" Peach State state standout. Michigan State, Tennessee and Georgia each recently had him on campus, as this recruitment has gone national. AU has to win battles in the state of Georgia to further the pipeline, so even beyond the positional importance, this is a key recruit every Tiger fan should keep an eye on.
RB Rueben Owens - Texas A&M
As mentioned relative to Johntay Cook, Owens and Texas A&M has plenty of intrigue behind it. The difference is that the former Texas commitment is much more familiar with the other in-state power and plays a position Georgia and Alabama seldom miss on in recruiting. Owens has the future SEC group in his top five along with USC, with plans to see each of them time and time again before a decision later in the recruiting cycle. It means trips like Saturday's, especially with the star power alongside him in town, could hold weight as the battle wares on. A&M has been elite in-state and on the defensive side of the ball, so a banner back pledge down the line would still feel like a big win despite the upwards trajectory of Fisher's recruiting prowess relative to the on-field success.
QB Nico Iamaleava - Tennessee
The biggest quarterback domino to fall in the class of 2023 still has plenty of relevancy and this weekend is almost a showcase of it. Not only will the passer and his entire family and 7-on-7 teammates be in town for the first trip to UT since committing, but Iamaleava will be publicly recruiting peers on a national level. He will also get more time with his future fan base, even setting up an ice cream social of sorts on Friday afternoon. In between stops all over Knoxville, Iamaleava is leading his Team Toa teammates in 7-on-7 action at a local Pylon event -- sporting that hard-to-miss orange pajama pants along the way. It's a microcosm of the work the QB is doing to bring a new energy to the SEC East program, all built into a weekend even the college coaches have to admire.
2024 DB Desmond Ricks - Florida State
Seldom does a junior make the weekend visitor list but when there is momentum for a program and top talent on hand, it happens. Desmond Ricks is likely the top non-quarterback recruit for the class of 2024 and he has begun frequenting Florida State since enrolling at IMG Academy. Every top program in the country will be competing for his services, but there is chatter around FSU's strong impression on Ricks at the time. The Virginia native, who does have plans to get to Alabama for their spring game next weekend, could contend for the top cornerback projection in the 2023 class if he were to reclassify -- that's the type of talent Florida State has not signed in some time. The Seminoles have not signed a single SI99-ranked recruit over the last two cycles.
