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Ohio State, Florida Leading Hosts for Top Recruits Hitting the Road Week 1

Week 1 of the college football season will draw top talent to Columbus and Gainesville.

John Garcia Jr.

College football is back in full this weekend, as the Week 1 slate spans from Thursday to Monday to kick off the season following the Week 0 appetizer at the end of August. 

Of course, if big games are going down—and there are plenty to dig into—it means these top programs are set to host elite recruits throughout the weekend. No program has a bigger slate of volume or star power than Ohio State, set to host SI99 members in the 2023 class and plenty of early candidates for future lists in younger classes with Notre Dame coming to town. Florida, opening the Billy Napier era at home against defending Pac-12 champion Utah, will also draw head-turning talent. 

Even neutral site venues, where each competing program gets an allotment of tickets to use for recruits (no coaching contact permitted off campus, however), will be key in setting the table for the weekend. 

With that in mind, here are the 10 visits Sports Illustrated is tracking closely. 

CB Cormani McClain - Florida

The top cornerback in the SI99 rankings will kick off his game visits with a trip to the campus he often refers to as "home" in Gainesville. Not only has the new staff at Florida been heavily on McClain's trail, especially under cornerback guru Corey Raymond, but the visiting Utes also have connections to McClain with his former prep teammate Jaylon Glover preparing to make his collegiate debut. Alabama, Georgia, Miami and others are steadily watching McClain between now and when he signs a National Letter of Intent in December, at the earliest, so an on-field impression in Gainesville could provide more clarity on how the new staff works with the secondary altogether. The Gators also got McClain's last unofficial visit, when he was in town for the Friday Night Lights camp to wrap up the offseason at the end of July, after hosting him for the spring game in April. 

DE Keon Keeley - Ohio State

The most ironic high-profile visit of the weekend goes to the No. 1 edge in the country in Keeley, a former Notre Dame commitment who will take an official visit to Ohio State to watch the Buckeyes play the program he was once committed to. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson, another elite positional recruiter, has yet to amass the type of edge talent we're accustomed to seeing in the Buckeye class of 2023, so he will double down and get three of the top pass rushers in the class (along with fellow SI99ers Damon Wilson and Matayo Uiagalelei) on campus at the same time to begin the ascent. Between the three pass rushers, neither national battle will be an easy recruiting win. Keeley could represent the most uphill trek for Ohio State, prime reasoning for the importance of his visit with the Irish in town. Alabama, Georgia and Florida are among those trying to keep the Tampa native in SEC country for good. 

DE Damon Wilson - Ohio State

As mentioned, Ohio State needs pass rushers with promise to add to an otherwise stellar class of 2023, and Wilson offers intriguing upside as a speed rusher. The Venice (Fla.) High School star is in the early stages of the decision-making process relative to the others OSU is courting, given this is his first official visit. Alabama, Georgia, Miami and Texas round out Wilson's top group, with trips to each scheduled through the remainder of the college football season. Johnson and company getting the chance at a first impression with the type of stage and atmosphere the OSU-ND game should present is an advantage in itself, especially with the Crimson Tide and Hurricanes among those rumored to be in the best shape for Wilson heading into the fall. 

WR Jalen Hale - Alabama

Speaking of the Crimson Tide, it's a small yet critical visitor list to kick off the season against Utah State. The timing is important regarding Hale±the SI99 wide receiver who told SI he will make a verbal commitment on Sept. 21—considering this trip to Tuscaloosa will enable him to see the offense in action two weeks in a row. Hale is scheduled to be in Austin the following Saturday, when Alabama comes to town—perhaps grounds for the defending SEC champs to make up ground on perceived favorite Texas down the home stretch. Texas A&M, which gets the final visit the third weekend in September, and Georgia round out the final four for one of America's top uncommitted prospects. 

WR Tyler Williams - Miami

Another SI99 pass catcher, Williams was penciled in on this list before a change of plans. He was scheduled to visit Ole Miss for an official visit to open the season, as Lane Kiffin and company were looking to take a late swing at the 6'5" talent before a Sept. 27 verbal commitment. Instead, the in-state Miami Hurricanes will get Williams on campus for an unofficial visit after sitting outside of his listed top group of schools at the end of the summer. It's a puncher's chance at best for the Hurricanes right now, but the communication has been enough to change visit plans on the front end, at least. Georgia has long been viewed as the favorite, while Clemson, Texas A&M and South Carolina round out those in contention. 

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CB Dijon Johnson - Florida 

A former Ohio State commitment out of Tampa (Fla.) Wharton, Johnson has become a frequent visitor in Gainesville ahead of making a final collegiate decision. While Georgia, Alabama and Miami sent him official offer letters in August, this race has appeared to be leaning blue and orange for some time. Can the new coaching staff in Gainesville close against that list of contenders, though? Johnson will be a case study in that regard as he looks for an option closer to home to play college football. After his senior season debut last week, Johnson admitted the Gator staff was recruiting him the hardest of the bunch. 

"It's in my home state, man," Johnson said. "Why not do it big in your home state?" 

WR Hykeem Williams - Florida State

Another key Floridian and SI99 recruit on the road is Williams, who has multiple coaching staffs relatively confident ahead of his Sept. 23 decision. There is also a sense this recruitment drags beyond the initial commitment, given rumors of game visits to College Station and Tallahassee on the docket for later in the season. If that is not the case, Florida State getting him in to see the neutral site game against a marquee opponent in LSU cannot hurt given the Seminoles' improving buzz in potentially landing the south Floridian. Pitt is scheduled to get a game visit out of Williams before the commitment, Georgia is in the mix and the semi-local Miami Hurricanes are also campaigning to keep him close to home, so there could be plenty ahead in this recruitment. 

OT Caleb Lomu - Florida

Napier's staff in Gainesville has kicked off the 2023 cycle with a top-10 type of class, with impressive hauls at wide receiver, along the defensive front and in the secondary already verbally committed. The holes in the group remain along the offensive line, which is why a Gilbert (Ariz.) Highland offensive tackle talent making a cross-country trek to see the opener at The Swamp is a big deal. Lomu is one of the late risers at the position in the class of 2023, from a national angle, picking up summer offers from Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Auburn. The Pac-12 had been steady on him prior, and he took official visits to Arizona, Utah and Cal on consecutive June weekends. Lomu confirmed to SI that the Florida trip is an unofficial visit, however. 

IDL Jamarrion Harkless - Ole Miss

While Williams making a change of heart ahead of the visit weekends dampens the visitor list for Kiffin and the Rebels, all is not lost. The interior defensive line prospect they have spent a long time courting, even through a commitment to Illinois that has since been rescinded, is headed to town. Harkless has a final four including Ole Miss, Michigan, Auburn and in-state Louisville, with the Rebels and Tigers getting him on campus for official visits the next two weekends. The 2023 class in town isn't as strong as the 2022 haul, but it has added quality talent of late at key positions, so Harkless potentially continuing that will play well with the transfer portal likely supplementing Kiffin's high school haul once again.

2024 QB Jadyn Davis - Georgia 

When throwing a junior into the conversation, especially at a neutral-site game, one should perceive it as pretty important. Davis is the top passer in the region, and could eventually contend for the top spot nationally in the class of 2024. Of course, UGA is passing on taking a QB in 2023 after the Arch Manning and Nico Iamaleava misses, so more headway with the best from the next class is imperative here. The Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day School passer has all the blue-blood offers one would expect of a young star, including many top programs throughout the SEC, ACC country and well beyond. North Carolina had Davis on campus for their opener against Florida A&M last weekend as the junior looks to take in many campuses ahead of what could be an early verbal commitment. 

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John Garcia Jr.
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