From spring games to regular visits to transfers getting on the road, there are a lot of interesting trips happening over the weekend. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney breaks down trips that have particularly caught his eye.
GORNEY’S RECRUITING RUMOR MILL: Transfer portal | HS recruiting
Chris Henry Jr. – Oregon
The 2026 five-star receiver from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei has been committed to Ohio State since July and there are no serious indications that he’s looking to flip but Oregon has a big shot this weekend to put some thoughts in Henry’s head.
Coach Dan Lanning and position coach Junior Adams have done a great job recruiting the position and the Ducks offer arguably the best facilities in the country. Now that Henry has moved across the country to play his high school ball, Oregon should at least be watched.
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Elijah Herring – Colorado
Colorado has extensively used the transfer portal to revitalize its roster and in many cases it has worked so it will be interesting to see what kind of traction the Buffaloes get with Herring this weekend.
The former three-star linebacker led Tennessee with 80 tackles this season so he’s going to be a really hot commodity in the portal market. Coach Deion Sanders and his staff get first crack this weekend.
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Ty Haywood – Oklahoma/Texas TBD
There has been chatter the five-star offensive lineman from Denton (Texas) Ryan could show up at Texas or Oklahoma this weekend – or he might not go to either place – but wherever he lands could be telling in Haywood’s recruitment. The Longhorns have shown interest but do have other targets on the offensive line board. Oklahoma had been one of the frontrunners early so a visit to Norman would be big.
Texas A&M and others could be pushing higher so this weekend’s trip, if there is one since Haywood hasn’t confirmed, is worth watching.
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Ryder Lyons – USC
USC is setting itself up to be in pole position for the 2026 five-star who could end up being the top quarterback in his class. The Folsom, Calif., standout, who put up incredible numbers in his sophomore season, also has another reason to like the Trojans – his brother, Walker, is coming off a Mormon mission and so the draw of playing together is huge.
Add in coach Lincoln Riley’s success and so much more, and USC is sitting pretty.
Oregon, Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas A&M are the others in the running.
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DJ Pickett – Oregon
It’s important for the five-star to make a return trip to Oregon this weekend because Miami has shot up to the top in his recruitment and he’s off to another visit to LSU, another main contender in his recruitment.
The Ducks have always appealed to the Zephyrhills, Fla., two-way standout because they’ve discussed using him both at receiver and safety. There are other schools making a major run at Pickett so a big weekend in Eugene is needed.
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Keelon Russell – Texas
The four-star quarterback from Duncanville, Texas, has been committed to SMU since September but a few interesting things are happening in Russell’s recruitment. Texas A&M had been making a serious run at him (prior to four-star QB Husan Longstreet’s commitment so that will be something to watch) and now Texas seems to be showing a lot more interest.
The Longhorns have high four-star KJ Lacey committed already so the pursuit of Russell is intriguing especially as both are expected on campus this weekend.
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David Sanders Jr. – South Carolina
South Carolina is playing major catch-up with the five-star offensive tackle from Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day as Clemson, Tennessee, Georgia and Ohio State seem to be battling it out most, so this weekend’s trip back to Columbia will be important. There is a lot to like in coach Shane Beamer’s program, early playing time would be very much in the cards with the Gamecocks and while there is room to make up, South Carolina can get majorly back in the picture after this weekend.
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Jahkeem Stewart – USC
Some people have written off the 2026 No. 1 prospect to LSU since he’s from New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine and the Tigers are involved, but the word in recent months was that Texas, USC and Oregon had caught Stewart’s attention the most.
Ohio State might be added to that top group now as well after his trip to Columbus last weekend absolutely blew him away.
Now it’s USC’s turn again. The five-star defensive end seems drawn to USC, its coaching staff and the area – for NIL opportunities as well – so the Trojans have a big opportunity here.
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Jonah Williams – Texas A&M
There have been rumors that Oklahoma is way out in front in Williams’ recruitment but the five-star safety from Galveston (Texas) Ball had a great trip to Ohio State last weekend and Texas A&M just keeps hanging around. There is definitely a draw to staying closer to home so his family can make the relatively short drive to College Station and the new coaching staff there is intriguing whether Williams stays at safety or quite possibly moves down to linebacker.
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Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
