Nick Lucero/Rivals.com
Prospects around the country took advantage of late-July visits over the weekend, as the recruiting dead period briefly lifted and many schools hosted big events to close out the summer before focusing on the 2024 season.
Let’s take a look at where various Northeast prospects went, and get some of their thoughts on the visits.
RUMOR MILL: Feedback rolls in from big weekend
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Brown visited Penn State this past weekend for the program’s Lasch Bash event, and by the time he left Happy Valley, the four-star offensive tackle was a Nittany Lion commit.
Going into the visit, Brown told Rivals that he wanted to check out a few more schools before making a commitment decision. However, the trip to Penn State convinced the in-state, top-35 prospect to pledge to head coach James Franklin, offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and company.
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Carter went to West Virginia on Thursday and then was at Rutgers on Friday.
The 2026 Rivals250 wide receiver decided that he saw enough while he was in Piscataway, and felt so comfortable with the Scarlet Knights that he decided to commit to the program.
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Coke had a busy week/weekend, checking out Penn State on Thursday, Rutgers on Friday and Florida State on Saturday and Sunday. He enjoyed each visit. Coke’s top priority is finding the coaching staff that will best develop him in college, and he feels like he would be in good hands with Marques Hagans at Penn State, Dave Brock at Rutgers or Ron Dugans at Florida State.
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Davis made the trip to East Lansing this weekend for Michigan State‘s Spartan Dawg Con event. The four-star prospect was very impressed by the the Spartans’ facilities and enjoyed interacting with the program’s players and coaches.
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Edwards, one of the top safeties and overall prospects in the 2026 cycle, made the cross-country trip to Oregon over the weekend. He was able to get a closer look at Dan Lanning‘s program while in the Pacific Northwest. Edwards has more than 20 scholarship offers already and that list is expected to grow.
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Elee, one of the top defensive linemen in the 2026 Rivals250, had a great visit to Oregon over the weekend. The four-star prospect already has close to 30 scholarship offers in his recruitment, including from many of the top programs in the country.
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Gray spoke with Rivals ahead of his weekend trip to Florida State, saying he was “excited to be in Tallahassee.” The Seminoles did not disappoint and the visit exceeded his expectations. It would be a surprise if this was Gray’s last visit to Florida State.
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The No. 1-ranked running back and 26th-ranked overall prospect in the 2026 class was in Ann Arbor this weekend for Michigan‘s BBQ at the Big House event. Georgia and many others have also been heavily recruiting the Virginia native, but indications are that Michigan has made a strong impression on him early in his process as well.
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Jenkins attended Spartan Dawg Con at Michigan State this weekend, his second recruiting visit to East Lansing. The 2027 standout enjoyed interacting with Spartans coaches and players and hopes to return for a game this season.
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The top-100-ranked prospect and four-star offensive guard visited Notre Dame for its Grill and Chill event this weekend. Merrill has made multiple unofficial visits to check out the Fighting Irish throughout his recruitment.
Several other schools have been heavily involved with Merrill, including in-state program Penn State, but he many options with around 25 scholarship offers.
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O’Brien, a top-80 ranked prospect out of Philadelphia, made trips to both Notre Dame and Michigan over the past few days. The four-star boasts around 20 scholarship offers, and ranks as the No. 2 player in the state of Pennsylvania and No. 5 athlete in the 2026 class.
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The class of 2027 standout cornerback visited Duke and Virginia Tech over the weekend. His visit to Durham was abbreviated but Rainer appreciated the program’s welcoming atmosphere and had a good time visiting with the Blue Devils coaching staff. Rainer also had a good experience on his Hokies visit and bonded with other visitors during organized group activities.
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Taylor remains firmly committed to West Virginia but he is still taking other visits and enjoying his recruitment. The three-star outside linebacker was back in Morgantown on Thursday, and then saw Penn State on Friday and Michigan on Sunday. Still, the Mountaineers check every box for Taylor and he is not changing his mind as of now.
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Wafle, one of the top defensive linemen in the country, had a busy few days visiting Texas, Tennessee and Michigan.
The four-star recruit ranks as the No. 1 player in New Jersey, No. 2 weak-side defensive end and No. 69 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle. He is being courted by many top programs in the country.
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