Josh Conerly, Brandon Inniss highlight 5 important weekend visits

While spring break at some places has limited planned trips, there are still plenty of recruits taking unofficial visits. On3 has a full preview of some of the top visit weekends across the country — including big weekends at Oregon, Clemson, Florida and USC — and now here’s a look at five of the most important visits on tap.

Four-star OT Josh Conerly Jr. – Oregon

Seattle Rainer Beach
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 40 in Class of 2022
On3 NIL Valuation: $16.1K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: USC 44.2%, Oregon 22.3%, Michigan 12%, Washington 9.2%, Oklahoma 4.5% and Miami 4.5%
The Skinny: Josh Conerly has been down to six schools — USC, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington — for a little bit of time. He’s visited Michigan, Oklahoma and Miami. He is scheduled to be in Oregon this weekend.

Conerly will then take his final official visit to USC on March 25, and it’s the Trojans that are currently in the lead, according to the On3 RPM. However, there is plenty of room for movement, which makes his visit this weekend to Eugene the most important visit of the recruiting weekend. There are zero predictions in Conerly’s recruitment.

That’s because most insiders know the Oregon visit could play a major role in his decision. That’s especially true after Oregon hired offensive line coach Adrian Klem, one of the top recruiters in the country that has deep West Coast connections.

Landing Conerly would be a rather significant recruiting win for the Ducks. It’d show that Lanning and Co. can beat USC head-to-head for top West Coast talent.

Four-star WR Brandon Inniss – USC

Miami Gardens (Fla.) American Heritage
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 28 in Class of 2023
On3 NIL Valuation: $46K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: USC 80.7%, Miami 9.8%, Florida 2.1%, Alabama 1.5%, Oklahoma, Ohio State 1.1% and Florida State 1.1%
The Skinny: Brandon Inniss and his South Florida Express teammates will be at USC on Friday. And for USC, it’s the perfect opportunity to capitalize on the momentum the Trojans have gained in the past few weeks with Inniss’ recruitment.

He was a one-time pledge to Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. But after Riley left for USC, Inniss reopened his recruitment and is hearing from a number of programs. But the bond with Riley and Five-Star Plus+ quarterback and USC commit Malachi Nelson is strong. The visit — even it’s more of a pitstop because he’ll be there with his 7-on-7 teammates — is vital for the Trojans.

“This weekend will provide Lincoln Riley and his staff a chance to close on a guy like Brandon Inniss,”  Scott Schrader of On3’s WeAreSC said.

Four-star QB Jadyn Davis – Clemson

Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day School
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 1 in Class of 2024
On3 NIL Valuation: $71K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Ohio State 78.1%, Georgia 5.9%, South Carolina 3.6%, North Carolina 3.6%, Penn State 1.8%, Tennessee 1.8%, Alabama 1.8% and Clemson 1.7%
The Skinny: While there are some quality juniors scheduled to visit Clemson this weekend, the list does lean more toward the 2024 class, headlined by top sophomore recruit and No. 1 quarterback Jadyn Davis of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day.

The visit is Davis’ third to Death Valley over the past year. He was last at Clemson on Nov. 11. He was previously on campus last summer. Don’t forget that Davis is originally from South Carolina. He played his first two seasons at Catawba Ridge (S.C.) High School. He transferred to Providence Day School for the spring semester of his junior year.

Clemson has been heavily involved in Davis’ recruitment for quite some time. During the fall football season, he told On3’s Jeremy Johnson he’s built a great bond with Tigers’ quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. 

However, as the On RPM indicates, the Tigers do have some work to become a force in Davis’ recruitment. That’s why this visit becomes one of the most important of the weekend.

Five-star DL Matayo Uiagalelei – Oregon

Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 18 in Class of 2023
On3 NIL Valuation: $32K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: USC 44.7%, Oregon 37.7%, Clemson 14.9%, LSU 1%, Texas 1% 
The Skinny: While a lot of the attention is on Conerly and  Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Lebbeus Overton’s official visits to Oregon, the Ducks are also set for a big-time group of juniors set coming on unofficial visits.

The biggest name in the bunch is five-star defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco. Uiagelelei is listed by On3’s ScoopDuck as “one of the absolute top targets” in Oregon’s 2023 recruiting efforts. He was previously on campus to visit out the visit period in January.

Getting him back on campus is a significant development with Uiagelelei.

“Coach Lanning winning a national championship definitely helps a lot adding to his resume,” Uiagelelei told ScoopDuck last week. “(It) shows that he can turn Oregon into a high-level program. I like coach (Tosh) Lupoi. He is very good at his job. Something that he explained to me that stood out to me was his time at Bama and the NFL experience he has.”

The On3 RPM lists USC as the favorite in Uiagelelei’s recruitment at 44.7%. However, the Ducks are right there at 37.7%. This important visit could go a long way toward shaping his eventual decision. Like with Conerly, winning this battle would send a signal that the Ducks are going to be a force with top talent in the West.

Four-star OT Miles McVay – Missouri

East St. Louis (Ill.) High
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 165 in Class of 2023
On3 NIL Valuation: $11.3K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Missouri 38.9%, Georgia 13.6%, Alabama 13.6%, Auburn 13.6% and Oklahoma 12.3%
The Skinny: Four-star offensive tackle Miles McVay is heading back to the Zou in what is definitely one of the most important visits of the weekend.

The visit to Columbia will be his third known unofficial visit with the Tigers. It’s the most of all of the programs recruiting him.

The trip to Columbia takes place one week after he was in Norman, Okla., visiting with the Oklahoma Sooners. McVay posted several photos on social media from the trip and gave it high praise. While the Sooners impressed McVay on the visit, it’s Missouri that is believed to have the lead in his recruitment.

According to the On3 RPM, the Tigers have a 38.9% chance of landing McVay. McVay visited Missouri previously twice this past summer.

He’s also taken unofficial visits to Georgia, LSU, Illinois, Miami of Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, Michigan State, Alabama and Auburn. He plans on visiting several schools in March and April, including Alabama on March 25.

Since he was hired, Eliah Drinkwitz and his staff have done a masterful job of repairing the relationship with the St. Louis area powerhouse program. That’s why the Tigers are the favorites long-term for McVay. Furthermore, it also doesn’t hurt that Mizzou landed McVay’s teammate — Five-Star Plus+ receiver Luther Burden — in the 2022 class.