Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
Fall visits are in full swing, making September a vital month for prospects in the class of 2025. Today, Rivals national recruiting director Rob Cassidy uses his a look ahead at a busy month on the high school recruiting front by exploring five of the most important visits on the schedule for the month ahead.
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BRAYLON MULLINS’ TRIP TO INDIANA
Date: Sept. 20
Why it’s important: The Hoosiers are fighting like a pit bull to keep Mullins in-state for college and are considered one of the front-runners to land his pledge. Mullins’ recruitment feels like an absolutely massive one for Indiana head coach Mike Woodson, who stumbled to the finish while losing a few priority high school targets last cycle and can ill afford to do so again. Mullins is from an area of the state in which Indiana usually thrives in recruiting and was made a priority by IU well before he became a major national prospect.
There are plenty of reasons why the Hoosiers should land the four-star, so missing out on him would be a blow to a vital yearlong period for Woodson and his staff, as they try to quiet the grumbles from a fan base that is less than pleased with last year’s results. Mullins blowing off the in-state Hoosiers and their sizable NIL war chest to attend Kentucky, Michigan or Tennessee would be more than a glancing blow.
AJ DYBANTSA’S TRIP TO NORTH CAROLINA
Date: Sept. 20
Why it’s important: BYU is seen as the slight front-runner to eventually land Dybantsa, but this sort of high-profile recruitment never unfolds without a bit of late drama.
If anyone can create such drama in this instance, North Carolina might just be the program. Not only are the Tar Heels heavy-hitters with a history of placing top-flight players in the draft, Hubert Davis’ program has the NIL backing and roster construction that could temp the five-star. The Tar Heels also boast a campus that is closer to Dybantsa’s Massachusetts home than any of his other finalists, which certainly can’t hurt.
Point is, somebody is going to push BYU down the stretch and depending on how the mega-prospect’s trip to Chapel Hill goes, it may well be the Tar Heels.
JALEN REECE’S TRIP TO CINCINNATI
Date: Sept. 7
Why it’s important: Reece has plenty of ties to the state of Ohio and Cincinnati in general. Both he and his father have a strong bond with Wes Miller’s staff, and his former teammate, Edgerrin James Jr., currently plays for the Bearcats.
Ohio State and Providence are the major threats to defeat the Bearcats in the race to land the point guard’s pledge, so Reece’s upcoming visit seems like the last chance for Miller’s program to separate itself in the pecking order.
NIL and other things are the most important aspects of modern recruiting. That said, familiarity still counts for something and it’s in abundance between Reece and Cincinnati.
CAMERON AND CAYDEN BOOZER’S TRIP TO MIAMI
Date: TBD
Why it’s important: There are smart, plugged-in people around the grassroots world that believe the Boozer twins will land at hometown Miami when all is said and done. I’m not totally convinced just yet, but the fact that the duo recently confirmed that they’ll take another official visit to UM “sometime in September” throws fuel on that fire.
The Boozers recently wrapped up an official to fellow front-runner Duke, so the upcoming Miami trip could well be the brothers’ last recruiting visit. Whatever takes place during that visit will likely determine how the Boozers’ recruitment ends, making it vital for both UM and Duke.
KOA PEAT’S VISIT TO ARKANSAS
Date: Sept. 14
Why it’s important: Buzz coming out of Phoenix indicates that Arizona is the program to beat for Peat, who plays his high school ball fewer than 100 miles away from the Tucson campus.
Still, if there’s a program striking some fear into the in-state power, it’s Arkansas, armed with a legendary head coach, an energized fan base and deep NIL pockets. Make no mistake, the Razorbacks are on the outside looking in for the time being, but fall meetings with Calipari have a way of changing things.
Arkansas has work to do, sure, and they’ll be looking to do it come Sept. 14. That said, Arizona holding Peat’s final visit (Oct. 4) is notable.