Recruiting: Clemson, USC big winners of first June official visit weekend

Timing is everything.

Ask college football coaches which official visit they want to receive from a top recruit and many will say the first visit on the schedule or the last.

For programs who believe in front-loading their visit schedule, the first weekend in June was their first opportunity to capitalize.

And no one did that better than the Clemson Tigers and USC Trojans, who were the big winners of the week.

Clemson Tigers

Clemson landed three commitments, but two of them were among the best players in America.

Jefferson (Georgia) five-star prospect Sammy Brown, the nation's No. 5 overall prospect and No. 1 linebacker, entered the weekend with a top five that also included Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

His commitment was one of the biggest recruiting wins of the 2024 recruiting cycle thus far.

Clemson followed up that five-star pledge with another massive recruiting win, securing the commitment of Midlothian (Texas) five-star wide receiver Bryant Wesco, the nation's No. 9 overall prospect. 

Georgia still boasts the nation's best 1-2 punch in 2024 - quarterback Dylan Raiola (No. 1) and cornerback Ellis Robinson IV (No. 4) - but Clemson now clearly boasts the No. 2 duo in America.

Considering neither prospect was committed to the Tigers before the weekend began, that's quite an accomplishment.

Rounding out the weekend was the addition of Tampa Catholic (Florida) four-star wide receiver T.J. Moore, the nation's No. 84 overall prospect and No. 15 wide receiver. 

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound pass-catcher held offers from nearly 50 college programs, highlighted by Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, USC and many others.

It was a stellar weekend for the Tigers.

USC Trojans

Clemson landed the marquee names this weekend, but from a volume standpoint USC added the most pledges.

Five, including the top two in their class (so far).

It was difficult to keep up with all of the activity, and with coaches teasing commitments with emojis it was impossible to tell if coaches were still celebrating a previous pledge or gearing up for another one... two... or three.

USC's most significant addition of the weekend, Serra four-star cornerback Dakoda Fields, may not be the highest-rated of the bunch, but he carries added weight. .

The nation's No. 10 cornerback was believed to be an Oregon lean.

In the head-to-head battles between Dan Lanning and Lincoln Riley for top defensive prospects thus far, it has been the Ducks who have come out on top.

Booker T. Washington (Georgia) four-star edge-rusher Kameryn Fountain is the headliner of USC's big weekend.

The 6-foot-6, 237-pound prospect, rated the nation's No. 50 overall recruit and No. 6 edge-rusher, had upcoming visits scheduled to in-state Georgia and Tennessee.

Securing his commitment prior to those trips was massive for Riley and his staff. 

For perspective, both prospects would've arguably been the top defensive addition in USC's class last year.

Central Catholic (California) four-star offensive tackle Manasse Itete Is still relatively new to football, having come to America from the Democratic Republic of Congo a few years ago. 

Still, he's impressed enough to be rated the nation's No. 12 offensive tackle and has accrued offers from Auburn, Florida State, Miami, Oregon, UCLA, Utah, Washington and others. 

As if that weren't enough, USC added Clearwater (Florida) four-star safety Jarvis Boatwright, who held more than 30 offers, and Cheery Creek (Colorado) three-star offensive lineman Hayden Treter.

Something to monitor: USC also hosted Taylor Tatum, the nation's No. 1 running back.

The Trojans are thought to be the favorites following his official visit, and his commitment would obviously be yet another massive addition credited to the weekend.