Editor's note: Weekend Rewind is a weekly RecruitingNation feature that will appear every Monday of the college football season and break down the top recruiting storylines from around the country. Read them all or use the navigation bar to get right to the news for your favorite team.
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A big weekend in Gainesville was hyped throughout the week prior to the Florida Gators' top-10 showdown with then-No. 4 LSU, and it wasn't just the fans who heeded the message. The promise of a true SEC battle to the end brought out the best prospects in the South. Players with offers from both programs, some committed to SEC rivals and a few who were just interested in seeing a good game were not disappointed as the performance of the Gators' much-improved offense against one of the country's most vaunted defenses was impossible to ignore.
And the more than 100,000 fans in attendance for Ohio State's win over Big Ten rival Nebraska weren't disappointed, either. Recruits in attendance were amazed by how loud the stadium got -- one returning attendee saying the atmosphere gave him chills.
Here is that story and more from around college football:
It was a slow recruiting weekend for the University of Alabama. There was no game on Saturday, which meant no visitors. The biggest news coming out of Tuscaloosa was not who visited UA, but who didn't visit Florida for its game versus LSU.
There had been rumors that ESPN 150 Bama commitments DeMarcus Walker (Jacksonville, Fla./Sandalwood) and O.J. Howard (Prattville, Ala./Autauga) were going to visit Gainesville for the top-10 showdown, but neither actually made the trip. That's especially promising news with Walker, who had the Gators among his top schools throughout his recruitment before choosing the Tide in August. Howard has expressed interest in possibly visiting Florida at some point later this year.
On Friday, Howard received his Under Armour All-America Game jersey. The tight end talked about carrying on the legacy that former Tide stars Julio Jones and Trent Richardson started when they played in the game.
"Those guys, like Julio and Trent, they had a really good game in the Under Armour Game," Howard said. "I'm going to try to follow in their footsteps, try to keep the tradition and try to put up pretty big numbers during the game just to let you know that Alabama has the top recruits. That's why you go to play with the best."
Currently Alabama has six commitments who have been selected to play in the game.
-- Greg Ostendorf
The Gators hosted several top prospects for their 14-6 victory over LSU on Saturday. Though Florida had only one official visitor, wide receiver Marquez North (Charlotte, N.C./Mallard Creek), the Gators also brought in five-star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla./Columbia), Notre Dame linebacker commit Alex Anzalone (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing), four-star safety Marcell Harris (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips), four-star defensive tackle Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly Co.) and Florida State offensive line commit Ira Denson (Madison, Fla./Madison Co.).
In addition to the handful of 2013 prospects in attendance, the Gators also brought in several top 2014 prospects for the game. Quarterback Will Grier (Davidson, N.C./Davidson Day), who will likely be one of the top signal-callers in the Southeast next year, said he was impressed with what the Gators did on offense.
"They did what they needed to do to win," Grier said. "LSU has one of the best defenses in college football and they mixed up formations and packages and moved the ball up and down the field. I also feel like their offense is one I could thrive in given what I bring to the table."
Though Florida didn't land any commitments over the weekend, the Gators certainly improved their chances with several recruits with their impressive win over the then-No. 4-ranked team in the country.
-- Derek Tyson
Without a game in Sanford Stadium this past Saturday, a number of Georgia's top recruiting targets took the opportunity to visit other programs in the Southeast. Bulldogs wide receiver commit Tramel Terry (Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek) dropped in on Clemson. Juco cornerback commit Steven Nelson (Warner Robins, Ga./College of the Sequoias) took an official visit to Oregon State. ESPN 300 cornerback Brendan Langley (Marietta, Ga./Kell), a Gamecocks commit, was at the South Carolina game, where he witnessed his possible future team trounce the Bulldogs. Georgia is still recruiting Langley hard, but the 35-7 loss did not help its cause. Defensive lineman Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County), who witnessed Georgia's defeat of Tennessee on Sept. 29, headed south to catch Florida's victory over LSU.
The Gators also hosted the top-rated prospect on Georgia's wish list in ESPN 150 offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla./Columbia). The No. 3-ranked prospect in the nation, Tunsil's visit is interesting because he had not mentioned Florida in many of his past interviews. The Florida campus is only 40 minutes from his house and there is a lot of excitement about the program, especially after the Gators knocked off No. 4 LSU.
Tunsil has said that he is "in love with Georgia," but the Bulldogs will have to fight for the 6-foot-6, 295-pound tackle. His close friend, ESPN 150 running back Derrick Henry (Yulee, Fla./Yulee), has been recruiting Tunsil to Alabama. Tunsil likes the Crimson Tide and plans to take an official visit to the program. He also has official visits planned to LSU, Ole Miss, USC and Georgia. With nearby Florida possibly entering the race for Tunsil's services, the Georgia coaching staff has to be nervous. Considering the beating the Bulldogs' offensive line received at the hands of the South Carolina, every visit Tunsil makes will be watched closely in Athens.
-- Radi Nabulsi
It won't provide much solace to an LSU fan base still reeling from the Tigers' first regular-season defeat in almost two years, but the wait is about to be over for some genuine LSU recruiting news. The Tigers return to Baton Rouge to face No. 3 South Carolina this weekend in the first of three home games against ranked opposition in the next month, giving LSU its first chance to draw a high-profile visitor list this season.
The Tigers' showing in Gainesville wasn't exactly an impressive one, but it doesn't seem likely the 14-6 loss to Florida will do too much damage in the long run. Kain Daub (Jacksonville, Fla./Sandalwood) and Garrett Brumfield (Baton Rouge, La./University Laboratory), the two biggest LSU targets in attendance at The Swamp this past weekend, are 2014 players whose signing day is still 16 months down the road.
-- David Helman
No new commitments came out of Ohio State's 63-38 win over Nebraska on Saturday, but it was hard to ignore the 106,102 fans in attendance on an evening highlighted by one ESPN 300 recruit after the other.
With ESPN 150 Buckeyes commits like Eli Woodard (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern), Cam Burrows (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison), Joey Bosa (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas), Jalin Marshall (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) and Evan Lisle (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) on hand and targets like Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon), James Quick (Louisville, Ky./Trinity), Shelton Gibson (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) and Donovan Munger (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) in attendance, The Horseshoe was jumping.
"They have great fans. That's what really caught my attention. The most impressive thing is how loud the fans got," Quick said, adding it was the loudest game he has ever been to.
But it wasn't limited to Quick, as Gibson couldn't get over the fact the noise brought chills to him even though he's been to a handful of games already.
"The intensity was crazy," Gibson said. "When I walked in, it was super packed. It was real hype. That was a lot of fun. Seeing Nebraska go up a touchdown and three points, to come back and step on their throats and not let them breathe anymore, it was just crazy."
-- Brad Bournival
The Sooners dodged a bullet this weekend. TCU and Texas both had a chance to impress some top OU targets, but neither the Horned Frogs nor the Longhorns were able to earn a victory.
OU learned two weeks ago against Kansas State that a loss doesn't mean a recruit turns his back on the program, but a win could have helped the cause, and Texas and TCU missed out on big opportunities.
TCU hosted ESPN 150 defensive tackle Justin Manning (Dallas/Kimball), while Texas had a couple of four-star prospects in offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch (Katy, Texas/Seven Lakes) and cornerback Cole Luke (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton).
Manning and Benenoch have each made official visits to OU, while Luke is scheduled to make his official visit to OU on Oct. 26. The Sooners host Notre Dame that weekend.
As for commits, OU fans continue to get excited about the prospect of quarterback Cody Thomas (Colleyville, Texas/Heritage) and running back Keith Ford (Cypress, Texas/Ranch) playing together.
For the second time this season, Thomas accounted for seven touchdowns and Ford rushed for four touchdowns in victories.
Thomas was 23-of-31 for 463 yards and seven touchdowns, while Ford rushed for 250 yards on 25 carries with four scores.
-- Bob Przybylo
Happy Valley wasn't brimming with big names this past weekend, but at least 14 recruits -- most likely preferred walk-on candidates -- watched the Nittany Lions upset the ranked Northwestern Wildcats.
With scholarship restrictions in place for the next four seasons, coach Bill O'Brien has been forced to scour the country for under-the-radar players who might benefit the team -- and not mind having to pay their tuition.
None of those 14 prospects, all juniors and seniors, held an FBS offer. Most didn't travel far for the noon game, but others hailed from New York, New Jersey, Maryland and as far as Illinois. O'Brien has shown he's not afraid to play former walk-ons, as at least six participated in Saturday's game.
That could appeal to a wide range of high school players who haven't been able to snag an FBS offer. Linebacker Michael Wiand (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) and long-snapper Sean Corcoran (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) both attended the game and recently accepted walk-on positions with PSU.
-- Josh Moyer
On its biggest recruiting weekend of the season thus far, Texas lost to West Virginia 48-45 but still managed to win over its visiting prospects.
Texas hosted a large group of 2013 and 2014 prospects Saturday night, including three of its biggest remaining targets for the 2013 class. Uncommitted linemen Andrew Billings (Waco, Texas/Waco) and Caleb Benenoch (Katy, Texas/Seven Lakes) both made unofficial visits for the game and went home impressed. Benenoch said the Longhorns are once again his No. 1 school going forward.
The biggest visitor of the night, though, might have been cornerback Cole Luke (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton). The four-star prospect made an official visit this weekend and is down to Texas, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.
Texas also managed to get a key unofficial visit from defensive tackle commit A'Shawn Robinson (Fort Worth, Texas/Arlington Heights). The ESPN 150 prospect had seemed to be wavering in his pledge following an official visit to Florida State, but Robinson told fellow commits he plans to stick with the Longhorns. Along with Robinson, Texas had most of its 2013 commits in town for the game.
Also in attendance were a handful of big 2014 in-state prospects, including Mount Pleasant receiver K.D. Cannon, Beaumont Ozen cornerback Tony Brown, Mansfield Timberview corner Ed Paris and Lewisville Hebron safety Jamal Adams. All four are ESPN Watch List recruits and hold UT offers.
-- Max Olson
The Aggies are in a true battle for one of their 2013 offensive line targets.
Katy (Texas) Seven Lakes offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch went into the weekend with a top five of Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and UCLA with no leader, but after an unofficial visit to Texas, has put the Longhorns on top of the race in his recruitment.
Also, Benenoch wants to take all his official visits and make his final decision after the high school season but said the Aggies would prefer a decision sooner rather than later because they already have 28 commitments in their class. There are hurdles to leap for the Aggies are to land the 6-6, 321-pound four-star guard and it will be an interesting race to track.
-- Sam Khan Jr.
After a 52-21 loss to No. 2 Oregon, the week was largely one to forget for Washington. But the Huskies did make positive progress on the recruiting trail.
The program extended offers to a pair of players on the 2014 ESPN Watch List -- defensive end Bryson Allen-Williams (Ellenwood, Ga./Cedar Grove) and offensive guard Viane Talamaivao (Corona, Calif./Centennial). The Huskies also offered 2014 tight end Bryce Dixon (Ventura, Calif./St. Bonaventure).
Washington has devoted a lot of attention to California, and continues to build its brand in SEC territory, but the Huskies didn't neglect their home state, offering 2015 running back Chico McClatcher (Federal Way, Wash./Federal Way).
-- Mason Kelley
Midwest region
Notre Dame has passed every test this season with flying colors. In fact, the season is going so well that even when the Irish host recruits for games not even at Notre Dame Stadium the end result is still prospects raving about Notre Dame.
Playing Miami at Soldier Field in Chicago, Notre Dame was able to bring in several unofficial visitors because of the proximity to South Bend. Not only did Notre Dame blow the Hurricanes out of the water, but it did so in front of several 2014 prospects high on its board.
Among the 2014 visitors with Irish offers were Jamarco Jones (Chicago/De La Salle), Enoch Smith (Chicago/Mount Carmel) and Parrker Westphal (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook). Each said he enjoyed the visit, and Smith has the Irish among his favorites.
As for the 2013 class, while it is still a long shot, ESPN 150 WR Laquon Treadwell (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee) visited and said he enjoyed himself. It's unlikely he uses his final official visit on the Irish, but this unofficial visit keeps the Irish in contention for at least another week.
-- Jared Shanker
Midlands region
In roughly a 72-hour span, Christian Morgan (Plano, Texas/Prestonwood Christian) went from being a Seminole to uncommitted to a Rebel.
Morgan decommitted from Florida State on Thursday and announced the same day that he would take an unofficial visit over the weekend to Ole Miss. On Sunday, the 6-5, 250-pound, three-star tight end gave the Rebels his verbal pledge and became the program's 19th commitment of the 2013 recruiting class.
Morgan, who visited Ole Miss for his first official visit last month, had built great relationships with head coach Hugh Freeze, tight ends coach Maurice Harris and area recruiter Tom Allen. Ranked No. 12 among Y-tight ends nationally, Morgan chose Ole Miss over Baylor and Arkansas.
Part of the reason Morgan chose the Rebels, he said, involved his younger sister, 2014 volleyball standout Ashley Morgan. The star outside hitter for Prestonwood also made the trip to Oxford for an unofficial visit. Christian committed to Ole Miss in the early afternoon, and Ashley committed to the Rebels later that day.
-- Damon Sayles
West region
• The Arizona State football team might have had a bye this weekend, but the Sun Devils' coaches were working overtime. On Friday night, Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) hosted Upland (Calif.), and in the 12 hours following the Sun Devils had landed commitments from three of the game's standouts. Upland safety James Johnson announced Saturday morning that he had committed to Arizona State, while Rancho Cucamonga's twin linebackers, A.J. and Viliami Latu made their commitments public following the game.
All three represent big commitments for the Sun Devils as they continue their presence in California's Inland Empire despite a new coaching staff. Johnson had been a lean to Arizona State since the summer, and the Latu brothers didn't surprise many people with their commitments, either. The trio gives Arizona State 16 commitments in its 2013 recruiting class and three players who could play a big part of the Sun Devils' defense going forward.
• The California Golden Bears gained back some momentum with a big win over UCLA on Saturday night, and they did it in front of several important visitors. While it's never a surprise to see quarterback Jared Goff (Kentfield, Calif./Marin Catholic) in attendance at a Golden Bears game, perhaps the biggest unofficial visitor was 2014 defensive end Nifae Lealao (Sacramento, Calif./Capital Christian).
The ESPN Watch List 300 member is on his way to becoming one of the West region's most highly recruited big men, and while the Stanford Cardinal hold the early lead in his recruitment the Golden Bears made an impression by offering the local lineman a scholarship following the game.
-- Erik McKinney