Cal, Vandy, Utah on the clock: Predictions on prospects set to decide after this weekend’s visits

Heading in to another big official visit weekend, we have several new commit predictions in for a handful of West Coast visitors.

>Official visits are in full swing and commitments have been flying in. This weekend, we like where Utah, Oregon, Cal, Vanderbilt, BYU and Oregon State are positioned to add to their recruiting class.

>Here’s a look at seven players we think could be pulling the trigger on or shortly after their visits this weekend.

Kamil Loud, DB, Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman- CalLoud visited Washington last weekend and had a great trip. This one is actually very close but we do think Cal has some natural advantages here. The Bears are his childhood dream school and he said he grew up in the Bay Area going to Cal games when he was little. He loves the current Cal coaching staff and we know they plan to put the full court press on him. If Washington was going to land him, we thought it would have to happen on the trip last week. Cal has been very good this cycle locking up their key visitors while they’re on campus and we think the Bears can do it again this weekend.

Matthew Smith, QB, Santa Margarita (Calif.)- VanderbiltSmith is actually visiting Princeton this weekend after checking the Commodores last weekend. It’s not often we put in a commit prediction for a school when a player is visiting elsewhere but we do like where Vandy sits in this recruitment. Smith really raved about his visit last weekend and the coaches made it very clear he’s a high priority. San Jose State is involved and Smith already visited and Utah is pushing as well but at this point, we think Smith could make a decision later in the weekend.

Taylay Patterson, ATH, Chandler (Ariz.) Basha- UtahPatterson is one of two players we have on commit watch for the Utes. He’s a two-way player but is being recruited more so as as a defensive back and Utah coaches were watching him closely at Basha’s Showcase back in May. Paterson camped with Utah last week and will be back on campus for his official visit this weekend. As of now, this is the only visit Patterson has set up and our guess is this will be the only visit he takes before making his decision.

Carvel Waver, RB, Clovis (Calif.) Buchanan- Utah Waver is the other Utah visitor we have on commitment watch. He’s an exciting all-purpose type back you can move around and create mismatches because of his speed and wiggle. He catches the ball well enough to play in the slot, can use him on end-arounds as well returning punts and kicks. Utah offered back in February he wasted no time locking an official visit date. Like with Patterson, Waver doesn’t have any other official visits planned after this one and we think there’s a great chance the Utes lock him in.

Kawai Chamberlin, LB, Eugene (Ore.) Willamette- Oregon StateWe thought this one would come down to a Minnesota- Oregon State battle with the Gophers set to host Chamberlin this weekend. We’ve heard that visit is no longer happening and as a result, we have a commit prediction in for the Beavers. Chamberlin visited Oregon State back in late May and the staff knocked it out of the park. The Beavers have been on Chamberlin since he was just a freshman and no one has recruited him harder or longer. Boise State and San Diego State are involved as well but we like Oregon to land the talented and versatile linebacker.

Peyton Higginson, ATH, Salem (Utah) Salem Hill- BYU Higginson is the one player on this list who isn’t even visiting anywhere. He did just take an official visit to Utah State earlier in the week and will visit BYU on the 19th. He had official visits scheduled at one point to Oregon State and Michigan but those are off the table. We heard he could still visit the Wolverines in the fall but it seems more likely he will make his decision before then. BYU has always been the school we thought had the edge in his recruitment and that still appears to be the case. A decision likely won’t happen this weekend but we went ahead and put in a commitment prediction in for BYU to land one of the most versatile players in the region.

Jamie Spurgeon, TE, Oneal’s (Calif.) Minarets– CalSpurgeon is the second player we have on commit watch for Cal. At one point, Spurgeon was set to visit Texas Tech this weekend but the Bears will now host him instead. The Red Raiders are always formidable and were in Spurgeon’s top two along with Cal. With that visit off the table, it puts the Bears in a great spot. Cal has been very aggressive recruiting Spurgeon and he recently said he doesn’t have a lead recruiter from Cal, it’s the entire staff that’s involved. Washington State and Utah are on the short list here as well but our guess is this race over the weekend.

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