Florida State football recruiting: Top targets visiting for Notre Dame

Saturday update: Malik Henry was unable to make it, but most everyone on the list did make the trip, as well as Daron Payne, of Birmingham (Ala.) Shades Valley, a five-star defensive tackle.

Florida State welcomes No. 5 Notre Dame to town Saturday, as well as a number of elite prospects who it hopes will become the next batch of Seminoles.

Battle off the field

One top prospect for whom Florida State and Notre Dame are battling is 2016 five-star quarterback Malik Henry, of Thousand Oaks (Calif.) Westlake. Florida State and Notre Dame have emerged as two of the major favorites for Henry, along with UCLA, and the QB plans to make his commitment sometime during his junior year.  Landing Henry would be a huge deal for either school, as he could help bring other members of the 2016 class to South Bend or Tallahassee.

The winner of this game, however, likely won't have that big of a leg up on the loser on the recruiting trail, as both schools have been and should continue to recruit at an elite level. But it should be a great atmosphere to impress recruits.

Commits on hand

Current comments who will be in attendance and looking to sway other top prospects to Tallahassee include QB Kai Locksley, of Baltimore, and De'Andre Johnson, of Jacksonville (Fla.) First Coast. WR's George Campbell, of Tarpon Springs (Fla.) East Lake, and Nyqwan Murray, of Orlando's Oak Ridge, will also attend. 2016 receiver commits Keith Gavin, and D.J. Matthews will also make the trip, as will a pair of 2015 commits from Douglas (Ga.) Coffee County: TE Jalen Wilkerson, and OL Cole Minshew. Offensive line commit David Robbins, of Glenelg (Maryland), will also be making the trip.

Defensive commits who will be making the trip include DT's Darvin Taylor, of Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale, and D.J. Jones, of East Mississippi Community College. Alhough he is currently committed, FSU needs to make a good impression on Jones, as a number of major schools, including Alabama, continue to give chase. 2016 defensive linemen Cedric Wood, of Tallahassee (Fla.) Godby, and Janarius Robinson, of Panama City (Fla.) Bay High School will also make the trip. Noles247 ($) reported earlier this week that five-star 2016 DE Shavar Manuel, of Tampa (Fla.) Blake, will also make the trip. DB commitments Derwin James, of Haines City (Fla.), Calvin Brewton of Miami (Fla.) Central, and A.J. Westbrook, of Daytona (Fla.) Mainland will also be in town.

Targets on hand

Some prospects the current commits will be trying to sway include:

• Miami four-star RB commit Jordan Scarlett, of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas. Scarlett is solidly committed to Miami, but is still open to taking visits. Scarlett is one of the top backs in the country.
• 2016 WR T.J. Chase, of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. Chase is a four-star receiver commit and is very high on Florida State, but is considering all of the major schools. Chase is one of the smoothest receivers in the state. Fellow 2016 recruit and teammate Savion Smith, a four-star CB, will also make the trip.
• Four-star OL Jalen Merrick, of New Smyrna Beach (Fla.), will make the trip after seeing the Florida Gators last weekend. Merrick is quickly rising in the recruiting ranks after a strong summer camp circuit.
• DT Neville Gallimore, a four-star out of Ontario, will also be making his official visit. Gallimore holds offers from most of the major schools in the country. He previously used an official visit at Oklahoma. Recruits are allowed a maximum of five official visits. Ohio State is also a very strong contender for Gallimore.
• Defensive back is a major need for the Seminoles in the 2015 class, as both starters P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby are threats to leave early for the NFL. They'll be welcoming in Travarus McFadden, of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, and Davante Davis, of Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington. McFadden is shaping up to be a major battle between Georgia and Florida State, especially with Georgia's ability to sell early playing time in the SEC, and the chance to be reunited with two teammates from the last class, Sony Michel and Isaiah McKenzie, in Athens. Along with FSU, Davis is strongly considering Miami, Ohio State, Georgia and Florida.