Caleb Kelly Sets Official Visits: Which Team Has Best Chance to Land 5-Star?

The race to land 5-star linebacker Caleb Kelly is beginning to take shape, as the stud California defender announced Wednesday that he’s set all five of his official visits.

Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas will all get a crack to host the nation’s No. 2 outside linebacker and No. 17 player overall in the 2016 cycle.

The 6’3”, 215-pounder already visited Michigan and Oklahoma in the offseason. However, with his fall agenda now in focus, which program currently has the inside track on landing one of the nation’s top defenders?

The Wolverines and the Sooners appear to be the two teams that have grabbed Kelly’s interest from the beginning of his recruitment, as detailed by Bleacher Report’s Damon Sayles.

"I know Michigan will probably be in there, and Oklahoma because they've been there for forever," Kelly told Sayles. "But there are a lot of schools that I haven't had a chance to visit. I'm going to Notre Dame hopefully soon. I want to go to a few places before the end of the summer."

Of those two, Oklahoma seems to have the most buzz with Kelly for a couple of reasons. For starters, as Sayles detailed, Sooners head coach Bob Stoops gave Kelly his first offer.

Additionally, Stoops and his staff have recruited the state of California aggressively and with a good amount of success. Since 2012, the Sooners have signed 15 players from the Golden State and have 4-star linebacker Bryce Youngquist already committed in the current cycle.

Class Year	Signees from California
2012	4
2013	4
2014	6
2015	1
2016	1*

Included in the pipeline of California standouts heading to Norman are fellow Fresno natives in receiver Michiah Quick and safety Hatari Byrd, as detailed by Ryan Bartow of 247Sports.

Playing time also appears to be something that could work in the Sooners' favor. As detailed by Ourlads, five of the Sooners' top eight linebackers are upperclassmen.

With Michigan, new Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff made a strong impression on Kelly when he visited Ann Arbor back in March, according to Steve Lorenz of Wolverine247.

"

What I liked is that the coaches weren't about themselves. They were laughing and joking and having a really good time. They're funny guys. You can tell they've worked with each other before and know each other really well. I wondered what it would be like around them because they've been in the NFL, but you can tell they all love being there and are glad they are at Michigan. When it's time to get serious with the players and at practice, they flip the switch on and get to work, but they have fun doing it.

"

Of the other trio of suitors he will visit, Notre Dame—which gets the last crack at Kelly on Dec. 11—may have the best chance to make a move on him.

As Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports notes, the Irish will finally get him on campus after planned trips in the summer fell through.

While both the Irish and the Wolverines have a chance to wow Kelly on his visits, it’s the Sooners who have the edge heading into the stretch run of his recruitment.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani