B/R Recruiting Notebook: 5-Star CB Darnay Holmes Has 2 Official Visits in Mind

Recruiting for members of the 2017 college football class is beginning to see its turn of events. More athletes are setting their summer visit schedules, and a handful of players are finalizing official visits for the fall and winter seasons.

Here are the latest updates from some of the nation's top athletes in the 2017 class:

5-Star CB Holmes to Take 2 B1G Official Visits

Look for Big Ten country to host Calabasas, California, 5-star cornerback Darnay Holmes at least twice in the fall. Holmes told Bleacher Report that two of his official visits will be Ohio State and Michigan.

It's fitting that one of college football's most active rivalries will include a fight for the nation's No. 1 cornerback and No. 8 overall player in the 2017 class.

"Ohio State's been there for me. Michigan's in it now," Holmes said. "Ohio State is definitely my type of school. I've been there three times, and I always have a great time. I like how they produce NFL draft picks every year and the great things going on there. I also like the coaches and the great environment.

Credit: Student Sports

"Michigan's getting my best friend David Long up there. Coach [Jim] Harbaugh is a great guy; I'll talk to him here and there. Plus, I like what they're doing with Jordan Brand. I'm taking an official visit to see what they have going on there."

Holmes added he also may take an official visit to Miami, a school that's intrigued him for a few years.

"My cousin [Desean Holmes] said they have a great receiver coach [Ron Dugans]. Plus, the new head coach [Mark Richt] seems like a great guy," Holmes said. "Since I was a kid, I've always like the Ed Reed and Ray Lewis eras. Miami's a place I'm interested in seeing."

This summer, Holmes said he's looking at unofficial visits to Oregon and Washington. He also said he is considering attending a camp at Ohio State. Holmes will compete at The Opening in July in Beaverton, Oregon.

Two Primary Targets for New LSU Pledge Deculus

Cypress, Texas, 4-star offensive tackle Austin Deculus ended his recruiting process Friday evening by verbally committing to LSU over offers from Michigan, Tennessee and others. Deculus said he isn't wasting any time in trying to recruit elite uncommitted targets to join him in the 2017 class.

For the immediate future, Deculus said he has his eyes on recruiting two top-15 players in Marvin Wilson, the nation's top-ranked defensive tackle, and Cam Akers, the nation's No. 2 running back.

LSU moved into the top 10 of 247Sports' composite team recruiting rankings with the help of Deculus' commitment. The Tigers could make a huge jump in the rankings by landing either Wilson or Akers—or both.

"Having Marvin commit will put the two most dominant interior defensive linemen next to each other to feed off each other and destroy other teams," said Deculus, who hopes Wilson can team with LSU commit Tyler Shelvin, the nation's No. 2 defensive tackle.

"Cam is another freak of an offensive player, and having him run behind the holes me and Edward Ingram create would make those two players the pieces of the puzzle to build a legacy along with the past recruiting class."

4-Star Kelly-Powell Likes Michigan...and Others

Damon Sayles/Bleacher Report

Detroit 4-star defensive back Jaylen Kelly-Powell has heard that his college future ultimately runs through Ann Arbor, Michigan, and with the Michigan Wolverines. Kelly-Powell reconfirmed his recruitment status Sunday and asked for one simple request: When it comes to his recruiting process, never assume anything.

"Personally, I'm open to every school," Kelly-Powell said. "It's OK if that's what people think, but I'm going to tell you that I'm still open to every school...because I am."

Kelly-Powell, a safety who can cover like a shutdown cornerback, has made recent unofficial visits to Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Florida State, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio State, USC and UCLA. Kelly-Powell said he doesn't have any major summer plans as of yet, but he would like to visit Oregon.

With 39 offers, Kelly-Powell said he's been chatting with coaches and weighing all options to see where he fits best. A place with a quality degree is important to him.

"There's no such thing as a bad education, but there is such a thing as an elite education," Kelly-Powell said. "I'm looking for a great education. I know that you can't play football forever, so I want to have a good degree to fall back on. I'm also looking for a place with good people and a good environment."

Visits Coming for Rising 3-Star CB Johnson

It's safe to say Fresno, California, 3-star cornerback Jaylon Johnson had a good day Sunday at The Opening Oakland. Johnson has nine reported offers, but his recruiting stock could rise after Sunday's performance.

Johnson has offers from USC, Oklahoma, Cal, Florida and other programs. He told Bleacher Report's Sanjay Kirpalani that he recently took an unofficial visit to USC but doesn't have any major plans for set visits yet.

"I am in the process of lining up some visits in the next few months," Johnson said. "I want to go to some of the out-of-state schools I'm interested in. I just don't know [the visits] yet."

Johnson told Kirpalani that, as a California athlete, he'd like to hear from Big 12 schools Baylor and TCU, as well as SEC power LSU. He's looking for a school that produces quality defensive backs each year.

The X-factor in his recruiting process, however, could be academics. He told Kirpalani that he wants to open up his own business, possibly a sports training facility.

Look for Johnson to not only focus on being a standout defensive back but to also continue to improve as a student-athlete. He has plans of giving his already respectable grade-point average an 11th-hour boost.

"At the moment, it's a 3.5," he said of his GPA. "I'm trying to get it to 3.8 by the end of the semester."

DeeJay Dallas to Miami...Who's Next?

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M.I.A.M.I I rep that 3-0-5 pic.twitter.com/sTaUhvVjTj

— DeeJay Dallas (@Deejaydallas5) May 21, 2016"

With 4-star Brunswick, Georgia, athlete DeeJay Dallas' commitment to Miami on Saturday, the Hurricanes moved to No. 3 in 247Sports' composite team recruiting rankings. Miami holds a narrow lead over Alabama and is trailing Ohio State and Oklahoma.

The Hurricanes have 15 hard commitments and still have room to add elite-caliber players. Among the guys head coach Mark Richt is targeting are linebacker De'Andre Wilder, defensive end Jarez Parks and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy—all 4-star athletes.

Another 4-star player to keep an eye on is Fort Lauderdale, Florida, offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herbert. Per 247Sports' Crystal Ball projections Florida is believed to be a front-runner in the race for Herbert, but he recently spoke with Nate Adelson of 247Sports about Miami's program, which includes head coach Mark Richt and offensive line coach Stacy Searels, two coaches who have been recruiting Herbert.

"Coach Searels and Coach Richt say I'm wanted but also that I'm a priority for them," Herbert told Adelson. "They've communicated very clearly how big their need is at tackle. The job would be there for me to go at as soon as I would get on campus. Of course I need to earn it, they don't hand it off, but the opportunity exists to grab that starting spot."

Miami has nine offensive commits, four defensive pledges and two commits classified as athletes.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon on Twitter: @DamonSayles.