Most Important College Football Recruiting Visits of Week 7

A pair of matchups pitting Top 10 teams against one another highlights the Week 7 slate of college football action.

SEC rivals Alabama and Tennessee will duel in Knoxville, while Wisconsin will host Ohio State in a Big Ten showdown.

Aside from those two marquee clashes, a handful of other games will attract elite recruits into the stands this weekend.

Which visits will fans around the nation be paying close attention to this weekend?

Let's take a look at the most important college football recruiting visits of Week 7.

Florida: 5-Star LB Anthony Hines

Class: 2017  

High School: Plano East High School (Plano, Texas)

Size: 6'3", 225 lbs

Scout.com Ranking: No. 1 inside linebacker; No. 19 overall 

Florida lost an opportunity to have a major recruiting weekend after the postponement of its home game against LSU last week due to the effects of Hurricane Matthew.

However, they will get another shot to make an impression on 5-star linebacker Anthony Hines this weekend, as noted by Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles.

Hines was supposed to visit last weekend, but he will travel to Gainesville to see the Gators take on Missouri.

The nation's top inside linebacker visited Texas A&M last weekend and saw Penn State last month. He has another visit lined up to see Big Ten power Ohio State at the end of the month.

According to Ourlads, the Gators start three seniors at linebacker—which underscores their need for players who could possibly contribute early in their careers.

Getting Hines on campus is a huge step in trying to get in the picture with one of the nation's elite defenders in the 2017 cycle.

Notre Dame: 5-Star OL Foster Sarell

Class: 2017 

High School: Graham Kapowsin High School (Graham, Washington) 

Size: 6'6", 300 lbs 

Scout.com Ranking: No. 1 offensive tackle; No. 2 overall

Notre Dame is in the midst of a tough year as the Irish sit with a 2-4 record with a home date against Stanford on tap for this weekend. 

However, Irish head coach Brian Kelly and his staff are still hard at work building a strong class in the 2017 cycle.

As noted by Sayles, they will host the nation's top offensive tackle in 5-star Foster Sarell this weekend.

Alabama, Nebraska, Stanford and Washington make up the other four programs in his top-five list. The Irish will use this weekend's visit to make a strong push for his services.

"I'm excited to see the Notre Dame game atmosphere," Sarell told Sayles. "I'm excited to meet with the coaches and to see all the guys. This will be a good chance to really see what Notre Dame is all about."

Tennessee: 5-Star CB Lamont Wade

Class: 2017  

High School: Clairton High School (Clairton, Pennsylvania)

Size: 5'10 ½", 180 lbs

Scout.com Ranking: No. 3 corner; No. 17 overall

With a little more than two months remaining until he announces a commitment, the race for 5-star corner Lamont Wade is heating up.

As noted by Sayles, Wade will take his first official visit this weekend to see Tennessee take on top-ranked Alabama.

"[The Volunteers] play Alabama, so I know how the environment's going to be," Wade told Sayles. "There will be a lot of people who are really rowdy. I'm looking forward to getting there and spending time with the coaches and players." 

Last month, Wade took unofficial trips to see in-state schools Penn State and Pittsburgh, as well as Big 12 member West Virginia.

Those three schools, along with Big Ten power Ohio State, are among the programs in the mix with Wade.

However, with the Volunteers getting his first official visit in what will be an electric atmosphere, Wade's recruitment figures to get more hectic after he returns home from Knoxville.

Texas: 5-Star DT Marvin Wilson

Class: 2017 

High School: Episcopal High School (Bellaire, Texas)

Size: 6'4", 329 lbs

Scout.com Ranking: No. 1 defensive tackle; No. 11 overall 

One recruit who is paying close attention to the future of Texas head coach Charlie Strong is in-state 5-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson.

As reported by Horns247, the nation's top interior defensive lineman plans to visit Austin this weekend for the Longhorns' home date against Iowa State.

The 6'4", 329-pounder has caught a pair of Texas A&M games on unofficial visits and used one of his official visits to see Oklahoma last month. He has another trip scheduled to see Ohio State next month.

Alabama, Florida State and LSU are among the other programs chasing after Wilson.

However, if Texas wants to remain in the hunt with him moving forward, this weekend's visit is pivotal in answering any questions he may have about the future of the program.

Wisconsin: 4-Star S Jaylen Kelly-Powell

Class: 2017  

High School: Cass Tech High School (Detroit, Michigan)

Size: 6'0", 180 lbs

Scout.com Ranking: No. 23 safety; No. 269 overall

The Big Ten clash between Ohio State and Wisconsin is one of the marquee matchups of this weekend's slate of games.

With a prime-time matchup on deck, Camp Randall Stadium figures to create an enticing atmosphere for the recruits the Badgers are hosting this weekend.

One such prospect is 4-star safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell.

The Detroit native has already taken officials to Nebraska and Oregon. He also has plans to see Alabama next weekend and Michigan in December.

However, the Badgers will take their best crack at him this weekend in hopes of becoming a bigger factor in his recruitment moving forward.

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

Follow @SanjayKirpalani