For the UConn Huskies women’s basketball coaches, this is the season before the season begins.

Home-visit season.

Geno Auriemma and his staff visited Haylen Ayers and her family in Jackson, Tenn., on Wednesday as they zig-zag the country to meet with top players on their home turf. Ayers, who plays at the University School of Jackson, is a 6-foot shooting guard ranked tops at her position and No. 3 overall in the nation by the 247Sports composite.

Ayers posted a photo with Auriemma and staff to her Instagram Story after the visit Wednesday, commenting, “glad to have @uconnwbb in Jackson!!”

Just days ago, they were in Southern California at the home of Kaleena Smith, the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2027 from Ontario Christian High School, near Los Angeles. She is a 5-foot-6 point guard.

Last week, recruit Ivanna Wilson Manyacka greeted the coaches at her home in Maryland. She plays at The Bullis School, the same campus that produced Eric Riebe, who spent last season with the UConn men before transferring to Southern California. She is a 6-1 small forward, also ranked No. 1 at her position and No. 2 overall in the nation.

And the Auriemma entourage also stopped in Michigan last week for a visit with Sydney Savoury, a 6-foot shooting guard at Belleville High School. She is No. 2 at her position, No. 5 overall, per the 247Sports composite.

 Auriemma clearly has his sights set high, recruiting three of the top five players in the nation.

We don’t deal with odds – just facts. And in looking at Auriemma’s recruiting history, UConn has a great shot.

Consider these players No. 1 players brought into the UConn family since 2010:

2024: Sarah Strong
2021: Azzi Fudd
2020: Paige Bueckers
2018: Christyn Williams
2017: Megan Walker
2015: Katie Lou Samuelson
2012: Breanna Stewart
2011: Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis

Before that, Tina Charles (2006) and Maya Moore (2007) were No. 1 players in their classes.

This doesn’t include many blue-chip players who weren’t No. 1 overall but were just a step below. Center Olivia Vukosa. UConn’s top signee in the 2026 class, was ranked No. 1 at her position and No. 4 overall in the nation.

Let’s start with Ayers, who is scheduled for a home visit with Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph and her staff next Wednesday. Ayers’ official visit to UConn is Nov. 6, following an Oct. 24 visit to Vandy, where her mother played (1999-2003). She appears to have narrowed her focus to those two schools.

We’re not positive, but Haylen Ayers and her mom could be the only mother-daughter tandem to accomplish this: win Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Haylen won the award for Tennessee in 2025, repeating what her mother, also a guard, did in 1999.

Her mom then was known as Ashley McElhiney.

Manyacka is also expected to visit the Huskies in November. She already has been to LSU and Texas, with visits to Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Notre Dame and UCLA awaiting, according to ESPN.

Savoury is expected on campus on Oct. 23. She already has visited North Carolina, Texas and USC and has plans to be at Notre Dame on Friday and UCLA on Oct. 30.

And as for Smith, she still has many programs under consideration. Aside from UConn, they are Arizona State, Baylor, Cal, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC and Washington.

Smith’s official visit to UConn is set for Nov. 6, coinciding with Ayers’.

The official early signing period opens Nov. 11 and closes Nov. 18. The next signing period begins April 14.