Florida Gators: Stanford Cardinal
Peppers should know future school soon 
April, 24, 2013
Apr 24
6:15
PM ET
By
Jared Shanker | ESPN.com
By mid-July, one of the top players in the country will have a pretty good idea as to where he will be playing his college football in 2014.
Paramus (N.J.) Catholic cornerback Jabrill Peppers, No. 2 in the ESPN 150, will visit Stanford in July. Following that trip, he will have his future program in mind.
“Definitely after I visit Stanford I should have it pretty clear where I want to go,” Peppers said.
The five-star cornerback is coming off April trips to LSU, Michigan and Ohio State, and while Peppers did not tip his hand, people close to the dynamic two-way athlete say Michigan has a sizeable lead of those three. He has listed Stanford as his No. 1 for several months and will visit Palo Alto before officially dropping them from the top of his list.
Paramus (N.J.) Catholic cornerback Jabrill Peppers, No. 2 in the ESPN 150, will visit Stanford in July. Following that trip, he will have his future program in mind.
“Definitely after I visit Stanford I should have it pretty clear where I want to go,” Peppers said.
The five-star cornerback is coming off April trips to LSU, Michigan and Ohio State, and while Peppers did not tip his hand, people close to the dynamic two-way athlete say Michigan has a sizeable lead of those three. He has listed Stanford as his No. 1 for several months and will visit Palo Alto before officially dropping them from the top of his list.
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#BlueChipBattles: ESPN 150 release edition
April, 19, 2013
Apr 19
12:49
PM ET
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
Student Sports, ESPN, ESPNSpeedy Noil, Adoree Jackson and Da'Shawn Hand are three of the most coveted recruits in the Class of 2014.Plus, rank the battles in SportsNation.
#TopFBMixtapes: Athlete mixtapes are all the rage in this highlight-crazed era of sports. We reached out to our Twitter followers to find out which 2014 football stars had the best highlight reels on YouTube, then had our staff rank and comment on the top submissions.
Tom Luginbill writes
Watch List safety picks up Georgia offer 
March, 21, 2013
Mar 21
1:41
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By
Radi Nabulsi | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- For most high school players, the end of practice means they get a break from the incessant nagging and ceaseless instruction of their coaches. They go home, eat dinner, study and enjoy the respite until the whistles start blowing next time. For ESPN Watch List safety Quincy Wilson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School), that is not the case.
Wilson’s father is the defensive coordinator and the defensive backs coach at the University School, so Wilson jokes that he gets no respite.
“Oh no, there’s no break, there’s no break,” Wilson said. “Monday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yeah, I get it at practice, before practice, after practice, in the car, at the dinner table ...”
The talented junior laughed about the nonstop instruction but he also credited his father with making him the player he is today -- one of the most coveted safeties in Florida.
Wilson’s father is the defensive coordinator and the defensive backs coach at the University School, so Wilson jokes that he gets no respite.
“Oh no, there’s no break, there’s no break,” Wilson said. “Monday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yeah, I get it at practice, before practice, after practice, in the car, at the dinner table ...”
The talented junior laughed about the nonstop instruction but he also credited his father with making him the player he is today -- one of the most coveted safeties in Florida.
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Todd Kelly Jr. talks about latest visit 
February, 13, 2013
Feb 13
2:59
PM ET
By
Dave Hooker | ESPN.com
Todd Kelly Jr. made his latest college visit a family affair.
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Alex Bars raking in the scholarship offers 
February, 13, 2013
Feb 13
1:30
PM ET
By
Dave Hooker | ESPN.com
Alex Bars' latest list of scholarship offers reads like a who's who of college football.
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Son of NFL TE coach seeing interest as a TE 
January, 30, 2013
Jan 30
11:28
AM ET
By
Chantel Jennings | ESPN.com
Most people would think that being the son of an NFL tight end coach would result in long, laborious, tactical conversations about the position and schemes.
And don’t get it wrong, Watch List wide receiver Austin Roberts (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) has had a few of those conversations with his father, Colts tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts. But more often, the two will talk about the recruiting process, with Alfredo giving advice to his son about how to handle it as a player.
“He was at FAU before he was in the NFL so he’s able to give me the recruiter’s perspectives,” Austin said of his father. “He has been a really big help so far.”
And don’t get it wrong, Watch List wide receiver Austin Roberts (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) has had a few of those conversations with his father, Colts tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts. But more often, the two will talk about the recruiting process, with Alfredo giving advice to his son about how to handle it as a player.
“He was at FAU before he was in the NFL so he’s able to give me the recruiter’s perspectives,” Austin said of his father. “He has been a really big help so far.”
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Jones talks visitors and Feb. OSU visit 
January, 23, 2013
Jan 23
2:29
PM ET
By
Jared Shanker | ESPN.com
WESTMONT, Ill. -- When coaches from Big Ten, Pac-12 or SEC programs fly into Chicago, De La Salle is always one of the first stops on the itinerary. Among the several FBS-level juniors at the school, none is garnering more attention than offensive tackle Jamarco Jones.
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Kelly Jr. releases his first list of finalists 
January, 8, 2013
Jan 8
10:27
PM ET
By
Dave Hooker | ESPN.com
Todd Kelly Jr. released his top 10 Tuesday night.
In a text message to ESPN, the junior safety from Knoxville (Tenn.) Webb stated, "My current top 10 (alphabetical order): Alabama, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Stanford, Tennessee, Southern California, Vanderbilt."
In a text message to ESPN, the junior safety from Knoxville (Tenn.) Webb stated, "My current top 10 (alphabetical order): Alabama, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Stanford, Tennessee, Southern California, Vanderbilt."
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Gators 10th in Way-Too-Early Top 25
January, 8, 2013
Jan 8
1:35
PM ET
By RecruitingNation staff | ESPN.com
Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesAlabama, with three of the past four national titles, is No. 1 in the Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2013.There are still seven months before the start of the 2013 season, and the teams and their order figure to change frequently, but it's never too early to take a look at the Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2013.
And with three national championships in the past four years, there's no reason to change the team that's on top. Florida will have some reloading to do, but is still No. 10.
Also see:
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Class of 2014 prospect Michael O'Connor was one of the top quarterbacks on hand at the Under Armour National Combine on Friday.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound signal-caller, who was born and raised in Canada, is starting to receive college interest from several programs.
As a sophomore at Ashbury College in Ontario, Canada, O'Connor threw for 51 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Impressive numbers, considering he was playing 12-on-12 football. Last season, O'Connor moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., where he played at Baylor high school. After one season at Baylor, O'Connor and his family decided to move to Bradenton, Fla., where will he will play at IMG Academy, an upstart football program.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound signal-caller, who was born and raised in Canada, is starting to receive college interest from several programs.
As a sophomore at Ashbury College in Ontario, Canada, O'Connor threw for 51 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Impressive numbers, considering he was playing 12-on-12 football. Last season, O'Connor moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., where he played at Baylor high school. After one season at Baylor, O'Connor and his family decided to move to Bradenton, Fla., where will he will play at IMG Academy, an upstart football program.
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Smythe talks Stanford, visit plans 
December, 26, 2012
12/26/12
10:44
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By
Sam Khan Jr. | ESPN.com
HOUSTON -- The decision to decommit from Texas wasn't an easy one for Belton (Texas) High School tight end Durham Smythe. But for him, it was the right decision.
Now, as the weeks pass and national signing day approaches, Smythe is weighing all the options in front of him. He has plenty, but he's still in the process of trying to decide where he'll take his remaining official visits. After checking in for the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl -- set for Sunday at Reliant Stadium -- on Wednesday, he discussed all that has been going on since he made his decision.
"The week that I decommitted it was pretty crazy because the dead period was about to start at that point, so toward the end of that week, a lot of coaches and a lot of schools tried to get in contact with me to schedule home visits and stuff like that," Smythe said. "Over the dead period I've been in contact with coaches once a week on Facebook and stuff like that. It's been busy and right now I'm just in a period where I'm evaluating things and I'm trying to pick a couple favorites so I can take official visits there and have a base to compare."
Now, as the weeks pass and national signing day approaches, Smythe is weighing all the options in front of him. He has plenty, but he's still in the process of trying to decide where he'll take his remaining official visits. After checking in for the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl -- set for Sunday at Reliant Stadium -- on Wednesday, he discussed all that has been going on since he made his decision.
"The week that I decommitted it was pretty crazy because the dead period was about to start at that point, so toward the end of that week, a lot of coaches and a lot of schools tried to get in contact with me to schedule home visits and stuff like that," Smythe said. "Over the dead period I've been in contact with coaches once a week on Facebook and stuff like that. It's been busy and right now I'm just in a period where I'm evaluating things and I'm trying to pick a couple favorites so I can take official visits there and have a base to compare."
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Plan B for teams that missed on Parker 
December, 20, 2012
12/20/12
5:05
PM ET
By Adam Finkelstein | ESPN.com
Jabari Parker (Chicago/Simeon) has made his decision, and while Duke is the big winner, that leaves four other schools heartbroken at the altar. So now the question becomes, where do those programs go from here?
Let’s take a look at how they can rebound from losing out on Parker.
Michigan State
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On Thursday, live on ESPNU and WatchESPN at 4 p.m. ET, No. 2 ESPN 100 prospect Jabari Parker (Chicago/Simeon) will end his long recruitment and make his college decision public.
Despite earlier reports that Michigan State and Duke were in the lead, nobody -- not even his father -- seems to know for certain which school Parker will pick from his final five of BYU, Duke, Florida, Michigan State and Stanford.
With the field still seemingly open, here’s a look at the factors each of his finalists has in its favor and why Parker would pick each program.
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Duke vs. Michigan St. for Jabari Parker? 
December, 12, 2012
12/12/12
1:42
PM ET
By
Dave Telep | ESPN.com
Jabari Parker (Chicago/Simeon), the No. 2 overall prospect in the ESPN 100, appears to have reached a verdict. Next Thursday, Dec. 20, we’ll all know his college decision.
For what it’s worth, if the words Stanford, Florida or BYU come out of his mouth, I’d be surprised.
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K Raphael Gaglianone getting his name out 
December, 5, 2012
12/05/12
1:17
PM ET
By
Dave Hooker | ESPN.com
Raphael Gaglianone is taking his recruitment into his own hands.
The kicker from Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor told ESPN that he is sending recent highlights from his junior season to several schools, including Stanford, Southern California, UCLA, Florida and Florida State.
Several other schools have already begun recruiting the 6-foot, 200-pound prospect, including Nebraska, Brigham Young, Duke, Ohio State and LSU. Gaglianone visited Ohio State this fall and said it was the best visit he has taken to any prospective college.
The kicker from Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor told ESPN that he is sending recent highlights from his junior season to several schools, including Stanford, Southern California, UCLA, Florida and Florida State.
Several other schools have already begun recruiting the 6-foot, 200-pound prospect, including Nebraska, Brigham Young, Duke, Ohio State and LSU. Gaglianone visited Ohio State this fall and said it was the best visit he has taken to any prospective college.
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