Michigan Wolverines

Holding more than 40 offers, running back Joe Mixon (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) is arguably the most sought-after recruit in the West region. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound, four-star back is the top running back in the West and the No. 135 player in the country. His offer sheet has seemingly grown by the minute this spring, but he isn't in any hurry to narrow it down.

Despite tweeting out a list of 16 programs several weeks ago, Mixon said Sunday that he only did that to highlight the schools recruiting him the hardest, not anything to be taken as a group of finalists.

"I'm still talking to a lot of people," Mixon said. "The recruiting thing has been crazy the past couple of weeks. I've pretty much been taking it well. I talk to them before school, during lunch and after school. I'm not to the stressful part yet, but the hard part has been staying in contact with everybody."

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The RN Top 10 will appear throughout the camp and combine season and rank prospects based strictly on their on-field performance at that particular event. It does not reflect their overall prospect ranking.

ASHBURN, Va. – The East Coast and mid-Atlantic states represented well on Sunday as eight players earned invites to The Opening at the Nike Football Training Camp outside of Washington, D.C. Defense ruled the day, led by two five-star prospects from Virginia.

10. Nick Scott
Fairfax (Va.) Fairfax |RB| 5-11, 180

Scott stood out among a field of backs who were overshadowed by the prospects at nearly every other position. He earned the attention of coaches for his strong play and versatility but missed the MVP award, which went to Vincent Lowe (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield), who also posted the top SPARQ score.

Scott committed to Penn State in February over an offer from Boston College.

ESPN national recruiting analyst Craig Haubert’s take: “He’s got a great frame, and what I like about him as a Penn State verbal, he’s a versatile player. He may not run by you, but he does a good job in route-running.”

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A top 10 has emerged for touted running back Jonathan Hilliman (Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep), and now some separation is starting to take place among those schools.

“The top five has definitely broken apart but not severely far,” Hilliman said. “I’m not counting out the other schools, depending on what they bring to the table -- if it's academics or great environment or great coaching staff.”

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When offer No. 31 came in for Washington (Pa.) running back Shai McKenzie last week, he figured it was time to start cutting his list. It sounds simple, but McKenzie had a harder time when it came to putting pen to paper.

“He struggled to make a list,” Washington coach Mike Bosnic said. “He’s really unsure.”

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SUWANEE, Ga. – Continuing where he left off at the Under Armour All-America Combine, ESPN Watch List offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) had another outstanding performance at the VTOSports Prep 100 Camp Sunday, coming away with OL MVP honors after winning 1-on-1 battles against ESPN Watch List linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams (Ellenwood, Ga./Cedar Grove) and 2015 standout D’Andre Walker (Fairburn, Ga./Langston Hughes).

The 6-foot-8, 345-pound lineman recently narrowed his extensive list of offers to a top seven, and he discussed what stands out about each of them.

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WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The building sits no more than a mile from the highway, but the short distance between Washington High School and Interstate 70 provides insight into a community hurting to hold onto its proud traditions.

The severe coal mining decline in Western Pennsylvania hit the blue-collar community hard, and Jefferson Avenue, the state highway between the school and interstate, is lined with several struggling or boarded up businesses.

“We’re kind of a downtrodden community,” Mike Bosnic said. “A lot of the businesses have packed up and left. But we’re one of those coal towns where football still means a lot.”

So when Shai McKenzie quit the football team for a 24-hour period during his freshman season in 2010, he had an entire town to make it up to.

“You can’t really quit on your teammates and community,” McKenzie said.

In the two years since, the 2014 running back has become one of Pennsylvania’s best players. As a junior, he rushed for 2,689 yards and 42 touchdowns and the likes of Arkansas, Michigan, Tennessee and Wisconsin highlight his 22 offers.

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Quarterback David Cornwell (Jones, Okla./Jones) came out of nowhere to have an exceptional junior season and is now unquestionably one of the top in-state prospects for the Class of 2014.

Problem is, though, neither Oklahoma nor in-state power Oklahoma State have shown much interest. Cornwell camped at OU and had good contact with former OSU quarterbacks coach Todd Monken.

With Monken’s departure to become the Southern Mississippi head coach combined with little interest from OU quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel thus far, right now it looks like one of the state’s best prospects will have to look elsewhere.

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Devon Allen (Phoenix/Brophy Prep) knows it’s time to start narrowing things down.

The three-star receiver has trimmed his list of favorite schools down to 15, and he plans to take five unofficial visits later this month.

Allen told HornsNation his top 15 are, in no particular order: Arkansas, Arizona State, California, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, USC and Washington.

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BRADENTON, Fla. – ESPN 150 athlete Alvin Bailey (Seffner, Fla./Armwood) just wrapped up a trip of schools that included visits to Notre Dame, Michigan and Clemson. The 6-foot, 175-pound junior described what he liked about each program.

Notre Dame: “It’s a very tradition-oriented school. I saw a lot of religious people walking around there, like a lot of nuns and other people involved with the church. Overall it was a laid-back place, though. Everyone was happy. I met with the academic advisor and he was great. He laid out everything for me and it’s a school with great academics and great athletics."

Michigan: “As soon as we got into town we could see the JumboTron with the big M and the stadium. And it’s the biggest stadium I’ve ever stepped foot in. I took a picture next to the JumboTron and then went inside talked to the coaches. The coaches were a lot of fun and I saw some of the facilities, like the weight room and stuff, before meeting with the academic advisor."

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Few football players – regardless of classification – have the combination of offers that 2014 cornerback Nick Watkins (Dallas/Bishop Dunne) holds.

Alabama. LSU. Ohio State. Arkansas. Michigan. Georgia. Just a few of the programs that Watkins will have the opportunity to choose from when it’s his time to commit.

Watkins added Oklahoma on Friday, upping his list of offers to 11. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound cornerback picked up an offer from Notre Dame on Thursday. LSU and Georgia offered on Wednesday.

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Ethan Pocic does not say much. He is not a fan of talking about himself. He would rather let his play on the field do that for him.

And now he will let his new five-star ranking do the same -- reluctantly, of course.

“I guess just because all the hard work put in something good comes out,” Pocic said if he looked at the ranking as an accomplishment, “but I’m still level-headed. I don’t let it get to me.”

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