USC Trojans: Florida Gators
Heading into the spring, it was difficult to imagine any duo in the West region stealing the recruiting spotlight from Gardena (Calif.) Serra's Adoree' Jackson and Dwight Williams. And while the five-star cornerback and four-star linebacker still rank as two of the more highly-recruited players in the country, some of the buzz has shifted to another set of teammates in Southern California. You won't hear much complaining from Jackson and Williams, however, as they share a locker room with the new dynamic duo.
Outside linebacker John Houston and defensive end Rasheem Green -- stars of the 2015 recruiting class -- didn't step into the recruiting process this spring; they dove in. For both, it was outstanding performances at the Los Angeles Nike Camp that catapulted them onto the radars of college coaches. UCLA offered both shortly after the event and they have been on a roll since then.
Outside linebacker John Houston and defensive end Rasheem Green -- stars of the 2015 recruiting class -- didn't step into the recruiting process this spring; they dove in. For both, it was outstanding performances at the Los Angeles Nike Camp that catapulted them onto the radars of college coaches. UCLA offered both shortly after the event and they have been on a roll since then.
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Now that spring ball has started, ESPN 150 defensive tackle Gerald Willis III has been inundated with interest from college recruiters visiting New Orleans Edna Karr High School. He expected that.
That’s why, even if he’s comfortable with naming his top four schools, his list remains a fluid one. New schools are working hard to get in the mix, and Willis is ready to hit the road for more visits this summer.
That’s why, even if he’s comfortable with naming his top four schools, his list remains a fluid one. New schools are working hard to get in the mix, and Willis is ready to hit the road for more visits this summer.
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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."
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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BRADENTON, Fla. -- The nation's top receiver was on display at the IMG Academies over the weekend.
Ermon Lane (Homestead, Fla./Homestead) lived up to his billing throughout the 7-on-7 tournament, making plays all over the field and showing why he has an extensive offer list.
One new school of interest, USC, has made an impact with its recent offer.
Ermon Lane (Homestead, Fla./Homestead) lived up to his billing throughout the 7-on-7 tournament, making plays all over the field and showing why he has an extensive offer list.
One new school of interest, USC, has made an impact with its recent offer.
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LB Garrett visits Bama, receives offer 
April, 19, 2013
Apr 19
1:21
PM PT
By
Greg Ostendorf | ESPN.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Clifton Garrett (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield) had never been to the University of Alabama. He’d never even been in the state of Alabama. On Friday, the ESPN 150 linebacker made a stop in Tuscaloosa on his way to LSU for the Tigers’ spring game.
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#BlueChipBattles: ESPN 150 release edition
April, 19, 2013
Apr 19
9:49
AM PT
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.
: RecruitingNation summoned its writers from around the country to outline the recruiting battles for the ESPN 150's top 10 prospects.
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
: After talking to many coaches across the country and hearing their frustrations, here are their five biggest complaints about homemade highlight videos.
ESPN Watch List offensive guard D.J. Foster (Lincoln, Neb./Southeast) has been laying low in recent weeks, focusing on improving as a player and taking a closer look at the options he currently has.
A player knocking on double-digit offers, Foster said he doesn’t have plans on making an immediate decision regarding his college future. Foster has offers from Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Iowa, Iowa State and Nebraska, among others, and he said other top programs are showing heavy interest.
A player knocking on double-digit offers, Foster said he doesn’t have plans on making an immediate decision regarding his college future. Foster has offers from Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Iowa, Iowa State and Nebraska, among others, and he said other top programs are showing heavy interest.
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ATH Speedy Noil breaks down his top four
April, 16, 2013
Apr 16
12:21
PM PT
By
Greg Ostendorf | ESPN.com
BUFORD, Ga. -- ESPN Watch List athlete Speedy Noil (New Orleans/Edna Karr) earned his invitation to The Opening back in February at the New Orleans SPARQ Combine. That didn’t stop him from attending the Atlanta NFTC on Saturday.
Noil didn’t go to participate in the camp. He went to support his teammate, defensive end Gerald Willis III. After a strong performance in Atlanta, Willis will be joining Noil in Oregon for The Opening. He received his invite on Saturday.
Although he didn’t work out, Noil did talk about recruiting and his top four -- LSU, Texas A&M, Florida and USC.
Noil didn’t go to participate in the camp. He went to support his teammate, defensive end Gerald Willis III. After a strong performance in Atlanta, Willis will be joining Noil in Oregon for The Opening. He received his invite on Saturday.
Although he didn’t work out, Noil did talk about recruiting and his top four -- LSU, Texas A&M, Florida and USC.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN Watch List running back Dalvin Cook (Miami/Central) flipped his commitment from Clemson to Florida on Saturday after visiting the Gators for their annual spring game. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back left the spring game and said Florida was tied with Clemson for the lead, but after having lunch with his family, he decided to go ahead and make the switch.
"I flipped to Florida," Cook said. "I felt that Florida would be the best place for me to spend the next three or four years. It wasn't just a quick decision. Me and my family have thought about it. We came up last week and had a good experience then I came up this weekend and it was even better."
Cook said he enjoyed watching Florida's running backs during the spring scrimmage and feels like he could fit in with what they are doing offensively.
"Coach [Will Muschamp] told me they are going to give the back the ball and they really proved that," Cook said. "They gave the back the ball, they gave KT [Kelvin Taylor] the ball a lot. I liked that. I actually saw them get after it, It was great seeing that. Coach told me that they didn't have the type of back that I am and that I could come in and be that guy."
USC is another school that Cook has talked about potentially visiting, but now he said he's not so sure he will take that visit.
"Probably not," Cook said. "I'm pretty firm in my decision. I'm going to Florida."
For Florida, the Gators now have nine commits, including eight that are listed in the ESPN Watch List.
"I flipped to Florida," Cook said. "I felt that Florida would be the best place for me to spend the next three or four years. It wasn't just a quick decision. Me and my family have thought about it. We came up last week and had a good experience then I came up this weekend and it was even better."
Cook said he enjoyed watching Florida's running backs during the spring scrimmage and feels like he could fit in with what they are doing offensively.
USC is another school that Cook has talked about potentially visiting, but now he said he's not so sure he will take that visit.
"Probably not," Cook said. "I'm pretty firm in my decision. I'm going to Florida."
For Florida, the Gators now have nine commits, including eight that are listed in the ESPN Watch List.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN Watch List running back Dalvin Cook (Miami/Northwestern), a Clemson verbal commitment, took in Florida's annual spring game on Saturday. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back said he was impressed with what he saw from the offense, specifically how many times the running backs carried the ball.
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AUSTIN, Texas – Tony Brown simply makes it look easy.
The ESPN Watch List cornerback from Beaumont (Texas) Ozen did it again last Saturday at Texas Relays, blowing away the field in the 110-meter hurdles and reminding everyone why recruiting is one of the last things on his mind right now.
Brown entered the meet ranked No. 1 nationally in the event. Then he put up a blazing time of 13.38 seconds in the finals to establish a new Texas Relays record.
The ESPN Watch List cornerback from Beaumont (Texas) Ozen did it again last Saturday at Texas Relays, blowing away the field in the 110-meter hurdles and reminding everyone why recruiting is one of the last things on his mind right now.
Brown entered the meet ranked No. 1 nationally in the event. Then he put up a blazing time of 13.38 seconds in the finals to establish a new Texas Relays record.
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Top LB Williams still waiting for USC offer
April, 4, 2013
Apr 4
7:00
AM PT
By
Blair Angulo | ESPN.com
Last fall, ESPN Watch List linebacker Dwight Williams (Gardena, Calif./Serra) would have strongly considered committing to USC on the spot if he were to land a scholarship offer. He had plenty of other options, but Williams was a frequent visitor at Trojans home games throughout the season and USC had always been the program he had his eyes on.
Fast-forward a few months and USC has yet to extend an offer to arguably one of the top prospects in the area. Now Williams, the two-time linebacker MVP at the Los Angeles Nike Football Training Camp, is thoroughly feeling out the process. His mindset has changed completely as schools from all corners of the country have turned up their pursuit.
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Tales From the Road spotlights players who stand out to RecruitingNation writers at camps, combines and various events. Here is a look at a few Southeast prospects who recently performed at a high level:
Linebacker Raekwon McMillan
2014/Hinesville (Ga.) Liberty County/6-foot-2, 249 pounds
Considering: More than 40 offers; top two of Clemson and Ohio State; also considering Alabama, Florida, UGA.
Linebacker Raekwon McMillan
2014/Hinesville (Ga.) Liberty County/6-foot-2, 249 pounds
Considering: More than 40 offers; top two of Clemson and Ohio State; also considering Alabama, Florida, UGA.
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Bama only definite visit for top juco OT
April, 2, 2013
Apr 2
6:11
PM PT
By
Jared Shanker | ESPN.com
Being the champs has its benefits, especially when it comes to impressing recruits.
One of the country’s top junior college offensive tackles, Jermaine Eluemunor (Scranton, Pa./Lackawanna College) was planning several trips and set official visits to Ohio State and Texas A&M, but now the only trip for certain is a visit to Alabama in mid-July.
One of the country’s top junior college offensive tackles, Jermaine Eluemunor (Scranton, Pa./Lackawanna College) was planning several trips and set official visits to Ohio State and Texas A&M, but now the only trip for certain is a visit to Alabama in mid-July.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Two months ago, ESPN Watch List prospect Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty County) felt pretty confident in his top two programs, but a recent trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., has clouded the picture for one of the most coveted linebackers in the country.
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ABOUT WE ARE SC
Garry Paskwietz
Garry Paskwietz is the publisher and founder of WeAreSC.com and has covered the Trojans since 1997. Send him an email at garry@wearesc.com.
Blair Angulo
Blair Angulo covers USC Trojans recruiting. He joined ESPNLA.com in 2010 and also interned at the Los Angeles Daily News. Email him at blair.angulo@gmail.com.