ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

With his commitment to Stanford Saturday afternoon, ESPN Watch List safety Brandon Simmons (Arlington, Texas/Mansfield Timberview) had Oklahoma fans asking one question: Will he still visit Norman, Okla.?

Simmons had a five-school tour planned from Thursday through Tuesday, and Oklahoma was the last stop on the itinerary. After committing to Stanford on his visit, Simmons said plans for the immediate future have changed.

“I don’t think I’ll be taking that visit now,” Simmons said. “I found everything I wanted [in Stanford].”

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Want to know where Solomon Thomas (Coppell, Texas/Coppell) will end up? Good luck with that.

Truth is, the ESPN Watch List defensive end is wide open with his recruiting process -- and by “wide open,” that doesn’t mean, in this case, that he has a favorite but is keeping it under wraps.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

AUSTIN, Texas -- Justin Stockton has a message he’d like to send to the recruiters still pursuing him: Thanks, but no thanks.

The Cibolo (Texas) Steele running back has been committed to Texas Tech since Jan. 18. Don’t expect his plans to change any time soon.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

HOUSTON -- When it comes to the offseason, Sugar Land (Texas) Fort Bend Austin quarterback Seun Aboderin is leaving no stones unturned.

Whenever he has the chance to compete, he's taking advantage of it.

He did so at the Houston Nike Football SPARQ Combine in February. On Sunday, he went out to the Next Level Athlete South Houston Video Showcase at Houston Kinkaid's Barnhart Stadium to see how he stacked up against the other quarterbacks.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

For ESPN Watch List athlete Christian McCaffrey (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Valor Christian), there’s literally no such thing as an off day. Spring break is included.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Former Michigan offensive lineman commit Denzel Ward (Bradenton, Fla./IMG Academies) was one of the standout linemen at Saturday's Orlando NFTC.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Spring break allowed some players in the Dallas area to do one of two things -- either rest up or make a visit to a school of interest.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

A familiar tune blared from the speakers immediately after Brandon Simmons (Arlington, Texas/Timberview) stepped into his father’s car on Sunday, an indication that the ESPN Watch List safety had just landed yet another scholarship offer.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

ESPN Watch List defensive end Peyton Newell (Hiawatha, Kan./Hiawatha) estimates that he has picked up seven new offers over the last two weeks. His offer list stretches from UCLA to South Carolina and from Texas to Michigan State. Twenty-seven schools so far have extended verbal offers to the 6-foot-3, 270-pound junior, including the Georgia Bulldogs who offered on Wednesday.

“Yesterday I got offers from Georgia and Michigan State on the same day,” Newell said. “So it has been definitely crazy. I think I have gotten an offer from every conference. It is overwhelming and exciting. And I am very blessed to be in the situation that I am in with being able to have my choice on where to go. So I am really excited for next year.”

The Bulldogs’ coaching staff may be the latest offer but Newell has been on Georgia’s radar for a while.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Few players at the Texas Class 5A level can boast about playing varsity football as a freshman. Zach Rogers (Carrollton, Texas/Hebron) was a 14-year-old starter on the offensive line.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Houston Lamar safety John Bonney's trip to Texas for its first junior day of the year started out well.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

MISSOURI CITY, Texas -- For ESPN 150 outside linebacker Deon Hollins Jr., it was important to survey all his options.

Though committed to UCLA since March, the Missouri City (Texas) Marshall star insisted that he take official visits to other schools and ensure that he was making the right choice for his college future.

On Wednesday, Hollins made it official and stuck with the team he has been committed to for more than 10 months: the Bruins.

As expected, the four-star prospect signed his national letter of intent with UCLA on Wednesday morning during a ceremony at Fort Bend ISD's Buddy Hopson Fieldhouse. Hollins, who donned a blue tie and blue shoes for signing day, was one of dozens of athletes in the district making their college choices official.

Hollins, the No. 7 outside linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 103 overall player in the ESPN 150, took official visits to Utah and Notre Dame in January in addition to his UCLA trip.

By time he headed to South Bend, Ind., for his final trip, he was only considering the Bruins and the Fighting Irish. While he enjoyed the Notre Dame trip, the Bruins remained the destination for Hollins for several reasons.

"I think it was for three reasons [that I stuck with UCLA]," Hollins said. "First was the scheme and the fit it will be for me in college. Second was the coaching staff -- a wonderful bunch of guys. Every place I've been, UCLA had the most personable [hard-working] coaches and third was academics. It's UCLA."

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Hollins was undoubtedly one of Greater Houston's best defensive players this season. Playing defensive end in Marshall's 4-3 alignment, he finished the 2012 season with 85 tackles, 42 tackles for loss, 20 sacks and 31 quarterback hurries. He helped lead Marshall to a 13-1 record and an appearance in the Texas Class 4A Division II state quarterfinals. For his efforts, the Houston Touchdown Club named him its Defensive Player of the Year.

“What is the impact of Hollins Jr's decision?”

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

ESPN Watch List cornerback Chris Hardeman (Houston/Alief Taylor) has said on several occasions that he’s a staunch LSU commit. When he picked up the offer and committed in July, he practically shut his recruiting down.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Things are beginning to wind down for Missouri City (Texas) Thurgood Marshall defensive end Deon Hollins Jr.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider