ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

Christian Kirk has always been ahead of schedule.

This spring, the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro sophomore went toe-to-toe with the West region's top juniors on the field and on the recruiting trail. But that's nothing new for the 5-foot-10, 190-pound wide receiver.

Kirk began playing football at 5 years old, but don't tell that to the administrators of the league he played for.

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If you know ESPN 150 offensive tackle Roderick Johnson (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central), then you know that nothing tends to bother him. Not the stress of being the No. 2 player in the state of Missouri. Not being a four-star athlete.

Not even his recruiting process -- one that seems to remix every day.

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Brandon Harris must feel like he's going through a tryout camp.

The 2014 quarterback from Bossier City, La.'s Parkway High has had coaches coming by his school all week to either watch him throw individually or to watch his team practice.

The week has worked out well for him so far. After a good workout in front of a group of teams led by Ohio State on Monday, Harris said he's been seen by Texas A&M, Tennessee, Baylor, South Florida and Louisiana Tech. Those workouts have yielded a new development in his recruiting process.

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Four-star defensive tackle Josh Frazier (Springdale, Ark./Har-Ber) isn't worried about making a rushed decision regarding his college football future. Recruiting for Frazier, to an extent, is taking a back seat until after May 23 -- the last day of spring football for his school.

Spring ball, however, could lead to a variety of options for the No. 2 player in Arkansas, as it offers Frazier -- a player with nine offers -- the chance to attract even more programs. At 6-foot-4 and 336 pounds, Frazier has offers from SEC schools Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia and Texas A&M, in addition to Florida State, Notre Dame, USC and Arkansas State.

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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.

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The Twitter account for Myles Garrett (Arlington, Texas/Martin) tells half truth.

Garrett’s bio reads, “The big silly guy who plays football? Yea thats me,” and those who know Garrett know he enjoys to laugh and joke around. What the Twitter page doesn’t tell is just how athletically gifted the ESPN Watch List defensive end is. In fact, in addition to being the silly guy, friends have a nickname for him that seems to fit.

“They call me Superman,” Garrett said. “I guess it’s cool. It makes me laugh.”

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DUNCANVILLE, Texas -- Speed might best define ESPN Watch List wide receiver K.D. Cannon (Mount Pleasant, Texas/Mount Pleasant). His hands might be a close second. His outstanding 4.37-second 40-yard dash time and his 104 catches for 1,597 yards and 25 touchdowns support that.

What Cannon has been recently working on is how to overcome size mismatches against larger defenders in the secondary. At 6-foot-0 and 170 pounds, he knows that at the next level he will go up against cornerbacks and safeties who are 15 or 20 pounds heavier -- and just as quick.

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Less than a month ago, Dylan Thompson (Lombard, Ill./Montini Catholic) believed his recruitment would not go on much longer. He expected a few more offers and then a spring or early summer decision.

Now, the talented defensive lineman will delay it as long as possible.

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Watch List offensive tackle Andy Bauer (St. Louis/De Smet) works hard for everything he gets, but he doesn’t ask for much in return. There are only a couple of things he wants before he graduates next year.

A state championship would be nice. All-state recognition would serve as an added bonus. A college scholarship also would be a dream come true -- even though, with a list nearing 40 offers, that dream will become a reality in time.

One thing that Bauer has wanted is an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-America Game, and on Tuesday, the 6-foot-6, 304-pound tackle had his wish granted. Bauer received the invitation and happily accepted, and he’ll be a part of the 2014 edition of the prestigious all-star game.

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Thad Matta and Urban Meyer think alike. Now, the two Ohio State coaches are both going after one of the premier sophomores in the nation.

The proof comes in the form of 2015 shooting guard/running back Soso Jamabo (Plano, Texas/Plano West), who is anything but so-so on both the basketball court and football field.

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It won’t be much of a break for Braden Smith (Olathe, Kan./Olathe) in a few weeks.

Then again, one of the most sought-after offensive guards in the nation wants to make sure he’s making the right choice when it comes to colleges.

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PLANO, Texas -- Cameron Westbrook (Edmond, Okla./Santa Fe) is a competitor, and he’ll be the first to say that publicly. Being a competitor makes Westbrook, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound running back, want to use last season as motivation. It also helped to make the time of Sunday’s 3 ½-hour drive from Edmond to Plano, Texas, speed by a little quicker.

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ESPN Watch List offensive tackle Roderick Johnson (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) is up to eight offers – four from the Big Ten, three from the SEC and one from the ACC. The spring could be the perfect time for Johnson’s recruiting to see a major spike.

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As ESPN Watch List offensive tackle Andy Bauer (St. Louis/ De Smet) creeps up on 40 offers, he is reminded of two important yet unofficial rules to the recruiting game.

Network, first of all; and second, have fun.

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