On The Trail: Priest Willis
No. 5 S Willis is decided, won't sign yet 
February, 6, 2013
Feb 6
1:40
PM ET
By
Erik McKinney | ESPN.com
When ESPN 150 safety Priest Willis (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos De Niza) announced that he would not sign with a school on Wednesday, speculation began immediately that the nation's No. 5 safety was rethinking his UCLA pledge and eventually could find his way to LSU.
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It looked as though the UCLA Bruins were on track to close the gap on the USC Trojans for the top recruiting class in the Pac-12, thanks to some late verbal commitments. But now it appears Jim Mora's program might need to do so without its top-rated commitment.
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- The worst-kept secret in town about four-star linebacker Duke Riley became official with one, very excited tweet from Riley's"1Goal1Dream" Twitter account Wednesday night.
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ACC
Clemson
Kyrin Priester WR Snellville, Ga./Brookwood
HT: 6-1 WT: 181
Position Rank: #20 WR
Clemson
Kyrin Priester WR Snellville, Ga./Brookwood
HT: 6-1 WT: 181
Position Rank: #20 WR
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- With signing day looming, LSU is looking to sway some heavily recruited defensive talent this weekend as three players holding multiple SEC offers are scheduled to visit.
ESPN 150 defensive end Tashawn Bower (Somerville, N.J./Immaculata), an Auburn commit who has been taking visits to other schools, highlights a trio of uncommitted defensive players coming to Baton Rouge.
ESPN 150 defensive end Tashawn Bower (Somerville, N.J./Immaculata), an Auburn commit who has been taking visits to other schools, highlights a trio of uncommitted defensive players coming to Baton Rouge.
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Scouts: Safeties Willis, Goodman to UCLA
January, 24, 2013
Jan 24
10:14
AM ET
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
The Bruins are certainly on a recruiting roll with the focus on the secondary as of late, which was a major need for this class that is sliding up the rankings heading into National Signing Day.
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Good news keeps rolling in for a UCLA coaching staff that has been on a recruiting tear of late.
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RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. -- After originally planning to announce his commitment on signing day, Tahaan Goodman (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) decided he couldn’t wait any longer. The nation’s No. 108 overall recruit and No. 9 safety knew he’d made up his mind, so after school on Wednesday, he announced publicly his decision to commit to UCLA.
The 6-foot-2, 184-pound safety finished his senior season with 59 tackles, two interceptions, one sack and nine rushing touchdowns. He is the No. 11 overall player in California and the state’s No. 2 safety.
With Goodman in the fold, the Bruins =hold verbal commitments from six ESPN 300 prospects, including two in the ESPN 150.
Good friend and fellow four-star safety Priest Willis (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos De Niza) is expected to announce his decision at 7 p.m. MT on Wednesday. The two have long said they will be a package deal, so more good news could be on the way for the Bruins.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- With national signing day two weeks away, LSU is close to the finish line, but the Tigers still have some big names they are after:
Team needs: LSU was decimated on the defensive line by graduation and early NFL draft entrees.
The Tigers will be without six of the nine defensive linemen who played the majority of the snaps, including three potential first-round NFL draft picks, led by lightning-quick speed-rushing end Barkevious Mingo.
Team needs: LSU was decimated on the defensive line by graduation and early NFL draft entrees.
The Tigers will be without six of the nine defensive linemen who played the majority of the snaps, including three potential first-round NFL draft picks, led by lightning-quick speed-rushing end Barkevious Mingo.
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- ESPN 150 safety Tahaan Goodman (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) was scheduled to visit LSU over the weekend, but a conflict in the schedule forced him to postpone it.
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Four-star S Willis eyes final official
December, 30, 2012
12/30/12
3:04
PM ET
By
Corey Dowlar | ESPN.com
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With four officials already done, Priest Willis (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos De Niza) is trying to figure out his fifth and final trip in the next couple of weeks.
Three schools, all from the Pac-12 Conference, are in the mix.
"I have one more left, but I still have to decide which one I am going to take," he said today while at Under Armour All-America Game registration at Disney's Yacht Club Resort. "It is going to be either ASU, UCLA or Washington."
Three schools, all from the Pac-12 Conference, are in the mix.
"I have one more left, but I still have to decide which one I am going to take," he said today while at Under Armour All-America Game registration at Disney's Yacht Club Resort. "It is going to be either ASU, UCLA or Washington."
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What if ... USC had more scholarships?
December, 7, 2012
12/07/12
9:24
AM ET
By
Blair Angulo | ESPN.com
There have been many hypothetical questions surrounding the USC Trojans. What if senior center Khaled Holmes had been healthy for the Stanford game? What if Matt Barkley had spiked the ball in the last-minute drive at Arizona? What if USC made an adjustment or two against the vaunted Oregon offense?
In the end, there were too many questionable moments this season for a team that couldn't afford any. Now, with the Trojans preparing for the Sun Bowl, recruiting fans have found themselves asking another question.
What if USC had more scholarships to give out?
In the end, there were too many questionable moments this season for a team that couldn't afford any. Now, with the Trojans preparing for the Sun Bowl, recruiting fans have found themselves asking another question.
What if USC had more scholarships to give out?
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It was a big weekend for UCLA on the field and on the recruiting trail.
The Bruins earned a big win over the USC Trojans on Saturday, and collected two verbal commitments over the weekend as well. The 2013 class added another terrific athlete in Darren Andrews (La Puente, Calif./Bishop Amat) who decommitted from Duke before giving his pledge to the UCLA staff. And the 2014 class saw its first member, with the commitment of wide receiver Jeff Farrar (Upland, Calif./Upland). Things could have hardly gone better for the Bruins, as they made a strong impression on many uncommitted ESPN 300 standouts, including safety Priest Willis (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos De Niza), safety Tahaan Goodman (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga), cornerback Johnny Johnson (Fresno, Calif./Central) and defensive end Joe Mathis (Upland, Calif./Upland). Goodman and his mother met at length with the UCLA coaches on Sunday, and the Bruins will have a chance to close very strong with the defensive backfield in this class.
The Bruins earned a big win over the USC Trojans on Saturday, and collected two verbal commitments over the weekend as well. The 2013 class added another terrific athlete in Darren Andrews (La Puente, Calif./Bishop Amat) who decommitted from Duke before giving his pledge to the UCLA staff. And the 2014 class saw its first member, with the commitment of wide receiver Jeff Farrar (Upland, Calif./Upland). Things could have hardly gone better for the Bruins, as they made a strong impression on many uncommitted ESPN 300 standouts, including safety Priest Willis (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos De Niza), safety Tahaan Goodman (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga), cornerback Johnny Johnson (Fresno, Calif./Central) and defensive end Joe Mathis (Upland, Calif./Upland). Goodman and his mother met at length with the UCLA coaches on Sunday, and the Bruins will have a chance to close very strong with the defensive backfield in this class.
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#BlueChipBattles: Nov. 16
November, 16, 2012
11/16/12
12:13
PM ET
By RecruitingNation staff | ESPN.com
ESPN.comUncommitted 2013 running backs Alvin Kamara and Derrick Green.ESPN 100 running backs Alvin Kamara and Derrick Green can score from anywhere on the field thanks to their breakaway speed, an attribute that makes them very attractive recruits to the Oregon Ducks. Oregon's pursuit of the duo headlines this week’s #BlueChipBattles.
Click through for our list to rank the top 10 recruiting battles
.2014 CB Dominique Fenstermacher earns attention
November, 15, 2012
11/15/12
9:46
PM ET
By
Erik McKinney | ESPN.com
Despite receiving a scholarship offer after the second game of his junior season, cornerback Dominique Fenstermacher (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos De Niza) has largely been shielded from the recruiting process. Even that offer, from Arizona, didn't come directly from the Wildcats' coaches.
"It was a letter, and my mom actually got it," he said. "She called me because I was on the way to the Arizona game. She was pretty calm about it, for the most part. But it was really random, so I asked her if she was sure she knew what she was talking about."
As it turns out, his mother did know what she was talking about, and so did the Arizona coaches, as Fenstermacher went on to put together a tremendous junior year. Heading into a semifinal game against Tucson (Ariz.) Ironwood Ridge, he has 43 tackles, one sack and 14 passes defensed. Fenstermacher also played a big role in getting the Padres to this point in the playoffs, as he registered three interceptions -- doubling his season total -- in a quarterfinal win last week.
"It was a letter, and my mom actually got it," he said. "She called me because I was on the way to the Arizona game. She was pretty calm about it, for the most part. But it was really random, so I asked her if she was sure she knew what she was talking about."
As it turns out, his mother did know what she was talking about, and so did the Arizona coaches, as Fenstermacher went on to put together a tremendous junior year. Heading into a semifinal game against Tucson (Ariz.) Ironwood Ridge, he has 43 tackles, one sack and 14 passes defensed. Fenstermacher also played a big role in getting the Padres to this point in the playoffs, as he registered three interceptions -- doubling his season total -- in a quarterfinal win last week.
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