ESPN West recruiting Blog

Posted by Greg Biggins

I recently talked with ATH Tony Jefferson (Eastlake/Chula Vista, Calif.) and the UCLA commit said he was wrestling with the idea of taking official visits to other schools.

After thinking things over, Jefferson has indeed decided to take a few visits starting with a trip this weekend.

"I'm going to Oklahoma," Jefferson said. "I liked Oklahoma early on and actually had a visit set before I committed to UCLA. Then I stopped hearing from them but now they're back in it and I'm looking forward to checking them out.

"I also set up my visits to Michigan and Florida. Michigan will be (Nov. 21) and Florida is going to be (Nov. 28). I'm looking at Miami too but I haven't locked in a date yet."

So are these visits more about checking out other schools or being discontent with his commitment to UCLA?

"I know UCLA is struggling but honestly, that doesn't bother me," Jefferson said. "I know that won't be the case when I get there. I really don't have any concerns with UCLA at all right now.

"All I want to do is take the visits to make sure it's the best place for me. I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with the Bruins but these visits to other schools will really help to either solidify that or allow me to see that maybe another school is a better fit for me.

"I'll never know that without taking the trips and I don't want to look back a few years from now and regret not taking some other trips. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Right now, I'm just excited to go check out the Sooners and see what they have to offer, I'm fired up."

Smith keeping options open

Banning (Calif.) defensive back Derron Smith officially visited Nebraska a few weeks ago and although he had a great trip, he's not ready to make any decisions just yet.

Smith is an underrated defensive back prospect who is having a big senior season. He made one of the most amazing interceptions I've ever seen last week and took it back to the house, and the video is creating a huge buzz on YouTube.

On the recruiting front, Smith raved about his time in Lincoln but is hoping to set up another visit or two before he's ready to pull the trigger.

"I had a great visit," Smith said. "My parents went with me and they loved it, too. Even though it was a few weeks ago and the emotion has kind of worn off, it's still fresh in my mind. I think the thing that stands out is how comfortable I felt with the players and coaches there.

"The game atmosphere was incredible and the fans are great. When we did the tunnel walk with the players, the fans were screaming as loud for us as they were for the players. Young kids, adults, it didn't matter, they were all yelling, 'come to Nebraska.' It was just a great experience."

Smith said he doesn't have a time frame for his decision and is getting senior film out to a few other schools.

"I took an unofficial visit to San Diego State when they played New Mexico State earlier this year and that was great. They're recruiting me hard and were one of the first schools to offer. Nevada wants to set up a visit with me and I'm looking to do that as well.

"Washington has also come on strong. Coach (Joel) Thomas was at my school on Thursday and I talk with Coach (Demetrice) Martin a lot. He wants me to get out there for a visit and I would love to get an offer from the Huskies.

"I'm also hearing a lot from Fresno State, Arizona, Arizona State and Boise State. They're asking for senior film so I'm putting together some highlights and hopefully I can get those out pretty soon here."