ESPN West recruiting Blog

Posted by Greg Biggins

Tony Jefferson (Eastlake/Chula Vista, Calif.) made it out to Oklahoma for an official visit this past weekend and the Sooners have put themselves right in the middle of the race for the talented athlete.

Jefferson, a UCLA commit, recently decided he wanted to take a few of his official visits and the trip to Norman was his first of the year.

"I really liked the overall atmosphere at Oklahoma," Jefferson said. "The relationship the players have with the coaches and the fans is incredible. The players were great with me and I got along well with everyone. Quinton Carter was my host and he was real cool and showed me around.

"The only downside is there really isn't much to do in Oklahoma, but they definitely moved up my list. I'm going to give them strong consideration and I know I would enjoy the college experience well if I was to go to Oklahoma."

Jefferson was planning to take trips later this month to Michigan and Florida, but the Gators are no longer under consideration.

"Florida was recruiting me hard and then kind of fell off in the last week or so," Jefferson said. "I heard it's because they don't want to bring any more safeties in because they don't want to scare off Matt Elam so it's fine, I have other schools I'm still high on.

"I'm visiting Arizona this weekend, Michigan (Nov. 21) and UCLA (Dec. 4). Those will all be official visits and that will be it for me. I was looking at Miami too but I'm not going to be visiting there. I'm still committed to the Bruins and after my official visit there, I'll make a final decision on where I'm going but right now, I'm still all UCLA."

Is Zumwalt close to big in-state offer?

There haven't been many players this season, regardless of position, playing better than linebacker Jordan Zumwalt (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison). He had another big game last Friday and could be close to picking up a big in-state offer.

Zumwalt has had to play most of his senior season with a broken hand, but has missed just two games. He wears a hard cast from his wrist to his forearm, but has still been dominant against one of the state's toughest schedules.

In a game featuring two of the area's best defenses, Zumwalt had a game and season-high 24 tackles as the Chargers beat a very solid Los Alamitos (Calif.) squad 27-10. For being as tall and rangy as he is, the 6-foot-5, 215 pounder runs very well and covers a ton of ground.

He's able to make plays sideline to sideline and is one of the most physical players in the region. He plays with a mean streak and can really deliver a blow.

On the recruiting front, Zumwalt committed early to Stanford and is still very solid to the Cardinal. However, USC has been actively recruiting the linebacker for some time and could be close to offering.

"They have been calling me once a week for awhile now," Zumwalt said. "Coach (Brian) Schneider is the one recruiting me and they have talked about offering me. I think they want to see what I do before they offer.

"I don't know if that means they'll only offer if they think I'll commit, but it sounds like that could be the case. Right now, I really like Stanford a lot and am happy with my decision but it's still flattering to have a great school like USC recruiting me."

Zumwalt and his Charger teammates will take on Fountain Valley (Calif.) this weekend in a matchup of 8-0 teams. It's the first time the two teams have both been undefeated at the same time this late in the year, since 1988.

"We're ready," Zumwalt said. "They have a good team and a good running back (Kyle Middlebrooks) but I have no doubt we'll come out and play a great game."