ESPN West recruiting Blog

Posted by Greg Biggins

Talented offensive lineman Michael Philipp (San Bernardino, Calif./Arroyo Valley) will take his second official visit this weekend when he checks out the Oregon Ducks.

Philipp has previously visited Cal and said he also plans to visit UCLA, Stanford and Oregon State.

"I'm excited to see Oregon, I've heard so many good things about that place," Philipp said. "I don't know a lot about the school but I heard the fan support is good and the facilities are very nice as well.

"I had a great time at Cal and felt comfortable with the players and coaches and that's what I'm looking for on all my visits. I just want to know that I'll be comfortable there all four or five years I'm there, that's a big deal to me."

Philipp has yet to set up his other trips and said they'll likely be in January.

"UCLA has talked to me about coming in for a December trip but I don't know when that will be," Philipp said. "The other two will definitely be in January. Stanford has a big weekend on January 9 so I might visit on that date, we'll see what happens."

Carpenter with surprise leader

Following his official visit to Nebraska in early October, we thought it was only a matter of time before defensive back Anthony Carpenter (Gardena, Calif./Serra) announced for the Huskers.

After visiting Washington State this past weekend, not only is Nebraska no longer on the verge of getting a commitment, they're now running second in this race.

"Yeah, I liked it there a lot, this was my best trip so far," Carpenter said. "I just felt more comfortable there and I got along and really bonded with the players and coaches.

"Nebraska was great too and I'm still considering them but Washington State is now my leader. I'm still going to visit Arizona (Dec. 5) and I might take a few other trips after that but I'm not sure."

Wheaton sets another visit
The last time we caught up with Chandler (Ariz.) athlete Markus Wheaton, he was still trying to figure out which schools would get his last two visits.

Wheaton already visited Oregon, Colorado and Cal and said he would visit two of UCLA, USC and Oregon State.

"I have UCLA set up for (Dec. 5) when they play USC," Wheaton said. "I don't have the last visit set up yet but it could be to USC for the following weekend. They want me to come in on the 12th and after that visit, I should be able to make my decision."

Tucker picks up first offer this year

Linebacker Tim Tucker (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne) landed his first scholarship offer Tuesday night one of the top programs in the West.

"Arizona State just offered me last night," Tucker said. "I was real excited, that's a pretty big school to get my first offer from. I have to take the SAT on Dec. 6 but once I take the test, I'm going to set up a visit to go check them out."

Tucker is having a big senior season and is one of the key reasons the Gauchos are 8-1 and ranked as the top team in the Los Angeles city section this year. He has 94 tackles and three sacks on the year and is being recruited as an inside linebacker right now.

"I'm also hearing from Colorado, Oregon State, Oregon and UCLA right now as well," Tucker said. "Hopefully one of those schools steps up and offers as well."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Northwestern scored big when they picked up a commitment from Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) running back Arby Fields.

Fields took an official visit to Northwestern this past weekend and committed on the trip.

"Northwestern has been where I've been leaning for a while now and the visit sealed the deal," Fields said. "I had a feeling I might commit while I was out there and I really had a great time and knew that was the place for me.

"I'm close with a lot of the coaches there, I love the offense and I think I could play early. I also like the academics a lot and I think it's a great overall fit for me."

Fields is one of the bigger sleepers out West but has been one of the state's top backs since his junior season. He's also a very talented baseball player and will double sport in college.

Heimuli enjoys his time in Boulder

Defensive lineman Latu Heimuli (Salt Lake City, Utah./Highland) took his fourth official visit last weekend to Colorado. The standout tackle is still deciding between two schools for his last visit before he makes his decision.

Heimuli has previously visited Nebraska, Washington State and Arizona before checking out the Buffs.

"I had a lot of fun there," Heimuli said. "It was a really good visit for me and I enjoyed every minute there. The coaches were great and the players are a very tight knit group and made me feel like part of the team.

"The game atmosphere was pretty good and the fan support was good as well. Nebraska was pretty rowdy but the fans at Colorado and the overall atmosphere there was just as good."

Heimuli said he plans to take his final trip and is trying to decide between the Pac 10 and SEC for his final visit.

"It's between Oregon State or Florida for that last trip," Heimuli said. "I'm still looking at UCLA a little too but I might just take an unofficial visit there although I'm not sure when I'll be able to fit it in."

Coleman to re-schedule visit

Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) defensive tackle Deandre Coleman was supposed to take an official visit to UCLA this past weekend. Coleman, an early commit to Washington before backing off, has already officially visited Cal.

"I was ready to go but UCLA didn't get my transcripts in time for me to fly out there," Coleman said. "They want me to come out and visit on another weekend and I'm interested in doing that but I haven't set a new date with them yet.

"There's a good chance I'll visit Arizona State this weekend. It's not 100 percent locked in but it looks good. I also want to check out Oregon State as well but still need to work on a date."

Coleman is regarded as the top player in Washington this year. He gave an early commitment to the Huskies and although he has since de-committed, hasn't completely ruled out the Huskies.

"I'm still interested in Washington," Coleman said. "I'm curious who they hire as the new head coach and I will definitely give them a look before closing the door on my recruitment."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Centennial (Corona, Calif.) defensive lineman William Sutton recently set up his first three official visits.

Sutton is one of the state's top tackle prospects and picked up a big scholarship offer a week ago from Arizona State. He also had a pair of Pac-10 schools watching his game last Friday and is hoping it will result in another offer or two.

"UCLA and Arizona were both at my game last weekend," Sutton said. "It's always motivating to see college coaches there watching you and I thought I played pretty well.

"I had about five tackles and two sacks and controlled the line of scrimmage pretty well. I have a high interest in both of those two schools and would love to visit them if they decide to offer me."

Sutton has three visits set -- Nebraska this weekend, Arizona State the weekend of Nov. 14 and Fresno State Jan. 9.

"I don't want to set any visits for December because we'll be in the playoffs and hopefully headed to another state championship appearance. We lost in the finals last year, so hopefully we can get another opportunity this year."

Oregon offers Cali corner
The last time we caught up with defensive back Terrance Brown (Orange, Calif./Lutheran), it was way back in the summer during the Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) 7-on-7 passing tournament.

At the time, Brown was a heavy lean to Stanford and we actually thought the talented corner would be off the market by this time.

"No, I'm still in the early stages of my recruitment to be honest," Brown said. "I still haven't set up any of my visits and I plan on waiting until after our season before I really focus much more on recruiting."

Brown had early offers from Stanford, Boise State, Wyoming and San Diego State, and he picked up another Pac-10 offer from Oregon during the season.

"I was excited about that one and I definitely want to take a visit there. I'm not sure how many trips I'll take, but I do want to visit Oregon, Stanford and Oregon State.

"Oregon State hasn't offered yet, but they're recruiting me pretty good right now. With Stanford, I still haven't sent in my application yet. I need to do that and get cleared through admissions, but I'm working on it right now."

McConico likes the Bay Area
Venice (Los Angeles, Calif.) defensive back J.R. McConico has a handful of scholarship offers, but Cal and UCLA, his two favorite schools, have yet to offer.

McConico hasn't set up any of his official visits yet as he's still waiting to take the SAT and ACT.

"I can't visit anywhere until I take those tests," McConico said. "That's what the colleges have told me but I'm signed up for them both in December. I take the SAT December 6 and the ACT December 13.

"Once my score comes in, both Cal and UCLA said they want to offer me on the spot. I really like both of those schools and I'm intrigued by SMU as well. Those three schools are very high on my list right now."

McConico had a big junior season with eight interceptions and earned 1st team all-city honors.

"Cal is my favorite school right now, I really like them a lot. I've never been there before but I've heard great things and I know Desean Jackson pretty well and he had a great career there. I'm going to take an unofficial visit there in December."

McConico currently has offers from Washington, UNLV, SMU and Idaho State.

Posted by Greg Biggins

There aren't too many elite defensive tackle prospects out West but one player we've liked for some time is Highland (Salt Lake City, Utah) standout Latu Heimuli.

Heimuli has great size and is a load in the middle of the line. He's very quick off the ball and his overall size, strength and athleticism translate very well to college.

The tackle has taken official visits to Nebraska, Washington State and Arizona. His visit to Tucson was just this past weekend.

"I liked Arizona a lot," Heimuli said. "I liked the coaching staff a lot and got along well with all the players. They had a great crowd for the game with USC and the team was in it until the very end. You can tell the program is going in the right direction.

"So far, I've had a good time on all my visits and it's tough to say which one was my favorite. I liked them all but for different reasons but the main thing was I felt comfortable at each school."

Heimuli said his next visit will be to Colorado (Nov. 7) and he has three schools in mind for his 5th and final visit.

"I'm still trying to decide between UCLA, Cal and Oregon State for my last visit," Heimuli said. "I do want to take that last visit if I can and hopefully that will be locked in within the next few weeks."

BYU is another school high on Heimuli's list but it's local and he has taken several unofficial visits there already.

"Yeah, BYU is definitely in it but I didn't want to use an official visit," Heimuli added. "I can go there any time and I already know a lot about the school. I really don't have a leader right now, once I'm done with all my trips, I'll sit back and try and figure out where the best place for me is."

West Notes
New scholarship offers are going out every day as this is always the time of the year when the college coaches have enough senior or even junior film to make a decision on who to offer. Here's a look at a handful of players we know have been offered in the recent days.

• Running back Deontae Cooper (Perris, Calif./Citrus Hill) was just offered by Stanford. Just a junior, Cooper also holds written offers from Colorado and Arizona. His head coach told us there are about 20 other schools that have verbally offered but he's only counting it if it's writing.

• Long Beach Poly (Calif.) defensive end Iuta Tepa was offered by Colorado. The former Hawaii commit was offered by Oregon and UCLA a week ago and is one of the fastest rising seniors in the entire West region.

• Washington State just offered running back Carl Winston (Gardena, Calif./Serra). Winston said he'll visit the Cougars in November. San Jose State has also offered the running back. In seven games, Winston has rushed for 1,031 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

• Kevin Cummings (Encino, Calif./Crespi) two way standout Kevin Cummings picked up his first offer from San Diego State. Cummings plays both receiver and defensive back and was offered by the Aztecs to play in the secondary. At 6-2, 170 pounds, Cummings has size and is a very good athlete and was one of the players we felt was one of the most under-recruited athletes in the state earlier in the year.

• Defensive tackle Will Sutton (Corona, Calif./Centennial) landed an offer from Arizona State. The Sun Devils could be tough to beat as the Huskies sent three players to ASU last year in running back Ryan Bass and linebackers Shelly Lyons and Brandon Magee.

• Staying with Centennial, Boise State is looking very good for offensive lineman Gavin Pascarella. Pascarella will take an official visit to Boise next weekend (Nov. 7) and our guess is the lineman will jump on the offer from the Broncos before heading back home.

• Merced (Calif.) tight end Kenny Cooper was offered by Miami. Cooper has called the Canes his dream offer and said they were the school he always wanted to play for growing up. He said he loves the tight end tradition at Miami and the Canes could be the team to beat in this one.

Posted by Greg Biggins

UCLA picked up a commitment Monday night from two-way standout Dalton Hilliard (Honolulu/Punahou). Hilliard took official visits to Nebraska, UCLA and just visited Arizona this past weekend.

"UCLA is where I've wanted to go for a long time," Hilliard said. "I loved my visit there and felt so comfortable on the campus. I wanted to take this last visit to Arizona to have one more school to compare UCLA with, but once I got home, I knew UCLA was the place for me.

"I called up Coach Neuheisel and told him I was ready to commit and he was pretty excited on the phone. I actually had to pull the phone away from my ear because he was yelling so loud."

Hilliard is a standout running back but will was recruited to play in the secondary for UCLA.

"They have a lot of young running backs so they want me to come in at corner or even slot receiver," Hilliard said. "It really doesn't matter to me, I'll play whatever gets me on the field the fastest.

"Right now, I'm just relieved to have the process over. With school and football and all the visits and phone calls, recruiting can get kind of stressful and now that it's over, I'm just really excited and happy to be a Bruin."

Hilliard likely won't be the last player from Punahou to announce for the Bruins. As we reported Monday, receiver Robbie Toma recently was offered by UCLA and could commit later this week. A bigger catch -- and surprise -- would be if the Bruins could land No. 1 linebacker Manti Te'o.

"We have a very good chance to get Manti," Hilliard said. "He loved his visit there and I think he likes the direction the program is going. He loves the coaching staff and I know I'm going to be doing my best to get him to come to UCLA with me. In the end, he'll do what he feels is best for him but I know he really likes UCLA a lot right now."

Colorado commit graduating early
USC commit Matt Barkley (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) and UCLA bound Richard Brehaut (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos) aren't the only Cali quarterbacks planning to graduate early this year.

Oceanside (Calif.) signal caller Jordan Wynn said he's all set to finish school a semester early so he can enroll at Colorado in the spring.

"I've been planning this for awhile and it's starting to come together now," Wynn said. "January 9 will be my last day of school here at Oceanside and then I start school right away at Colorado. I'm not sure the exact date but it's pretty soon after I graduate."

Like most players who plan to graduate early, Wynn is motivated by the opportunity to possibly play early.

"For me, I just want to get in there and compete," Wynn said. "That's what I'm about; I'm a competitor and I want to give myself every opportunity to play as early as I can there."

Cali running back enjoys first visit
Running back Cameron Marshall (San Jose, Calif./Valley Christian) took his first official visit last weekend to Arizona State.

"I had a lot of fun, it was a good visit," Marshall said. "I took an unofficial visit there in the summer but this was a lot better because I got to see so much more of the school.

"I like the offense at ASU; they run a lot of one back and I think I would be a good fit there. I got to spend a lot of time with Coach Erickson and I got along great with the players on the team."

Marshall is having a big senior season and is easily among the top backs in the West. In seven games, the athlete has rushed for 1,127 yards, averaging more than 10 yards a carry, with 15 touchdowns.

"Northwestern is probably my next visit but I haven't set a date yet," Marshall said. "It will be after the season I'll do that. After that, I'm not sure where else I'll go. I'm still pretty open to all the schools that are recruiting me and I'm in no hurry to make a decision."

Marshall currently has offers from: Arizona, Northwestern, Utah, Oregon State, Arizona State, Cal and Washington State.

Posted by Greg Biggins

If Serra (Gardena, Calif.) receiver Robert Woods is the offensive player drawing the most early attention from the California Class of 2010, linebacker Chris Martin (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd) is just as big of a prospect on the defensive side of the ball.

Martin will be a strong candidate for the state's top overall recruit a year from now. He earned all-state underclass honors as a sophomore and was the top prospect we saw, regardless of grade or position, at the NorCal NIKE Camp last May.

At 6-4, 225 pounds, Martin is playing inside linebacker but may project best as a pass-rushing defensive end in college.

"That's what a lot of schools are saying," Martin said. "The schools that run a 3-4 scheme like Notre Dame think I'm an ideal outside linebacker in that defense and the teams that run a basic 4-3 think defensive end is where I would fit best.

"On my high school team, I play on the inside so teams can't run away from my side. I know I'll play outside in college though and I'm fine with that."

Martin already has 13 written offers from schools all over the country.

"Georgia was the most recent school to offer," Martin said. "That came about two weeks ago. A few of the other ones I have are Notre Dame, Cal, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Oregon, Colorado and North Carolina. I'm also getting a lot of interest from Ohio State, Tennessee and Florida State."

Martin said his focus right now is squarely on his high school season. Once the season is over, he has a definite plan on his recruitment, which could involve an early commitment.

"I'm going to take a lot of unofficial visits in the spring and summer," Martin said. "Last summer, I took a bunch and checked out all four Cali schools, USC, UCLA, Cal and Stanford. I also went to Notre Dame and Colorado.

"Notre Dame really stood out to me. I got to meet with Coach Weis and some of the other coaches. I toured the campus and learned a lot about the school's tradition. I liked it there and you get a sense of community on campus."

Martin said he currently has four schools on top with three others also in the mix.

"Notre Dame, Stanford, USC and Colorado are my main four," Martin said. "I also really like Oregon, UCLA and North Carolina. I'm for sure going to visit Oregon this summer. I talked to Coach Aliotti, their defensive coordinator and told him I would check it out.

"I'm going to go to the USC Rising Stars camp again and just like last year, I'll make a whole weekend of it and visit UCLA while I'm down there. I may visit Notre Dame again because I family back there and I go up to Cal and Stanford all the time. Colorado was the first school to offer me so they always have a special place for me.

"At the end of the summer, my goal is to have my college picked out and commit before school starts. That way I can just focus on my senior year without the distraction of recruiting. As soon as I know the right fit, I'll go ahead and commit, I won't wait around at all."

As for what he's looking for in a school, Martin listed several factors.

"No. 1 for me is academics," Martin said. "I'm also looking to play right away. If I have to red-shirt, that's fine but I want to play as soon as I can. The overall feel of the school and how comfortable I am there is important and then my relationship with the players and coaches is huge.

"I don't want to go somewhere and have the coaches only care about me as a football player. I want to find a place where I can go to someone if I'm having personal problems and they'll always be there for me and also where I can feel a bond with all the players on the team as well."

Brehaut moves to 3-0 against Nunes

Under Armour All-American quarterbacks and good friends Richard Brehaut (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos) and Josh Nunes (Upland, Calif.) squared off for the third time in their varsity careers last Friday. Once again, Brehaut came out on top as the Grizzlies pulled away late 41-28.

Brehaut, the runner-up for MVP honors at this past summers Elite 11 QB Camp, was impressive as always and showed why he'll have a chance to compete for the starting job from Day 1 at UCLA next fall. He simply does everything well and his intangibles match his incredible physical tools.

Brehaut finished 13-23 for 168 yards and two touchdowns including a beautiful 18 yard touch pass that sealed the win in the 4th quarter. He also rushed for a 16 yard touchdown and made plays with his legs all night.

Along with a live, accurate arm and great mobility, Brehaut is tough, poised in the pocket and he's a winner. He has that 'it' factor that is tough to describe but you can tell when you see it and Brehaut definitely has it.

Nunes struggled and was just 13-35 for 184 yards and two interceptions. He struggled with his accuracy all night and seemed flustered with the Grizzlies pass rush. Nunes is a pure pocket passer but needs to be protected and his lack of mobility hurt him in this game.

The player of the game, and someone we alluded to last week as the guy who could be the X factor was Los Osos running back Arby Fields. Fields rushed for 168 yards and four touchdowns and was the most explosive player on the field.

He scored two rushing touchdowns, caught a 36 yard score and returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown. If he wasn't already, Fields definitely put himself on the recruiting map and should see a nice bump in his recruitment following this game.

The other player who really opened our eyes was Upland defensive back Osahon Irabor. We knew the ASU commit was a player but he showed he should definitely be talked about as one of the top handful of cornerbacks in the entire West region.

Irabor is a physical corner who can play the run and showed more speed than we gave him credit for. He has excellent cover skills and although solid to the Sun Devils, look for colleges to continue to recruit Irabor all the way through Signing Day.

Danser still playing the waiting game

Standout offensive lineman Kevin Danser (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine) picked up early offers last summer from Arizona and Washington. Despite an MVP performance at the NIKE Camp at Stanford and a dominant senior season, Danser has yet to see his offer list grow.

Danser was a first team all-state underclass selection a year ago and has been one of the top lineman in the NorCal region since his sophomore year. He has tackle size but could also play guard in college and is one of the most physical players in the state.

"Right now, it's still Washington and Arizona for me," Danser said. "Cal, UCLA and Stanford are heavily recruiting me but have yet to offer. They're all saying the same thing, they want to see more senior film and are in the evaluation stage still."

UCLA was at his game this past weekend and the Cardinal came by two weeks ago.

"It definitely gives you extra motivation when you know the coaches are there," Danser said. "I always play hard though but you get a little more fired up when you see the college coaches.

"Right now, I'm focused on my season and haven't set any trips yet. I've been to games at Cal and Stanford but I'll take my visits after the season. I like those five schools that are recruiting me but still open to anyone."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Standout defensive lineman Deandre Coleman took his first official visit earlier this month and recently set up visit No. 2.

Coleman, an early commitment to Washington before backing off it in September, visited Cal the first weekend of October and the Bears are in a good place right now.

"I had a good visit to Cal, that's my top school right now," Coleman said. "They played Arizona State on my trip and the defense was really good. The defensive line was really pressuring the quarterback and that's what I like to see.

"Coach [Tosh] Lupoi has been recruiting me for awhile and I really like him a lot. I liked the campus, the players on the team, basically everything about the visit was cool."

Coleman's next visit will be to UCLA (Nov. 7). He would like to take all his visits before making his decision.

"I'm also looking to visit Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado," Coleman said. "Hopefully I can take all my visits in December and be ready to make a decision sometime in January."

Prior to his visit to Cal and even before he committed to Washington, we had been hearing that the Bears actually led for Coleman. Although he still has several visits on the docket, the Bears have to be considered the heavy favorites right now.

Greene lands big in-state offer
We caught up with defensive end Kevin Greene (San Francisco/Sacred Heart) last week, and he mentioned there was one school he was hoping to get an offer from. The talented pass rusher picked up his dream offer in the last 24 hours.

"USC just offered me," Greene said. "I was real excited because I've liked USC for a while now and I really like their style of play. I camped with them last year and had a great time.

"Coach Ruel is the one recruiting me and he called me up last night and told me the good news. I wasn't really tempted to commit because I want to take my trips, that has always been my plan."

Greene said he still plans to visit Washington State in two weeks (Nov. 7) and Colorado (Nov. 14). Oregon and USC, his two co-leaders, will get visits as well.

Arizona receiver lands offer No. 1
Chandler (Ariz.) wide out Caleve Deboskie picked up his first scholarship offer a week ago and is close on landing another one.

"Wyoming offered me," Deboskie said. "I was excited, you get that first offer and now you know you don't have to pay for college. I don't know a lot about Wyoming, but I definitely plan to go check them out.

"San Diego State is also real close to offering and that could happen within the week. Utah, Montana State, Oregon State and a few others are also showing a lot of interest."

After transferring from Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), Deboskie has made an immediate impact at Chandler. He has 23 catches for 493 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. His ability to run after the catch has been impressive, and Deboskie has worked hard to increase his speed and physical strength in the off-season.

"I want to take all five of my visits before committing anywhere," Deboskie added. "I'm in no hurry to make a decision. The main things I'm looking for are good team chemistry, what the depth chart looks like and the academics.

"Academics are a big deal to me, so I'm looking at things like the graduation rate among football players and how strong the school is in my major. I want to major in business, so I'll be looking at that pretty closely."

Posted by Greg Biggins

One of the fastest-rising players out West is Long Beach Poly (Calif.) defensive lineman Iuta Tepa. Tepa was an early commitment to Hawaii, but a strong senior season has brought forth a handful of scholarship offers. The lineman is now saying he is 'open' and will make a final decision after taking all his visits.

We talked about Tepa following the Jackrabbits' 12-7 win over St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.) two weeks ago. He's an active defensive end with great athletic ability.

The Warriors were the first school to offer Tepa and the lineman committed on the spot.

"I now have offers from Colorado State, Washington State, Oregon State, Oregon and UCLA," Tepa said. "Oregon and UCLA were the most recent offers coming about a week ago.

"Right now, my plan is to take all my visits and then make my decision after my last trip. I don't have any dates set right now and I'm open to everyone who is recruiting me. I don't have a leader, everyone is even right now."

Although Tepa claims to be wide open, from talking to some of the coaches at Poly, it sounds like Oregon could be the team to beat right now.

Hilliard enjoying Arizona
We caught up with athlete Dalton Hilliard (Honolulu/Punahou) during his visit to Arizona and it sounds like the Cats are giving him a lot to think about.

"I'm having a very good time," Hilliard said. "Arizona is a nice place and I had a great time at the football game. Coach Stoops said they want me as an athlete and I could pick if I want to play running back or defensive back.

"I think this will be my last visit and I'm pretty sure I'll be making my decision in the next week. It will be between Nebraska, UCLA and Arizona -- those are the three schools I visited."

Hilliard visited the Bruins a week ago and told us he was very close to committing on the trip. In fact, we thought there was a good chance he would cancel his visit to Arizona, especially after hearing that Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley, Calif.) running back Daniel Jenkins planned to commit to the Cats this weekend.

"I'm definitely considering Arizona," Hilliard added. "I'm going to take some time to think things over and then hopefully I'll be ready to do this and pick a school."

Oregon State offers in-state signal caller

Oregon State already has a commitment from St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) quarterback Cody Vaz, but it is hoping to bring in two signal callers in this year's class. The Beavers just put out another offer to a quarterback about a week ago.

Jack Lomax (Lake Oswego, Ore.) is having a big senior season and was rewarded by his first Pac-10 offer.

"Jack is real exited, our whole family is," Neil Lomax, Jack's father said. "Hawaii and Portland State also offered earlier in the year but Jack really likes the Pac-10 and Oregon State specifically.

"He camped there in the summer and we like Coach Riley a lot. I don't think he's ready to make a decision just yet but we'll see what happens."

Oregon State also offered Lomax's favorite target in wide out Micah Hatfield. The Beavers have to be considered heavy leaders for both players at this time.

Hawaii receiver picks up surprise offer

Linebacker Manti Te'o and athlete Dalton Hilliard steal most of the headlines at Punahou (Honolulu) High School, but there's another player on the team starting to make waves.

Wide receiver Robbie Toma just picked up his first Pac 10 offer and it comes from a school which has also offered his two talented teammates.

"UCLA verbally offered me last Tuesday," Toma said. "I had an early offer from Army and I'm also hearing a lot from Utah, New Mexico, Hawaii and Navy. Then I heard that UCLA had been asking about me and then they went ahead and offered me.

"I talked to Coach Chow and Coach Neuheisel and they told me they want me to play in the slot for them and said I would be a good fit in their system. I've never been to UCLA but I'm thinking hard about jumping on that offer.

"Manti and Dalton are good friends of mine and they both visited UCLA already and loved it there. My family and I have really been praying about this and hopefully UCLA is the place for me, but I kind of want to take a trip first."

Toma earned all-state honors a year ago after catching 35 balls for 822 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had a solid showing at the NIKE Camp at Stanford and is having a huge senior season.

Toma has already surpassed his junior numbers for catches and touchdowns through eight games with 55 catches for 805 yards and 13 touchdowns; he also has 1,105 all-purpose yards.

Posted by Greg Biggins

There isn't a better pair of wideouts at any school in the West than Robert Woods and George Farmer at Serra (Gardena, Calif.). The scary part for opposing defensive coordinators is the two players are both underclassmen.

Woods is a junior and has been much discussed already. He gains more hype by the week but it's justified; he's doing something spectacular every game.

Just two weeks ago in a marquee matchup with a talented Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.) squad, Woods clearly outshined elite junior running back D.J. Morgan and had one of the best performances of any player this year.

After a slow first half, Woods exploded in the second half to help Serra pull away. He recovered a fumble that led to a touchdown, had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a score, caught a 15 yard touchdowns and returned a punt 70 yards for another score.

On the year, Woods has 11 touchdowns and is averaging more than 20 yards per reception. Stanford was the most recent school to offer in writing joining UCLA, USC, Cal, Colorado and Arizona State.

Farmer is just a sophomore and already the fastest player on the team. He has a clocked a 4.38 40-yard dash and received his first verbal offer from Colorado when he was just a freshman. His second offer came earlier this week.

"Jim Harbaugh at Stanford was at our practice all day on Tuesday," Serra coach Chuck Kimbell said. "He offered Farmer at the end of practice and said he's a very special player. We've been saying that for awhile and as good as Robert is, a lot of us here think George will be as good if not even better by the time he's a senior."

West Notes

• Former Oregon standout Bo Lokombo, now playing for W.J. Mouat secondary (Abbotsford, British Columbia) has rescheduled his visit with Cal and is close on setting two other trips.

Lokombo is a talented linebacker prospect and transferred from South (Eugene, Ore.) over the summer. At 6-3, 220 pounds, he's an elite athlete who worked out with the wide receivers at the NIKE Camp in Oregon but we love his upside at linebacker.

"I had to move my visit to Cal back a few weeks," Lokombo said. "It was set for (Nov. 1) but I have a game that weekend so I'm going to visit (Nov. 21) instead.

"That's the only visit I have set right now but I know I'm also going to visit Oregon and Washington after the season. I'm looking at Oregon State as well. Those are really the main four schools on my list at this time."

• Despite earning all-city honors as a junior and putting up very good numbers so far this year, things have been fairly quiet on the recruiting front for dual-threat quarterback Josh Moten (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne.)

As a junior, Moten threw for 2,129 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 837 yards. This year, the Gauchos are 5-1, the favorites to win the L.A City title and Moten is a big reason why.

The signal-caller has rushed for 227 yards and six touchdowns, completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 1,255 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception.

"I'm not sure what the problem is but things have been very quiet for him," Sherman Moten, Josh's father said. "He had an early offer from San Jose State but they picked up a commitment from another quarterback.

"There really haven't been any other schools talking with him. I don't get it because his numbers have been great and he's leading one of the top teams in the area."

One reason for Moten's lack of attention could be his size. At just 6-0, 180 pounds, he lacks the ideal frame a lot of college coaches are looking for. Saying that, Moten is a player and with more schools going to the wide-open spread offense, he should find at least a handful of schools who will give him a hard look.

Posted by Greg Biggins

There's in a ton of talent at the wide receiver position for the Class of 2010 in California. One player who has been on our radar since his sophomore year is Los Alamitos (Calif.) standout Paul Richardson.

Los Al has a long tradition of producing quality Division I receivers including: Jeremy Childs (Boise State), Keenan Howry (Oregon), Tony Hartley (Oregon), Brad Melsby (UCLA) and Stanley Guyness (USC). There are many close to the Griffin program who feel Richardson will be the best of the bunch.

Richardson earned all-state underclass honors as a sophomore and has been on fire the last two weeks for the Griffins. Seven of his last eight catches have been touchdowns, and eight of his 11 touchdowns came in the last two games.

Richardson will be a national recruit next year but will likely stay on the West Coast. He picked up his first offer just a week ago from a school he called his childhood favorite.

"UCLA just offered me and I was excited to get it," Richardson said. "My dad played at UCLA, so growing up that was always the school I rooted for."

Richardson's father, Paul Richardson Sr., played at UCLA with current Bruins wide receiver coach Reggie Moore, and Rick Neuheisel was his position coach for two years.

The younger Richardson is also interested in Oregon and USC.

"With Oregon, I love their offense and I like their style of play. I didn't even know that two of their best receives were from Los Al when I started liking them but I became a fan before I got to Los Al.

"As for USC, what can you say about them, they just have such a great program.

"I talked to my dad and asked if he would be disappointed if I ended up going there, and he said he would support me no matter what and if I ended up there, he would go out and buy a USC jersey with my name on it but would still wear his UCLA hat to every SC game he attended."

Richardson said he has no plans to make an early commitment and wants to go through the recruiting process.

"I want to attend some team camps in the summer and then probably take my official visits during my senior season. Then I should be ready to commit, but I'm definitely in no hurry."

West Notes
• Chandler (Ariz.) defensive back Bryce Lamb will take his second official visit this coming weekend to check out Cal. Lamb visited Colorado earlier this month.

Lamb will see some familiar faces in Berkeley as Chandler alum's Marc Anthony and Cameron Jordan are both on the Bears roster. Texas Tech will also get a visit and: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, Washington State, Northwestern and Nebraska have all offered.

"I'll visit Texas Tech Halloween weekend (Oct. 31)," Lamb said. "I also have a track visit set for LSU (Nov. 7) and my last visit is open right now. I plan to do both sports in college so I plan to check out both athletic programs on my visits."

As a junior, Lamb had more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and eight touchdowns and added 75 tackles and two picks on defense. He broke the state triple jump record as a sophomore with a leap of 51' and went over 52' a year ago.

• Carson (Calif.) tight end Morrell Presley will be sidelined at least two weeks and possibly longer after suffering a hairline fracture in one of his wrist last week.

"We'll re-evaluate him in two weeks and hopefully he'll be back for the playoffs," Colts head coach Mike Christensen told the L.A Times. "He dove for a ball making a catch and landed on it wrong but it's not too serious and we're hopeful he'll be back soon."

Presley is the nation's top tight end prospect and ranked the No. 48 player in the country in the ESPNU 150. He should be back to 100 percent health in plenty of time to play in the Under Amour All-American game January 4.

Posted by Greg Biggins

One of the state's top two-way lineman that no one is talking about is Nik Abele (Irvine, Calif.). Abele has a handful of offers on the table and is close to setting up his visits.

We saw Abele at USC's Rising Stars camp over the summer and he impressed on both sides of the ball.

"That was a fun camp," Abele said. "They had me working out at defensive tackle which was new for me. I've only played defensive end and right tackle on offense but I think I did well and enjoyed the experience."

Abele is getting looks on both sides of the ball but said most schools like him for offense. Utah, Boise State, Colorado State, UNLV, Nevada and San Diego State have all offered.

"I actually prefer defense to be honest," Abele said. "San Diego State and Arizona State both said they would give me a shot at defensive end and that's what I'm looking for.

"ASU hasn't offered me yet but they have hinted at it and told me recently to be on the lookout for something in the mail. They didn't say it was an offer but I think it could be. Oregon State sounds close too, they told me that had good news for me the next time I talk with them."

In addition, Abele said UCLA was at his last game and he's also hearing from Idaho and a few other schools.

"I haven't set any trips yet because it has been hard to get on the same page with the schools," Abele said. "When a weekend works for them, it doesn't work for me and vice versa. So I think I'm just going to wait until after the season to take all my visits.

"Right now, I'm just looking for where I'll fit in the best and what school will give me a chance to play defense. Any school that will allow me to try defense will have a better shot with me."

West Notes

• Like Abele, another lineman out West flying below the radar is Charles Leno (San Leandro, Calif.). Leno had a great showing at the NIKE Combine in San Francisco last winter and is easily among the most athletic tackle prospects in the state.

Leno clocked an electronic 5.16-40, jumped 27 inches in the vertical with a 4.69 shuttle time. The only knock was his size. Leno weighed in at just 233 pounds so the concern was if Leno could pack on enough weight on his 6-4 frame to be recruited at the high Div I level. Fast forward a few months and it appears that problem has been solved.

"I'm up to about 255 pounds now and feeling really good," Leno said. "I did it the right way. I worked out like crazy and really watched what I ate. I took care of my body and I've never felt better. I'm a lot stronger than I've ever been and playing well right now."

On the recruiting front, Leno has offers from Utah, UNLV, Idaho and San Diego State.

"I'm also hearing a lot from Boise State, Oregon and Arizona," Leno said. "Utah is probably my favorite and I have a visit set there for (Dec. 12). Arizona wants me to visit in late January, I think that last weekend of January and I'm setting a visit with Boise State right now too."

Academically, Leno is solid carrying a 2.7 GPA with a 1090 SAT score. He said he recently retook the test again just to try and score higher.

• One of the marquee games out West this weekend will match Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Upland (Calif.) in a game featuring a pair of quarterbacks slated to play in the Under Armour All-American game.

While all eyes will be on quarterbacks Richard Brehaut (UCLA commit) and Josh Nunes (Stanford commit), another player to watch closely is Los Osos running back Arby Fields, one of the top all-purpose backs in the state.

Through seven games this season, Fields leads the Grizzlies in rushing and receiving and could be the x factor in the game. Fields has rushed for 377 yards and nine touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 417 yards and two more scores.

On the recruiting front, Fields has offers from Northwestern, Washington State, Duke, Colorado State, UNLV and Nevada.

"I haven't set any visits yet, I'll do that after the season," Fields said. "Right now, I'm just focused on our team and really don't even have a short list of favorites. I like the schools that have offered me and I'm still open to other schools that want to jump in to the picture as well."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) linebacker Jordan Barrett is one of the state's best players regardless of position and is currently ranked the nation's No. 15 inside linebacker by ESPN Scouts Inc.

He was an all-state underclass selection as a sophomore and outperformed current Notre Dame freshman and former teammate Anthony McDonald a year ago.

That's why it has been one of the bigger recruiting surprises this year that Barrett has been flying well under the radar with just two offers right now.

"Right now, it's just Washington and UNLV," Barrett said. "I had an early offer from Notre Dame but I think they filled up at inside linebacker for this class. To be honest, I think a lot of colleges thought I committed early to Notre Dame and that's one reason I think the interest hasn't been as high as I hoped it would be."

Barrett is hearing from a handful of schools including Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Oregon and UCLA in addition to the two teams which have offered.

"All the schools are saying the same thing, they just want to see some senior film and are still evaluating me," Barrett said. "ASU seems very interested, and I was just up at UCLA last weekend for the Stanford game and they have been talking to me a lot as well.

If Barrett had his druthers, he'd visit Washington, UNLV, Arizona State, Vanderbilt and Oregon officially and unofficially visit UCLA.

"Those are the main ones that are looking at me so those are the schools I'm most interested in as well," he said.

On the year, Notre Dame is off to a 6-0 start and ranked No. 13 in the state by CalHiSports.com. Barrett has 65 tackles, four sacks and one interception on the year.

USC offers local junior
USC has been aggressive in recruiting the Class of 2010 and recently offered another SoCal junior. Tight end Christian Thomas (Palmdale, Calif./Highland), a member of the 2010 ESPNU 150 Watch List, could be the state's best at his position a year from now and was excited about the early scholarship offer.

"Who wouldn't be excited to get an offer from USC?" Thomas said. "USC is a big-time school and not many players can say they have an offer from them, especially as a junior.

"They offered about two weeks ago and I thought seriously about jumping on it. I still am to be honest but I haven't decided if I want to commit early or go through the recruiting process some more."

At 6-3, 235 pounds, Thomas is a tremendous athlete and was very impressive last spring at the NIKE Combine in Long Beach and the NIKE Camp at USC. Thomas clocked a 4.79-40 (electronic time), jumped 30 inches in the vertical and his 92.19 SPARQ Rating was the highest of any junior tight end in the country.

As a sophomore, Thomas caught 41 balls for 513 yards and five touchdowns. The athlete has missed parts of three games this year with a shoulder injury but has caught 18 balls for 366 yards and four touchdowns.

In addition to USC, Thomas is also hearing from Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and UCLA.

"Miami is one school I would love to hear from," Thomas said. "They were my favorite school growing up and I really like their tight end tradition."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Just how big was the commitment from offensive lineman Stan Hasiak (Kapolei, Hawaii) to UCLA over the weekend? When you consider the lack of depth and overall talent on the Bruins line and how long it has been since they produced an elite level college lineman, the commitment from is one of their biggest in recent memory.

The last time UCLA had an offensive lineman drafted in the NFL was Kris Farris way back in the 1999 draft. The drought will likely continue for at least a few more years as the Bruins top lineman on this year's team might be true freshman Jeff Baca.

In Hasiak, the UCLA is getting an Under Armour All-American and a player capable of making an immediate impact at guard or tackle. We had a chance to see him perform at the USC Rising Stars camp in the summer, and Hasiak was arguably the top lineman in attendance.

That statement means more when you consider Kevin Graf, John Martinez and Xavier Su'a-Filo were also working out. USC offered during the camp and Hasiak narrowed his list to the Bruins, Trojans and the Cal Bears earlier this fall.

"I still want to visit Cal but I'm not sure if I'll take any other trips," Hasiak said. "I'll visit Cal next month and I could also visit USC, but I'm not sure right now. I'm just happy to be a Bruin and I've really liked UCLA ever since taking an unofficial visit there in the summer.

"It's a perfect fit for me and has everything I'm looking for. I love the location and the school itself. Football wise, I like the coaches and the opportunity to play early. I'm just excited to be a Bruin right now."

Also visiting Westwood this past weekend was running back Dalton Hilliard (Honolulu/Punahou). Hilliard flew in to Los Angeles Saturday morning and his visit will go until Monday morning before he heads back to the Islands.

We caught up briefly with the athlete who said the visit was going great so far.

"They offered me and that was exciting," Hilliard. "I was kind of waiting for that one because I've liked UCLA for a long time. I love the campus and had a great time at the Rose Bowl."

There were some reports saying Hilliard also committed, but he denied those rumors.

"No, I haven't committed yet," Hilliard said. "I'm close though, I'm going to wait until I get home and talk things over with my parents. It could be within the week, but I expect to make my decision by next weekend."

Hilliard has also visited Nebraska and had trips remaining set with Arizona and Colorado. Our call is the running back will cancel those visits and decide between the Cornhuskers and Bruins sometime late next week.

Arizona on the verge
Staying with the running back theme, look for Arizona to land one of the region's best backs next weekend. In fact, look for the Cats to land a pair of talented teammates from the Golden State.

Running back Daniel Jenkins and tight end Terrence Miller, both from Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley, Calif.) will take their official visits to Tucson this weekend (Oct. 24), and it sounds like their decisions have already been made.

"I actually canceled my visit this past weekend to Nevada because I'm going to commit to Arizona next weekend on my visit," Jenkins said. "Me and Terrence are doing it together and we're already working on [teammate] Eric [Martin] to join us there as well.

"I basically fell in love with Arizona the day I took an unofficial visit there last summer. Arizona is on the rise and I think we're getting there at the perfect time.

"They lost a heartbreaker to Stanford a week ago but looked awesome against Cal and could be undefeated in Pac 10 play right now."

Jenkins said there are a few new schools beginning to show interest but his mind is made up.

"USC has been on me a bit lately," Jenkins said. "A few other big schools as well, but Arizona is the place for me. I like everything about the school and I think it's a great overall fit for me."

Price looks like the real deal

We had a chance to check out quarterback Keith Price (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco) up close and personal last Friday and he was even better than advertised.

Price has seen his stock soar since the summer culminating in a commitment to Washington in July. His junior season was his first year as a starting quarterback, and the Braves were a run oriented team.

This year, Price is doing it all and looked like a Dennis Dixon clone Friday night. Playing against a very solid Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) squad, Price completed 18-21 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 106 yards and three more scores.

It's not hyperbole to say Price is playing as well as any quarterback in the region and has the Braves at 6-0 for the first time this decade. On the year, the signal-caller has completed over 72 percent of his passes for 1,371 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two picks and rushed for 391 yards and eight touchdowns.

Posted by Greg Biggins

There aren't too many players anywhere in the country having a better season than Adam Hall (Tucson, Ariz./Palo Verde).

Hall is getting it done on both sides of the ball and has a legitimate chance at setting the single-season state record for most touchdowns in a season. So far he has 25 touchdowns -- 11 rushing, seven receiving, four kick returns and three punt returns -- and that doesn't include the six he's had called back.

Hall is a big-time athlete who could play a number of positions in college. At 6-3, 200 pounds, Hall sees action at receiver, running back and safety and is electric on punt and kick returns.

"On defense, I forced five fumbles and have two interceptions so I'm having a good season and our team is doing great right now as well. I know a lot of people trash talk Arizona football and say I'm only putting up numbers because I play in Arizona, but I think I can play with anyone."

Hall definitely has the talent to compete at the highest level and recently set up his first two official visits.

"I have Arizona (Dec. 5) and USC (Dec. 12)," Hall said. "I'm in the process of setting a visit with Cal and I do want to take all five of my visits. In addition to those schools, I also like Oregon, Oregon State, Alabama and Texas.

"I've been talking with Alabama and they want to see my senior film before offering. I haven't talked at all with Texas but I went to a game last year and loved it. I also have family there and a cousin who went to school there so hopefully they'll start to recruit me."

The big question with Hall is where he will play in college. Offensively, he could stay at receiver or even bulk up in to a pass catching tight end. On defense, he has the ability to play safety and the frame to grow in a linebacker.

"Each school that is recruiting me has a coach on both sides of the ball talking to me," Hall said. "I really don't have a preference, I just want to play whatever gets me on the field the fastest. I want to get out there and make plays and I trust the coaches will put me where I'm best suited."

West Notes
Stan Hasiak (Kapolei, Hawaii) will take his first official visit this weekend. The talented offensive lineman will check out UCLA, a school he visited back in the summer.

"I camped with UCLA in the summer and really liked it there," Hasiak said. "Coach (Norm) Chow is recruiting me and I have a good relationship with him.

"I'm also going to take visits to USC and Cal and those three schools are my favorites right now. I visited both of those two schools in the summer as well and loved it there. I know I can't go wrong with any of my choices and hopefully I'll have a good idea of where I'll be going by December or early January."

Hasiak is one of the elite offensive linemen in the nation and will play in the Under Armour All-American game January 4.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Under Armour All-American offensive lineman John Martinez (Salt Lake City, Utah/Cottonwood) went down with a knee injury last weekend in his team's 42-26 win over East (Salt Lake City).

Martinez blocked an extra point and then told the Desert News that he felt a "pop" in his knee. The lineman had an MRI done earlier in the week and received relatively good news from the doctor.

"It's a second degree MCL sprain but everything else is fine," Steve Martinez, John's father, said. "They said he'll be back to 100 percent in two to three weeks but he'll be wearing some new knew braces from now on."

The injury wont keep Martinez from taking his first official visit in two weeks.

"We leave for LSU next Friday [Oct. 24]," Steve said. "We're all looking forward to it and I know it will be a blast. John's coach is from Louisiana so I think we'll have just as good of a time as John will."

Martinez also has locked in two more of his visits and will check out UCLA (Dec. 5) and USC the following weekend (Dec. 12). Ohio State is still in the mix as well but a scheduling conflict has put his potential visit tentatively set for (Nov. 21) on hold for now.

"They play Michigan at noon on November 22," Steve said. "We have a late afternoon game on the 21st and there is no way to physically get there before the game starts, even if we take a red eye that same night.

"So that visit might be after the season. They still haven't offered John yet and although they call once a week, it seems they view him as a backup plan right now. We just sent some film of his last two games so we'll see if that changes anything."

West notes

• One of the most versatile defensive backs in the state this year is Nat Berhe (Colton, Calif.). Berhe has the ability to play corner or safety and is getting looks at both positions right now.

"Most of the schools I've talked with just like me as a defensive back and haven't specified if they want me at corner or safety. I'll play both, it doesn't matter to me, I don't have a preference."

Berhe currently has offers from Minnesota, New Mexico, UTEP, Colorado State, Idaho and San Diego State.

"I'm also talking with UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State and Boise State," Berhe added. "All four schools said they like me and are waiting on senior film before they offer.

"Right now, I don't have any trip dates set but I have an idea of who I want to visit and when. I'm talking with Boise State about a November visit, San Diego State sometime in December and I want to visit UCLA and ASU as well."

• Former Florida State safety Anthony Leon (Visalia, Calif./College of the Sequoias) took an official visit to Oregon this past weekend.

"He's a big time player," College of the Sequoias DB coach Ton Perry said. "He's huge back there, he's like 6-4, 225 pounds so it's like having a linebacker in the secondary but he can run and plays a lot like Sean Taylor.

"He left Florida State for some academic issues but he's doing good here and will graduate with three years to play two. Everyone is on him, USC likes him, Cal wants him, all the Florida schools want him to come back there.

"Right now, he's open though. He wants to take all his visits and really liked it at Oregon. He's going to be a major impact player at the next level wherever he ends up, I can tell you that for sure."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Two way standout Markus Wheaton (Basha, Ariz./Basha) has begun to narrow his list of colleges and has a solid six schools he's currently looking at.

Wheaton has already taken official visits to Oregon and Colorado and both schools are very much in the mix.

"Oregon was back in September and I loved it," Wheaton said. "The game atmosphere there was great and I really like the team a lot. Kenny Wheaton is my older cousin and he was an All-American there so I've followed them for awhile.

"Colorado was fun too. It was homecoming weekend and there was a good buzz. They got hammered by Texas but it was still a good time. I love the coaches there, and Boulder is a beautiful place."

Wheaton's next visit will be to Cal (Oct. 24) and he's deciding among three schools for his final two visits.

"UCLA, USC and Oregon State are the other schools I'm looking at. I'll visit two of them but I'm not sure which two yet, it's totally up in the air. USC just offered me and I'm definitely interested in them.

"I will take all five visits before making my decision. I'm not sure if my last two trips will be during the season or after and depending on when I do my visits, that will determine if I commit right after the year or in January."

Notes
• Defensive lineman Will Sutton (Corona, Calif./Centennial) is getting closer to setting up his official visits.

"I'm talking with my schools right now but just need to lock down a date," Sutton said. "Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Nebraska are the ones I'm talking with the most and hopefully I'll get those set up soon.

"UCLA, Arizona State and Oregon State have all asked for senior film but we haven't sent it out yet. Hopefully that happens soon."

Sutton said he will most likely wait until after the season to take his visits since the team doesn't have any bye weekends during the year.

"Our team is undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the state," Sutton said. "So if I wait until after we're done playing, that might not be until January because the state championship games are in mid December.

"Some of the schools I'm looking at are local schools like San Diego State and Fresno State so I might try and leave on a Saturday morning but right now, I just want to focus on our season."

• One of the more intriguing players in the state is Jayson Allmond (Bloomington, Calif.). Allmond bulked up from 240 pounds to 260 this past spring and could end up at numerous positions at the next level.

As a junior, Allmond played fullback and linebacker. When we saw him at the NIKE Camp last April, we thought he had the potential to bulk in to a defensive tackle but Allmond said he would prefer to play on the offensive side of the ball.

"I like fullback and feel I'm best on that side of the ball," Allmond said. "I know the colleges are saying a lot of different things. I've been told they like me at fullback, h-back, linebacker, even defensive end.

"I don't think I'll be able to get much bigger so I don't know about defensive end. I'm only 6-0 and I'm not getting any taller. I feel most comfortable at 250 pounds or so but honestly, I just want to play ball and I'll play any position a coach asks me to."

Allmond has one offer from Nevada and will take an official visit (Nov. 22). UCLA, Arizona State and Fresno State are the other schools involved with the athlete.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Friday night's game between Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) and St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.) more than lived up to the hype with Poly winning a defensive struggle 12-7.

The Seraphs drove to Poly's 15-yard line with under a minute left but a fourth down pass was intercepted in the end zone. There were several impressive performances turned in from both sides and as good as St. Bonnies is this year, it looks even more loaded for a big run next season.

Here's a breakdown of the top performer's from each side.

Long Beach Poly
2009

Iuta Tepa, 6-2, 215 DL: Tepa was the best defensive player on the field, and it wasn't close. The program listed Tepa at 6-2, 215 pounds ,but this looks like one of those rare times when a player is listed smaller than his actual size. Tepa looks closer 6- 6-3, 225 pounds and his defensive coaches agreed with that assessment.

Tepa lined up at right defensive end but was moved all over the line during this game. He has a great motor, is very quick off the ball and uses his hands well. He had two sacks in the game and was in the backfield all night. He also had a key third-down stop for loss on Seraph RB Patrick Hall on the second to last play of the game.

Tepa gave a commitment to Hawaii a few weeks ago but it will be interesting to see if that holds up. In thepast week, Oregon State and Washington State offered scholarships, and word is Oregon is on the verge as well.

Daveon Barner, 5-6, 165 RB: Rushed 25 times for 111 yards and got most of the work late in the fourth quarter. Barner has great quickness and vision. He's tough to find behind his mammoth offensive line and then is able to hit it up the field.

Barner runs extremely hard for his size and is not afraid to put his head down and deliver a blow at the point of contact. Does he have the size to play at the Div I level? That's a tough question but he was the best back on the field on this night. With his ability to catch the ball as well as his explosiveness in the open field, Barner is definitely worth someone taking a hard look at as a third down, change of pace type player.

Melvin Richardson, 5-10, 200 RB: Richardson is the other half of Poly's dynamic duo at running back. He rushed 17 times for 93 yards but looked dinged up towards the end of the game and Barner was given most of the carries late. Richardson is a tough, physical kid with all the tools to play at the next level.

He's not a burner, but has enough speed to get around the edge and is very strong. The first guy never takes him down and he knows how to finish a run. For comparison sake, the guy Richardson reminds us a lot of is former Poly RB Larry Croom who played at UNLV and is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Stanjariuus McKay, 6-2, 205 DB: McKay has good size and is around the ball a lot. He caught Poly's only touchdown, an 11 yard fade in the end zone wit just five seconds left in the 1st half. Still, his future is at safety and it remains a mystery why no one has stepped up with an offer yet.

McKay is a solid tackler, although not the explosive hitter as last year's duo of Herman Davidson and Vaughn Telemaque. He has good overall athleticism and covers a lot of ground. You can tell McKay is still learning the position but upside wise, he's a definite high major prospect.

George Daily-Lyles, 5-11, 225 LB: Daily-Lyles is a big time hitter and has excellent instincts. His size scared away a few colleges but Hawaii wasn't one of them and the athlete will make an impact for the Warrior program.

Daily-Lyles is the spiritual leader of the defense and the one that gets everyone going. He plays with a high motor and never seems to tire on the field. He runs well enough and didn't miss a tackle all night.

2011

Corey Waller, 6-2, 190 DE: Poly is mainly a senior dominated team this year but one sophomore we liked was Waller. The coaches are already comparing him to former Jackrabbit and current Oregon defensive end Kenny Rowe.

Waller has a lean frame and isn't done growing. He's very athletic with long arms and has great quickness. He plays basketball and has the athleticism to play some linebacker down the road.

St. Bonaventure
2009

Patrick Hall, 6-1, 185 DB: Hall is easily among the elite safety prospects in the nation this year. The USC commit showed off his ability to run, hit and cover and he's just a great all around player.

Hall plays down hill and doesn't shy away from the big hit. He had several bone rattling tackles and is very physical. He has very good speed and plays with a swagger. He also rushed for 34 yards on seven carries but Poly did a nice job containing him on the offensive side of the ball.

J.B. Dock, 5-11, 170 DB: Dock had an excellent game at corner. Poly doesn't throw much and threw just eight times in this game but Dock had two knockdowns and was able to run stride for stride with the Jackrabbits speedy receivers.

Dock was also strong in run support and looks like one of the most under-rated players in the state. San Diego State and Army have offered but expect the interest for Dock to pick up over the course of the season.

2010

Troy Hill, 5-11 160 DB: Hill forms a very solid cornerback tandem with Dock and has even more upside. He's a physical player with excellent speed and was great against the run. The corner is already being recruited at the national level although no one has offered yet. He says that "Florida State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Nebraska, USC and UCLA are all showing interest. It's early for me but I like USC and UCLA right now. I'm just looking for where I'll be comfortable and the best overall fit."

Giovanni Di Poalo, 6-5, 245 OL: Di Poalo is a natural tackle prospect and more than held his own against one of the best defensive lines in the state. Di Poalo is a natural tackle with a great frame, good feet and toughness.

He's very lean and should really take off once his body physically matures. He has the ability to get to the second level as a run blocker and is already a very good pass protector. He has a written offer from San Diego State and a verbal offer from Arizona. Di Poalo says that he's also hearing from USC, UCLA, and Texas.

"I camped with USC and UCLA in the summer and like both schools a lot," Di Poalo said. "USC is my top school though, I love the energy of the coaching staff there."

Dylan Davis, 6-0, 220 LB: Davis is a fun kid to watch. He loves to hit and you don't want to be standing anywhere around the pile when Davis is flying in. There were multiple plays where Davis just leveled a player standing near the pile, even though that player wasn't the ball-carrier.

Davis has great quickness and is a punishing hitter. He plays sideline to sideline and plays with a lot of passion and energy. Like Hill and Di Poalo, look for Davis to be a national recruit next fall.

PJ Gremaud, 6-2, 230 LB: Gremaud doesn't have the same speed or explosiveness as Davis, but he's bigger and hits just as hard. He's a prototype inside backer and is very good against the run. He plays well in the box and is a tough, physical player.

Devon Blackledge, 5-9, 165 RB: Blackedge has been the Seraphs top running back all season and is another Div I player in the making. He has excellent speed and change of direction. He rushed nine times for 90 yards with 55 yards coming on one carry. Blackledge will need to get bigger and stronger but he definitely has a ton of physical ability and will be recruited heavily in the spring.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Offensive lineman Michael Philipp (San Bernardino, Calif./Arroyo Valley) took his first official visit to Cal last weekend and raved about his time in Berkeley.

"They have everything I'm looking for in a school," Philipp said. "I flew in Saturday morning and drove straight to the game. The team looked great and energy and crowd support was really good.

"The main thing I was looking for on the visit was a family atmosphere among the players and to see how well I would fit in. I got along really good with everyone and the guys on the team were great to me the whole visit."

Philipp said he plans to take all five trips before making his decision but doesn't have any of his dates lined up right now.

"I know I'll visit Oregon State and Stanford," Philipp said. "I may also visit UCLA, even though I've been there a ton of times because the coaches really want to be given the same opportunity as everyone else.

"Arizona and Oregon are two other schools I like but really, I'm open to anyone who wants to recruit me."

ESPN Scouts Inc. projects Philipp as a guard (No. 26 nationally), though his report says he "has the skills, athleticism and the motor to be a very special offensive guard or tackle at the next level." Philipp prefers the latter position.

"The one thing I really want is the chance to play tackle," he said. "I actually want to play left tackle, that's what I've always played and where I'm most comfortable.

He plans to announce his college choice on national signing day.

Previewing Poly vs. St. Bonaventure
The biggest high school game of the week out West will pit a pair of teams both ranked in the ESPN RISE FAB 50. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 6 in the nation, will take on St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.), ranked No. 5 in the state, No. 40 in the nation.

This will be the first ever meeting for two of the state's top programs and both teams are loaded with Division I prospects. We'll be in attendance later tonight and will have a breakdown of each of the team's top performers next week.

St. Bonny is led by Patrick Hall, who does a little of everything on the field. He's a talented running back but sees limited carries as he shares time in the backfield with two other players.

A week ago, Hall rushed for 146 yards on just four carries and scored on touchdown runs of 53 and 82 yards. The USC commit plays a rover back position on defense, a cross between a linebacker and safety. If the Seraphs hope to upset Poly tonight, they may want to feature Hall a little more on the offensive side of the ball.

Defensively, the Seraphs are led by talented junior linebacker Dylan Davis, who earned all-state underclass honors a year ago. The secondary is strong with safety Xavier Ramos and cornerback J.B. Dock.

Many will remember Ramos as the player who committed to Oregon back in the summer only to have his offer pulled a few days later when it was revealed that the Ducks had already taken a safety and were done recruiting the position.

Dock was one of the top corners we saw at the NIKE Camp at Stanford and currently holds offers from San Diego State and Army.

The Jackrabbits, as always, are led by a punishing running game and great play on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, St. Bonny coach Todd Therien told the L.A. Times earlier this week that Poly has "the best defense that I have seen at the high school level."

Hawaii commit Iuta Tepa is a big-time defensive end prospect and is very tough coming off the edge. Fellow Hawaii commit George Daily-Lyles leads a strong group of linebackers, and safety Stanjarivus McKay, according to the Poly coaches, is every bit as talented as last year's starting safeties, Herman Davidson (North Carolina) and Vaughn Telemaque (Miami).

On the ground, Poly will rotate in three running backs and all three are D-I prospects. Melvin Richardson is the starter and at 5-10, 195 pounds has an ideal combination of speed and power. He ran all over then nationally ranked Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) earlier this year.

Daveon Barner is just 5-5, 165 pounds but is having a big senior season, and junior Corey Westbrook could have the most long-term potential of any of them.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Rancho Verde High School (Moreno Valley, Calif.) has four high-level Division I prospects to go with one of the nation's top junior recruits. The seniors have started the process of setting up their visits, with two of the seniors taking their first trip in two weeks.

Running back Daniel Jenkins is one of the top players in the West and has great upside. He just turned 16 this past June and should actually be a junior right now.

"He's just a beast," RV coach Pete Duffy said. "He's so tough and one of the strongest players on the team. He can power clean 300 pounds -- that's almost twice his body weight -- and he has tremendous speed as well."

Jenkins will take his first visit to Nevada (Oct. 17). He's also in the process of setting visits with UTEP and Arizona; all three have offered.

Jenkins will be joined in Nevada by defensive back Richard Spencer. Spencer is one of the top safeties in the state, and he will also visit UTEP the same weekend as Jenkins.

"Richard likes Nevada a lot and they have him as the top safety on their board," Duffy said. "He's a big kid, 6-1, 195 pounds or so, and is a punishing hitter. He loves to come up and make the big hit and covers a lot of ground for us."

Arguably the top player on the team is linebacker Eric Martin. He first caught our eye two years ago at the SoCal NIKE camp in the summer following his sophomore year.

Martin earned underclass Linebacker MVP honors and had a big junior season as well, racking up 121 tackles and six sacks.

"Eric has been incredible this year, I can't even describe it," Duffy said. "His quickness and reaction to the ball is off the charts. I've had other coaches asking me if Eric knew their signals or something because he's in the backfield so quick."

Martin will take the SAT November 1 and minor grade concerns are the only thing that has kept come colleges away.

"He's going to make it though," Duffy said. "He needs to work hard and finish up strong but he's going to make it. Nebraska is all over him and that will be his first visit. He'll visit Arizona and Boise State too, and USC is really coming on now too.

"They were at one of our games earlier in the year and they love him. They said they're going to lose four linebackers this year and want to bring in four. Eric is one of the guys they like a lot and they requested some more film on him."

Tight end Terrence Miller rounds out the talented foursome and he'll likely take his first visits later this month.

"We've really struggled getting Terrence the ball this year. There have been so many times where he'll get behind the defense and is running wide open but we haven't been able to make the connection.

"He just took the SAT and I think it will be about two weeks before the results come in. He's going to visit Arizona and UTEP at the end of this month or the beginning of November and he likes both schools a lot right now."

Junior defensive lineman Ronald Powell is on the 2010 ESPNU 150 Watch List and is already a national recruit.

"Everyone is going to offer him," Duffy said. "USC already offered, Arizona was the first school to offer him. Basically everyone that has seen him said they're offering. He's a no-brainer and an elite player in the same mold as Tyron [Smith, OL from Class of '08]."

West Notes

• Running back Dalton Hilliard (Honolulu, Hawaii/ Punahou) said he loved his visit to Nebraska last weekend but he's not ready to commit just yet. Prior to the visit, we thought there was a chance he could pull the trigger.

I loved it but I have more visits to take," Hilliard said. "The atmosphere at Nebraska was incredible and the trip was everything I thought it would be.

"The players were great to me and made me feel like part of the team. All the players I talked with love it there and believe they're on the verge of turning things around. It's real laid back and coming from Hawaii, that's what I'm used to."

Hilliard will take a weekend off to recuperate and then will be back on the road to check out a pair of Pac-10 schools.

"I'm going to UCLA (Oct. 17) and Arizona (Oct. 24)," Hilliard said. "I also have Colorado on (Nov. 7). I just set up the visit with UCLA, the other two have been set for awhile and I'm excited to see these schools so I have something to compare Nebraska to."

• Micah Hatfield (Lake Oswego, Ore.) picked up his first offer earlier this week from Oregon State. Hatfield is a sleeper receiver prospect who really shined at the NIKE Camp at Stanford last May.

At 5-11, 155 pounds, Hatfield isn't going to wow you with his size or speed but just knows how to get open and has great hands.

The interesting thing with Hatfield is he was raised on the Oregon Ducks and has several family members, including his father, who attended Oregon.

"I like both schools and right now, Oregon State is on top since they have an offer to me," Hatfield said. "I grew up rooting for Oregon but Oregon State has a great coaching staff and I really like Coach (Mike) Riley a lot."

Posted by Greg Biggins

ESPNU 150 WR Shaquelle Evans (Inglewood, Calif.) said he no longer wants to be listed as a soft commitment to USC. In fact, the talented wide out said the Trojans are not his top school any more.

"Right now, I'm really feeling Notre Dame," Evans said. "I had a great trip back there and that's where I feel most comfortable. It's hard to explain but I just felt so at home at Notre Dame and I've never felt that way around any other school."

Evans took an official visit to South Bend two weeks ago and said the high from the trip has yet to wear off.

"I loved being around the players and the coaches," Evans said. "The game atmosphere was incredible, but like I said, the main thing for me was just that comfort level. I've always been told and always believed that you should go where you feel most comfortable and right now for me, that's Notre Dame."

Following USC's demolition of Ohio State last month, Evans gave the USC coaches a commitment but said it was a soft commit, meaning he still wanted to keep his options open and check out other schools.

"I still like USC a lot and I was at their game with Oregon last weekend," Evans said. "They have a great school but I'm leaning to Notre Dame right now. I may take a few more official visits and if I do, I'm looking at Michigan, Colorado and Oregon.

"Nothing is set though and I would say it's 50-50 whether or not I take more trips."

Evans has not set a timeline for his decision and still wants to talk his with family about his decision.

"I always thought distance would be a factor for me, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it doesn't matter. I'm going to pick the best school for me no matter where it is, and right now, I think that's Notre Dame."

West Notes
• UCLA quarterback recruit Richard Brehaut (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./ Los Osos) has decided to graduate from school a semester early in order to take part in spring practice in Westwood.

"I'm organizing what I need to do in order to get that done as we speak," Brehaut said. "I'm looking at what online classes and extra courses I can take, but it looks good.

"It looks like I'll graduate January 15 and enroll at UCLA March 30. I'm excited about it and I just want to go in there with the mindset of competing against the other quarterbacks and see what happens."

The Under Armour All-American is also taking on the role as one of the Bruins' chief recruiters in hopes of pulling in some other talented players to Westwood.

"I'm working it hard," Brehaut said. "I talk to (tight end) Zach Ertz a lot and would love to play with him. Of course I'm working on the linemen too and hopefully we can get Charles (Siddoway), Stan (Hasiak) and Michael Philipp. I like our chances with Chris Hubbard too, he was on his official visit this past weekend and he's a beast."

• Defensive lineman Jackson Powell (Newbury Park, Calif.) took an official visit to Arizona over the weekend and the Cats are looking like the clear team to beat at this point.

"I loved the visit," Powell said. "The three things that really stood out were the players, the coaches and the game itself. The team played great and really dominated Washington. The players are very tight knit and it's like a big family there.

"The coaches all seem like players-coaches and I'm close with my recruiting coach, Coach (Dave) Nichol and Coach (Mike) Stoops as well. I was tempted to commit but I want to wait and take two more visits before I end the process.'

Powell said Washington and Fresno State are the other two schools he plans to visit but no dates have been set yet. He added that the Cats and Huskies were co-favorites prior to the trip but Arizona is now on top by itself after his weekend visit.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Eugene (Ore.) Sheldon offensive lineman Charles Siddoway took his first official visit this past weekend to UCLA. The visit could be the first of three in consecutive weekends for the talented lineman.

"I had a great visit, it was better than I expected," Siddoway said. "It was my first time on their campus and it was really nice there. I got along great with the players and coaches and felt very comfortable.

"A big part of my decision will be how comfortable I am with the team and my position coach and I really liked everyone there. The team is down a little right now but I think they can move back up and I think Coach Neuheisel is the guy who can do that."

The Bruins have big needs on the offensive line, and that fact was not lost on Siddoway.

"I was told I would have a chance to come in and play as a true freshman," Siddoway said. "The key will be getting stronger and picking up the offense, but if I'm ready to play, that would be great to play as a true freshman.

"But I don't mind redshirting either, whatever is best for the team."

Siddoway's mother Terri accompanied her son on the visit and raved about the experience.

"I came in thinking it was going to be all glamour and Hollywood but it wasn't like that," Terri said. "The campus is beautiful and everyone we met was very down to earth.

"I'm not sure UCLA was that high for Charles before the visit but they're definitely up there now. They have some great people there and I see a bright future for the team sooner rather than later."

Siddoway will visit Cal this weekend and is close to locking down an official visit to Oregon the following weekend. Alabama is also guaranteed a visit while the fifth trip remains open right now.

West Notes
• Seattle Garfield defensive lineman Deandre Coleman has backed off his commitment to Washington and will take his first official visit to Cal this coming weekend.

Coleman said he decommited from the Huskies for several reasons.

"I feel like there's better places for me and I want to go in to a program where I can learn about my position and play on a winning team. Looking back, I think I committed too early and now I feel the need to take all my visits to make sure I'm making the right choice."

Cal was a close second for Coleman when he originally committed to UW, but the lineman said he doesn't plan to commit this weekend.

"No, I plan on taking all my visits this time," Coleman said. "Cal is the only one I have set up but I'm also going to visit Arizona State and Colorado. I'm talking to a lot of other schools as well right now but I like those three schools a lot right now."

• Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton defensive back Ryan Milus took his first official visit this past weekend to Washington State.

"The visit was a lot of fun and I really liked it there," Milus said. "The game didn't go too well for them [losing to Oregon 63-14], but I liked the environment and the people I met were all first class.

"I don't have any other visits set right now but I know I want to check out Boise State and Fresno State. They both offered me pretty early in the process and I just got another offer from UNLV last night."

Milus also has an offer from Arizona but isn't sure if he'll take an official visit to the in-state school.

"I'm going to Arizona this weekend to watch them play Washington," Milus said. "That will just be an unofficial visit though. I haven't decided if I'm going to take an official visit there after the season or not. I'm just going to play that one by ear."

Posted by Greg Biggins

There might not be a stronger position out West this year than defensive back, and one we're high on is Pomona (Calif.) Diamond Ranch corner Brandon Sermons.

Sermons, 6-0, 180 pounds, saw his stock soar last spring and summer and is now well over the double-digit mark for scholarship offers. Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Colorado, Arizona State, San Diego State, Idaho and UCLA were just a few of the schools who put an offer on the table for the talented athlete.

"I like everyone right now, I really don't have a leader," Sermons said. "I'm not going to commit anywhere until I take all five of my official visits and I'm not focusing much on that right now. I don't want anything to distract me from our football season but once we're done, then I'll set up my visits."

Although he's open, Sermons did say he has a good idea of what schools he does want to trip to.

"I know three or four of the schools right now," Sermons said. "I want to visit Colorado, one of the Oregon schools and both Arizona schools. That last one is open still but I do want to take all five."

Although he won't use an official visit on either one, the defensive back said he has a high interest in both USC and UCLA as well.

"My brother Rodney played at USC so I like them a lot," he said. "They haven't offered yet but they're recruiting me pretty hard. UCLA was at my game a few weeks ago and I have a high interest in them.

"I was excited to get that offer and I'll for sure take an unofficial visit later in the year. Both schools are so close, I can just visit there any time. I want to use my official visits for schools outside the area."

West Notes
There wasn't much fanfare when Vancouver (Wash.) Evergreen athlete Kyrell Hudson committed to Oregon State in July. That was because Hudson, one of the top two-sport athletes in the West, committed to play baseball for the Beavers.

Hudson, 6-0, 195 pounds, is rated among the top 40 baseball players in the country according to Baseball America and hit .450 with 21 stolen bases last season. On the gridiron, the athlete had 12 touchdowns at receiver and bounced between corner and safety on the defense.

Hudson's original plan was to play both in college, but by signing baseball letter of intent, he would have to sit out his first two years of football and wouldn't be eligible to play until his junior year.

Late last week, the Portland Tribune reported Hudson was switching his commitment from baseball to football, allowing him to play both sports his freshman year.

This is a big pickup for the Beavers, and he'll likely start out at receiver and will also be used on punt and kick returns.

Posted by Greg Biggins

San Jose (Calif.) Bellarmine, currently ranked No. 4 in the state and No. 29 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50, had a dominant win last weekend over a talented Stockton (Calif.) St. Mary's team 35-6. The Bells have four big-time Division I prospects, two of them are still undecided.

Quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels has already committed to San Jose State and two-way standout Usua Amanam is headed to Stanford. Offensive lineman Kevin Danser, 6-6, 295 pounds, and linebacker/fullback Michael Clay are both still on the board and getting looks from several colleges all over the region.

Danser was the OL MVP at the NIKE Camp at Stanford in May and has looked very strong this year. Against St. Mary's, Danser was routinely blocking his man 10-15 yards down the field, and his ability to pull from his tackle position showed he has the athleticism to play just about anywhere on the offensive line in college.

"I haven't set up any official visits yet," Danser said. "I'm really trying to focus on our season and worry about recruiting when the season is over. Right now, I still have the same offers from Arizona and Washington but I'm still hearing from schools like Cal, UCLA, Colorado, Oregon State and all the Ivy League as well."

Clay, 5-11, 205 pounds, reminds us a lot of former Stanford standout and current Chicago Bears linebacker Michael Okwo. Like Okwo, Clay doesn't have the prototype linebacker size a lot of schools look for, but he has a huge motor, runs well, has great football instincts and is always around the ball. Like Danser, Clay earned NIKE Camp MVP honors at linebacker and has been equally impressive this year at fullback for the Bells.

Clay earned 1st team all-state underclass honors last season at linebacker and is so athletic, he was dropping back in to coverage and manning up against the receivers for St. Mary's. He had one interception, several huge hits in run support and added a 25-yard touchdown at fullback.

"I have trips with Colorado and Oregon set up right now," Clay said. "I like those two plus Cal a lot, but I'm still open to whoever wants to recruit me.

Clay's decision will likely come after the season.

"Right now my focus is getting us to a state title game, and I think we have the team to do it," he said.

Metcalf could complete USC's loaded safety class
If Compton (Calif.) athlete Chris Metcalf stays at safety in college, you can make an argument USC will sign one of the best safety classes in the last 20 years. Metcalf is often the forgotten player in the Trojans' current No. 1-ranked recruiting class, but he showed Friday he deserves to be mentioned with the best players in the entire region regardless of position.

At 6-2, 190 pounds, Metcalf plays a lot of linebacker for Compton but was recruited to USC to play safety. The Trojans also have safety commitments from T.J. McDonald, Byron Moore and Patrick Hall, although all four players have the ability to play multiple positions in college. McDonald has the frame to grow in to a linebacker, Moore could play corner and Hall could end up at running back; but as of now, all four players were brought in as safeties and all four players are huge talents.

We had a chance to check out Metcalf in action as the Tarbabes ended a 24-game losing streak to city rival Dominguez. Metcalf had one of the best defensive performances we've seen this year moving back and forth from linebacker to rover to safety.

Metcalf had several bone jarring hits and is as good a tackler as we've seen this year. In a one-on-one situation, Metcalf doesn't miss. He doesn't just look to wrestle the ball carrier down to the ground, he's looking to run right through his man. He added two interceptions and a fumble recovery and has the size, speed and toughness to make an early impact for the Trojans.

Notes
We wrote last week we were surprised no one has jumped up and offered Encino (Calif.) Crespi receiver Kevin Cummings yet. Another player to put in that same category is Long Beach Poly (Calif.) running back Melvin Richardson.

When you play at a high profile school like Poly, it's tough to get overlooked. Every college in the country knows the tradition at Poly and how annually they produce as many high level D-I players as anyone. For whatever reason, schools are sleeping on Richardson, and it's not like he doesn't have Division I tools or is a late bloomer who is just now getting his chance to shine.

Richardson, 5-10, 195 pounds, earned all-state underclass honors a year ago after rushing for 1,316 yards and 15 touchdowns while sharing time in the backfield with two other backs. He's a physical runner with speed and power and has the ability to run between the tackles or hit the home run from anywhere on the field.

In the Jackrabbits' season opening win against then nationally ranked Miami (Fla.) Northwestern, Richardson led a dominant running game with 124 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. This past weekend, Poly rolled over Newport Harbor, one of the top teams in Orange County, 26-2 and again Richardson led the way with 165 yards and two more scores on 14 carries.

"I'm just being patient right now," Richardson said. "I think a lot of schools just want to see some senior film or something. I don't fully understand it to be honest but I'm just out there running hard and hopefully good things will happen."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Heading in to this past weekend's Mater Dei-Centennial matchup, we didn't think the game could duplicate the offensive firepower of last year's 51-37 shootout win for the Monarchs of Mater Dei.

Although this year's game fell a little short in comparison to one of the 2007 season's games of the year, it wasn't by much as the Huskies came out on top 47-35. Here's a look at some of the standouts from both teams.

Centennial:
WR Ricky Marvray: Marvray didn't receive much fanfare when he committed to UCLA, but he is a big pickup for the Bruins. The athlete had a strong second half to his junior season culminating in scoring two touchdowns in the state title game against De La Salle.

He then went out and had a big spring and summer and was the top receiver we saw at the NIKE Camp at USC back in April. He was unstoppable against the Monarchs, returning a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown while adding seven catches for 90 yards, several of which were in traffic on key third-down plays.

LB Vontaze Burfict: Burfict had some of his trademark huge hits but overall, it was a somewhat quiet night for the nation's top inside 'backer. The Monarchs did a nice job scheming away from Burfict and seemed to always have one or two blockers in his face all night. This opened the way for the rest of the Huskies defense, however, and they were in QB Matt Barkley's face all night.

Physically, the future Trojan is off the charts in terms of his size and athleticism. He runs so well and gets great depth on his drops. He's able to cover a ton of ground and plays with a serious mean streak to him. In fact, Burfict really needs to harness his aggression as he came very close to being penalized twice for late hits after already getting tagged with one late hit early in the first half. Two personal fouls and you're out of the game, and that happened to Burfict twice as a junior.

Of course the old saying, "it's better to have to pull someone off the pile then throw them on it" rings true with Burfict. He just loves to hit and is the kind of player teammates love to play with and opponents will absolutely hate to play against.

ATH Taylor Martinez: Martinez plays quarterback for the Huskies but will move to safety at Nebraska, where he committed a few weeks back. At 6-0, 180 pounds, Martinez showed us a lot, not just with his physical skill but with his poise in the pocket and ability to make something out of nothing.

As a signal caller, Martinez has a long release and almost winds up like a pitcher on some of his longer throws. He has a strong arm and despite some mechanical issues, throws a fairly accurate ball. Where Martinez really impresses is with his running back ability and overall athleticism.

He has good speed and doesn't shy away from contact. He shows a nice burst and is tough to bring down in the open field. Martinez won't play much defense this year, but it's easy to see his physical tools will translate well to the college level as a future safety.

LB Anthony Whitlow: For the second week in a row, Whitlow led the defense. Taking advantage of all the attention being paid to Burfict, he was always around the ball.

At 5-11, 210 pounds, Whitlow is an intense player with a huge motor. He's a sure tackler and very good on the blitz coming off the edge. He had 77 tackles and six sacks as a junior and is poised for a huge senior season. Whitlow is flying under the radar right now but is a definite high-level Division I recruit.

RB Arthur Burns: Burns, 5-11, 205 pounds, waited patiently behind Ryan Bass a year ago and now it's his time to shine. Even in a backup roll, Burns still rushed for 511 yards and eight touchdowns and should at least double those numbers before the regular season is over.

Burns rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns and seemed to get stronger as the game went along. He is a powerful runner who was dragging Monarch defenders all night. The first guy never brought him down and he showed enough speed to bounce it to the outside as well. Like Whitlow, Burns is flying under the radar but should be recruited at the high D-I level.

DL Will Sutton: Sutton, 6-1, 250 pounds, is one of the state's premier defensive tackle prospects. He took on double teams all night but still got a strong push up the middle and had a handful of hits on Barkley. He's very quick off the ball, uses his hands well and is strong in his lower body.

Sutton already has a handful of offers including schools like Nebraska, Fresno State, Washington and Oregon State. Our guess is if he was closer to 6-3, 275 pounds, Sutton would have offers from just about everyone because there is no doubt he can play.

DL Ben Letcher: We put Letcher in the same category as Whitlow, an under-the-radar prospect having a big senior season. Letcher had two sacks on Barkley and dominated the line of scrimmage. At 6-2, 225 pounds, Letcher moves around the line of scrimmage and played a lot at nose guard.

Like Sutton, Letcher is extremely quick off the ball and very physical. All the Huskies seem to play with an edge to them, and it makes it difficult to play against. They come at you in waves and play through the whistle. That describes Letcher; he hits anything that moves.

Although not blessed with ideal size for college, his talent and desire alone should see him play somewhere at the low to mid Div I level.

Mater Dei
QB Matt Barkley: Everything begins and ends with Barkley for the Monarchs. Compared to previous teams, there just isn't a great deal of talent on this roster and sophomore receiver Victor Blackwell and junior offensive lineman Chris Ward (injured and hasn't played this season) appear to be the only high level Div I recruits on the team.

As a result, Barkley, by his standards, has struggled. He was sacked three times and threw three more interceptions after throwing four picks against Carson in week one of the season. He's having to force some throws that just aren't there and at least two of his picks that we've seen have been balls that hit his receiver in the hands but popped up in to the air for interceptions.

When he has time to throw and can step in to his throws, Barkley throws it better than anyone in the country. He's very accurate and knows when to put a lot of heat or more air on the ball depending on the situation.

Against the Huskies, Barkley was getting hit a lot and the pressure was coming from all directions. He started throwing some balls off his back foot, which hurt his accuracy at times. We've said it numerous times befor,e but the one thing Barkley really needs to keep working at is his overall athleticism. Defenses are so fast in college and although Barkley does a nice job of making that first guy miss, if he can continue to improve his ability to escape in the pocket, it will be a huge plus for him down the road.

WR Victor Blackwell: It's scary to think Blackwell is just a sophomore and has two years of high school ball left. In fact, we won't be surprised if Blackwell picks up a handful of scholarship offers at some point this season. He really is the total package at receiver and as he continues to add size, strength and speed, he could be the top overall prospect in the state when he's a senior.

Blackwell has tremendous speed and showed it early in the first quarter, taking a short slant and racing 76 yards for a touchdown. He catches the ball with his hands rather than his body, has a solid frame and will be very well coached at Mater Dei.

WR Ario Winston: Winston is probably the Monarchs' second fastest player and had a 97 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in this game. He's not as big as Blackwell but has a nice burst and enough speed to stretch a defense.

Winston has soft hands, runs well after the catch and brings an added dimension with his ability on special teams. He's going to put up big numbers this year playing with Barkley and could get some looks at the lower Div I level.

DL Nick Losoya- With Ward out, Losoya is the Monarchs' top lineman on either side of the ball. He has good size at 6-1, 280 pounds, plays hard and is very tough. He's a better run stopper than a pass rusher right now and did a nice job most of the night clogging up the middle for the Monarchs.

He struggles at times getting off blocks, but Losoya loves to compete, plays very hard and gives max effort on every play. He's not a great athlete but makes up for it with his motor, and he does have the size to compete at the next level.

DB Chris Maldonado: Maldonado plays on both sides of the ball but projects better in the secondary for college. He was matched up most of the game with Marvray and did a very nice job in coverage. Several times he was in Marvray's hip pocket, but the receiver still was able to come down with the ball.

Maldonado has quick feet and is very good against the run. He's a physical player who does a nice job in press coverage. At 5-10, 170 pounds, he could be too small for safety, even though that could be his best college position.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Although ESPN's College Gameday will no longer be in Tempe Saturday when Arizona State hosts Georgia, there will still be plenty of buzz coming out of Sun Devil stadium.

ASU, coming off a tough loss a week ago to UNLV, will be hosting several top players on official visits this weekend for their big showdown with the No. 3 ranked Bulldogs.

Close to 10 players will be on campus, including several Sun Devils commitments. Defensive back Alex Logan and receiver Diante Jackson headline the list of players yet to make a college choice.

Logan, 6-2, 195 pounds from Denver-Mullen, is one of the nation's premier safety prospects. He had 109 tackles as a junior and is a sure tackler with very good speed. He'll visit Nebraska next weekend and will likely visit Cal, Oregon and Washington during the season.

Jackson, 6-2, 200 pounds from Walnut Creek (Calif.) Las Lomas, has already visited Oregon, which has a solid lead right now. The athlete will also visit Colorado in early October and then decide among those three schools.

Bruins look to bounce back

UCLA will attempt to rebound this week against Arizona after last weekend's brutal loss at BYU. With USC idle, you can bet many of the top juniors and seniors in the SoCal area will be at the Rose Bowl, and the Bruins will also be bringing in a pair of talented players from out of state.

The headliner is clearly Honolulu (Hawaii) Punahou linebacker Manti Te'o, the top player in the country at his position. Te'o recently cut his list to five and will be making an official visit to UCLA this weekend.

USC, BYU, Stanford and Notre Dame round out his top five and the Cougs and Trojans are the odds on favorites at this time. The one wildcard UCLA has in their favor is the Norm Chow factor.

Chow is a Punahou alum and like Te'o, is LDS, which the linebacker said is very important to him. Getting that first visit could be a big plus or a negative in recruiting. Players can get that 'wow' factor on that first visit and it could carry all the way until decision time.

There's also the fear of being out of sight, out of mind and when the player is ready to decide, he's going to remember the most recent schools he visited over his initial visit.

Also visiting UCLA on an unofficial visit is Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) Lake City tight end Billy Sanders. Sanders, 6-4, 235 pounds, committed to Miami way back in February, just a few weeks following national signing day for the Class of 2008.

The Canes were the first school to offer Sanders but schools have continued to recruit the talented tight end. UCLA, Washington, Washington State and Arizona are just a few of the schools who offered, and Sanders took an unofficial visit to Westwood to check out UCLA this past summer.

There has been talk that Sanders could even switch his commitment to the Bruins if things go well this weekend, so this will be one story worth monitoring closely.

West Notes
There are several marquee high school games this weekend with the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei- Corona (Calif.) Centennial contest as the headliner. The game pits two teams ranked in the top five in the state (Monarchs-#3, Huskies-#4) and is a rematch of one of the best games in the country a year ago.

Last season, the two teams combined for a state record 1,302 yards in the Monarchs 51-37 win. We don't expect the game to be anywhere near as high scoring but there will still be some serious talent on the field.

The Monarchs are led by the nation's top quarterback prospect in USC commit Matt Barkley and sophomore receiver Victor Blackwell, a player we expect to be a major national recruit in two years.

The Huskies counter with the nation's top inside 'backer in USC bound Vontaze Burfict, Nebraska-bound athlete Taylor Martinez and UCLA receiver commit Ricky Marvray.

Posted by Greg Biggins

The "soft" commitment from Inglewood (Calif.) receiver Shaquelle Evans to USC is huge on several fronts. Not only are the Trojans getting one of the elite receivers in the West, it puts a dagger in to the heart of their cross-town rivals at UCLA.

Evans, 6-1, 205 pounds, told us just a few weeks ago UCLA was the leader for his signature. He grew up a Bruins fan and the coaches at UCLA were making Evans their top offensive recruit. While USC is loaded at receiver, the Bruins have lacked a big-play threat at the position for years and Evans was/is really the only elite national receiver they're currently in on.

Things changed dramatically with Evans following USC's demolition of Ohio State last weekend. The talented athlete was on the sidelines for the game, and the fact that the big win coincided with UCLA losing to BYU 59-0 pushed the Trojans over the top.

According to Evans' mother Kalisha, the commitment to USC is a soft one and Shaq will stay take his official visits with a final decision coming in January. He still plans to visit Notre Dame in two weeks with Cal and Colorado on the docket as well.

Saying that, it's difficult to envision Evans signing with anyone else other than USC. The receiver has developed a relationship with several of the Trojans commitments, including quarterback Matt Barkley. He said he likes the idea of staying close to home and the team on the field appears to be rolling toward yet another BCS Bowl.

The irony is as good as Evans is, USC has several players just like him on the roster plus two other big-time receiver prospects already committed. For UCLA, Evans would have made its class.

Now we're not saying Pete Carroll and company recruited Evans just to keep him away from UCLA. We are saying the impact of his commitment to USC could have a greater impact on the Bruins than the Trojans in just how damaging it is in their desire to end the recruiting monopoly in Los Angeles Troy currently owns.

West Notes
• Staying with the Trojan theme, there was a recent report saying USC had cooled on Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro defensive tackle Corey Adams while making fellow Arizona lineman Craig Roh more of the priority.

That was actually backward as USC canceled Roh's scheduled visit to Los Angeles for this past weekend; Roh ended up announcing for Michigan Wednesday. In the meantime, Adams is still extremely high on their board and likely the top defensive tackle it is recruiting. Adams has narrowed his choices to USC, Arizona State and Ohio State and set up his first official visit to USC for the weekend of (Dec. 12).

• One player we're surprised is still sitting without a single scholarship offer is Encino (Calif.) Crespi athlete Kevin Cummings. Cummings, 6-2, 165 pounds, had a very impressive spring and summer and might have been the best player on the field during the Celts impressive 31-0 win over a solid Van Nuys (Calif.) Birmingham last weekend.

Cummings doesn't have blazing speed but makes up for it in so many different ways. He's a tall, lanky athlete with long arms and great hands. He catches the ball away from his body and uses his height very well. Despite his narrow frame, Cummings is a physical player and isn't afraid to mix it up on both sides of the ball.

As good as he is at receiver, he's equally as solid playing defensive back and could project as a big corner or, if he can bulk up and put on some more weight, a free safety. Now we're not saying he's a high level Pac-10 guy, but he can definitely somewhere on the Div I level and there are plenty of players with far less talent holding multiple offers at this time.

• Los Angeles-Loyola athlete Anthony Barr is one of the hottest junior recruits in the state. The 6-3, 220-pound running back is off to a fast start this season after rushing for 232 yards and two touchdowns in the Cubs first game of the season and following it up with a 161-yard, three-touchdown performance the following week.

With his size and frame, Barr likely projects better on defense down the road. Although he's a bulldozer at running back, he may outgrow the position and could be a monster linebacker in a few years. Notre Dame, USC and UCLA have all offered, but it would be an upset if Barr ends up anywhere other than in South Bend.

Barr's father is former Irish running back Tony Brooks and his uncle, Reggie, was also a big-time back for the Domers back in the day. Barr admits to being born raised on Notre Dame football and with plenty of family still in South Bend, look for the Irish to continue their impressive run of reeling in Cali players next year.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Last week we profiled J Serra (Gardena, Calif.) wide out Robert Woods following his impressive opening game performance in week one of the season. Earlier today we caught up with Woods to talk about not only his college favorites but what motivates him on the football field.

As we said previously, Woods could be the top recruit in Southern California for the Class of 2010. He's an explosive two-way player, but he prefers receiver and said that's where most of the schools are recruiting him.

"I like to have the ball in my hands," Woods said. "When I first started playing Pop Warner when I was six, I was one of the bigger kids on my team so I played defensive end. I didn't get moved to receiver until I was 13 or 14 years old."

As a freshman at J Serra, Woods started out at quarterback and played his first eight games on the freshman team before moving to varsity for the last four games of the year.

He then exploded his sophomore season, earning all-state underclass honors at receiver as well as league defensive player of the year. This was all despite having to play through the tragic death of his older sister during the year.

"She was my best friend and the one I looked up to more than anyone," Woods said. "She died of cancer, she was only 17 and we did everything together. Now, I'm out there playing for her and every time I step on the field, I'm thinking about her.

He writes her name, Olivia, on the tape wrapped around his wrists.

"She was always my biggest fan when I played and I know she's still watching. That motivates me to go all out on every play to make her proud."

Woods still has two years left of high school ball but will have his choice of just about any school in the country with offers already from USC, UCLA, Cal Arizona State, Stanford and Colorado.

"I'm open right now but I do like the Pac 10 and kind of grew up a USC fan since that was who my family liked," said Woods.

"USC is on top right now and blowing everyone out but I like UCLA too and feel they're on the rise. I want to take some trips before I commit anywhere and will probably decide sometime during the middle of my senior season."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Spanish Fork (Utah) tight end Richard Wilson has set up three October visits and could be making his college choice in early November.

"My first visit is with Miami [Oct. 4]," Wilson said. "Then I have Stanford [Oct. 11] and LSU [Oct. 25]. I'm going to visit BYU as well, but I haven't set that one up yet, and that will likely be it for me."

Wilson was in attendance at this weekend's BYU-UCLA game. One has to assume he was impressed by the Cougars' sheer dominance of the opposition.

"I like BYU a lot, and I like how much they use the tight end in their offense," Wilson said. "I know my family would like to see me stay close by, but I still want to take my visits."

Wilson will be joined at the game by good friend and elite 2010 quarterback prospect Jake Heaps. Heaps -- a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder from Issaquah (Wash.) Skyline -- has double-digit scholarship offers. Wilson may have given us a hint on whom the junior signal-caller has leading at this time.

When we jokingly asked Wilson if he would be recruiting Heaps to BYU during the game, the tight end responded "It's actually the other way around."

•  Eugene (Ore.) Sheldon offensive lineman Charles Siddoway has set up his first two visits, and both will be in Pac-10 country.

"I have UCLA [Sept. 26] and Cal [Oct. 3]," Siddoway said. "I want to take as many visits as I can during the season so I can soak in the game atmosphere and see what things are like on game day.

"Alabama and Oregon are other schools I like a lot, and Arizona State just offered me and I'm very interested in them as well. I camped with Alabama this summer and loved it there. They offered me at the camp, and I really enjoyed my time there and plan on going back for a visit.

"I still want to keep at least one visit open because there are some pretty big-name schools still recruiting me that just want to see some early game film before they offer."

•  Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger defensive back Dijon Washington is in the process of setting up his first official visit to Nebraska.

"I need to lock in the date, but they mentioned they want me to get out there in January," Washington said. "I like Nebraska a lot, and that's probably my top school.

"I'm an aggressive safety and I love to come up and make the big hit. I think my style fits the Big 12 pretty well. I would like to take all my visits before I make a decision, and I'm not in any hurry to decide right now."

In addition to Nebraska, Washington also has been offered by Oregon State, Washington, Washington State and San Diego State.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Although All-American linebacker Manti Te'o steals most of the headlines at Honolulu (Hawaii) Punahou, running back Dalton Hilliard is a major Division I recruit as well.

Hilliard, 5-11, 185 pounds is one of the top five recruits in Hawaii this year. He's a three-year starter and was one of the standouts at the NIKE Camp at Stanford last Spring.

"Recruiting is going really well right now," Hilliard said. "That NIKE Camp really opened up a lot of doors for me. After the camp, ESPN did an article on me and things picked up a lot after that.

Hilliard says he has gotten calls from every Pac 10 school and four or five others. He also was nominated for both the Under Armour and US Army All-American games.

Hilliard has some ideas on which schools he wants to visit.

"I haven't set up any official visits yet but I know four of the schools I'll be visiting," he said. "I'm going to take trips to Nebraska, Stanford, Colorado and Arizona and I'm just trying to work out what weekend's those visits will be right now.

"I'm hoping to get an offer from UCLA or Cal and one of those two would be my final visit. They both seem interested so hopefully that comes after they see some of my senior film."

West notes

• Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne defensive back Byron Moore talked the talk, and he was able to back it up this past weekend. The Gauchos took on Inglewood, and their star receiver Shaquelle Evans, on Friday. Moore issued some bulletin board material prior to the game.

"We want to shut Inglewood down and I want to shut Shaq down," Moore told the L.A Times. "That means no catches, zero catches. He probably thinks he has game. And he does have game. But he better remember who is back there in the secondary waiting for the big hit. There could be trouble waiting for him."

Moore, a USC commit and one of the region's premier safety prospects, had a big game as the Gauchos defense held Evans to just two catches and none after the first quarter.

"He caught a 73 yard touchdown on our corner early in the game," Moore said. "After that, I switched over on him and covered him the rest of the night. He didn't catch a single ball on me, I totally shut him down.

"He was celebrating pretty good after that touchdown but when I started guarding him, he was pretty quiet the rest of the night."

In Evans' defense, he was suffering through leg cramps almost the entire game. Still, there are few players who have seen their stock rise more than Moore's since last fall. On Friday, he proved why he is one of the country's top DB prospects.

• The best player on the field in the Narbonne-Inglewood game may have been Gauchos' junior safety Sean Parker. Parker, who measures at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, is a member of the ESPNU 150 Watch List. He was all over the field delivering several big time hits.

Parker also returned two interceptions for touchdowns including a 95 yarder that put the game away early in the fourth quarter. He returned a pick 45 yards for a score later in the quarter.

Parker already has scholarship offers from Michigan, Stanford and Arizona. Word is USC head coach Pete Carroll will be in attendance at the Gauchos next game this coming weekend.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Three years ago, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) had a class for the ages sending 11 players to college, including nine who signed with high-profile Division I schools.

Quarterback Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) led the way followed by talented running back Marc Tyler (USC), safety Marshall Jones (USC), linebacker Casey Matthews (Oregon) and defensive lineman Duke Lemmens (Florida), to name a few.

Oaks has remained a powerhouse program and their current junior class (2010) is emerging as another one loaded with talent.

"I don't think we'll quite be like the Clausen class but we'll be close," Lions coach Bill Redell said. "We should have seven players sign at the Div I level and five of those seven are guys that will be big-time, national recruits."

The top player on the board as of now looks to be running back Malcolm Jones, younger brother of Trojans safety Marshall Jones.

"Malcolm reminds me a lot of Darrell Scott from last year," Redell said. "He's about 6-2, 210 with speed and power. He doesn't have the wiggle right now that Tyler had but I think by the time he's a senior, he'll be similar to what Scott was last year."

Jones has early offers from Oregon and Stanford and Redell said the Cardinal are his top choice right now.

"Everyone will be on him before it's over though," Redell said. "USC loves him, the whole Pac-10 knows about him. The thing with Malcolm is he may be just as good a linebacker. If you asked our defensive coordinator Clay Matthews, he would tell you he should play linebacker in college and he probably could."

Quarterback Nick Montana, son of legendary 49er QB Joe Montana, has an early offer from Stanford and has made big strides in the last year. Montana was a backup at national powerhouse De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) but really wasn't a great fit in the Spartans veer offense.

He transferred to Oaks in the spring and is drawing raves from the coaching staff.

"He has really surprised me," Redell said. "He has a very good arm and I've noticed it getting a lot stronger since he has been here. He has good size, he's mobile and has good command on the field. He's a lot more athletic than I thought as well. In our first game, he had a 49 yard run and I think he's going to have everyone after him just like Jones."

Linebacker Zach Stout, 6-2, 210, pounds has an early offer from Oregon State on the table.

"Zach is a high-motor kid who can really run," Redell said. "He doesn't miss tackles and has the ability to play inside or outside in college. I think he'll play outside because of his speed and has the frame to get a lot bigger as well."

Cassius Marsh, a 6-5, 265-pound defensive lineman, and Erik Kohler, a 6-4, 255-pound offensive lineman, should be two of the more heavily-recruited linemen a year from now.

"Marsh is our top lineman and a dominant player on both sides of the ball. He projects as a defensive tackle and is really good. Clay Matthews thinks he's a USC caliber recruit and that's saying a lot.

"He's great on offense too but defensively, he's really strong and he prefers defense as well. He plays with a motor, has good technique and is very physical.

"Kohler projects as a tackle and is very athletic. He has good feet, plays hard and is still growing in to his body. No one has offered either of those two kids yet but I think both will have their share before the season is over."

Another player to keep your eye on is Alani Fua. Fua is a 6-4, 210-pound defensive end and the younger brother of Stanford defensive lineman Sione Fua.

"Alani isn't where those other five are at now but he has a real chance to be a good one. He's very athletic and plays on the volleyball team. I like his upside a lot and he just needs to continue to work hard on mature. He's going to get bigger, his dad is 400 pounds so he'll continue to grow and add strength and has definite Division I ability."

Carr still impresses in loss to Oaks Christian
We've said it several times but it bears repeating: this year's class of quarterbacks from California is one of the deepest in recent memory.

Matt Barkley (USC) and Richard Brehaut (UCLA) are the headliners but over 25 Cali signal callers have received scholarship offers and 20 have already made college commitments.

As a result of the incredible depth, a handful of very good prospects have gone overlooked. One player we feel is vastly underrated nationally and locally is Bakersfield Christian (Calif.) signal caller Derek Carr.

Carr, 6-2, 185, pounds has committed to Fresno State and was one of the standouts at the Elite 11 regional workout in Berkeley last spring. Carr, the younger brother of former NFL No. 1 overall pick and current New York Giants QB David Carr, saw his team fall 35-7 in a season opening game to the loaded Oaks Christian squad.

Despite the loss, Carr drew some high praise from Bill Redell following the game.

"I'll tell you what, Carr is probably the best quarterback I've coached against," Redell said. "I saw him in a scrimmage and then watched a lot of film and he's a great player.

"He has good size, a very good arm and he battled us all game long. We really came after him and knocked him down a number of times but he just kept getting back up every time we hit him. I would put him right up there with Kyle Boller (Baltimore Ravens QB) in terms of quarterbacks I've seen, and I think he's going to be an incredible player."

Redell made a point to say he wasn't including quarterbacks he has coached in the conversation.

"No, Jimmy Clausen is still the best I've had or seen," Redell said. "That Carr kid can play though, I wouldn't be surprised if they win every other game they play this year."

Another quarterback we've been high up for the last three years is Danville (Calif.) San Ramon Valley's Joe Southwick. Whereas Carr is overlooked because he plays for a small school and transferred in from Texas, Southwick is knocked for his size (6-1, 180).

Make no mistake about it, Southwick is a player and has a chance to be a special talent at Boise State. Despite his lack of stature, he has a live arm, spins it well and is very accurate. More than his physical tools however, it's Southwick's make up as a quarterback that makes him special.

The signal caller is just a gamer and someone who thrives on competition. He's tough as nails, a natural leader and a great teammate. If you're looking for a comparison, think of BYU quarterback Max Hall, also about 6-1 but one of the nation's best at his position.

"I'm taking my official visit to Boise State this weekend," Southwick said. "We also play our first game on Friday so I have a lot going on this week and I'm very excited. I like our team a lot and I think we have a chance to have a big season.

"As for Boise State, I can't wait to get there. I'm focusing on my senior season of course but I'm excited to be a Bronco and feel it's a great fit for me there. The coaches really made me feel wanted from the time I was offered and that meant a lot to me."

Posted by Greg Biggins

One of the elite running backs out West is Moreno Valley (Calif.) Rancho Verde standout Daniel Jenkins. Jenkins, 5-9, 175 pounds, got his season off to a fast start last weekend rushing for 190 yards on 19 carries with three touchdowns in the Mustangs easy 35-0 win over Los Angeles Fremont.

"I did OK," Jenkins said. "I was hoping to go for 300 yards in the game but as long as I keep improving every game and we win, I'll be happy. It was cool because Coach Watson from USC was there and they've started to recruit me now.

"I'll be going to the game this weekend when USC plays Ohio State. That should be a huge game and I think just about every top player in Southern C-A and beyond will be there for that one."

On the recruiting front, Jenkins said he's really focusing on the season right now but is paying plenty of attention to his recruitment.

"I'm in the process of setting up my visits but still need to lock in the dates," Jenkins said. "I'm probably just going to take unofficial visits to USC and UCLA since the schools are so close to my house and I can just drive down there.

"Syracuse, Arizona, Washington and Nevada are the other schools I'm talking to about visiting. I still have the same offers as I did back in the summer -- Arizona, Nevada, Washington State and New Mexico. I'll probably take some visits during the season and a few after and then be ready to make my decision."

Oregon on top for Jackson after visit
Walnut Creek (Calif.) Las Lomas wide receiver Diante Jackson took his first official visit two weeks ago to check out the Oregon Ducks. The trip went great and Jackson gave serious thought to ending the recruiting process right there, but the athlete will take two more visits before pulling the trigger.

Jackson, 6-2, 200 pounds, is one of the top players in the region and had a big junior season a year ago. The receiver caught 65 balls for 1,276 yards and 19 touchdowns to earn all-area and 2nd team all-state underclass honors.

"My trip to Oregon was great," Jackson said. "I took an unofficial there in the summer, so this was my second time checking out the place. Basically I liked everything about the visit, there wasn't one single negative about the trip.

"The weather was great, I got along well with everyone, I bonded well with all the coaches, I love the fan support and of course the facilities there are incredible. Chris Harper was my host and he was real cool to hang out with.

"Markus Wheaton was there with me and we both talked about committing but I really want to see a few places before I do that. I'm going to Arizona State (Sept. 19) and Colorado (Oct. 4). Those will likely be my last visits and then I'll be ready to make my decision. Oregon is my top school right now though."

Posted by Greg Biggins

There aren't too many defensive linemen in the West more athletic or explosive than Las Vegas Silverado standout Keenan Graham. Graham will head to SoCal this weekend on an unofficial visit and recently set up his first two official visits.

Graham, 6-3, 215 pounds, racked up 82 tackles and 13 sacks as a junior. He then lit up the NIKE Combine in Long Beach last March where he clocked a 4.59 40 (electronic SPARQ time) and jumped 32 inches in the vertical.

On the recruiting front, Graham has a handful of favorites and has really cut his list down to a workable five or six schools.

"UCLA is my top school right now. I really like them a lot but I want to take all my visits before I commit anywhere," he said. "Once I'm done with my trips, I can weight all the schools together and decide where the best fit for me is."

Graham, who says he enjoyed his trip to USC in April, will again unofficially visit USC this weekend for the Ohio State game.

He has set official visits for Wisconsin on Oct. 11 and Colorado Oct. 18 and plans to visit UCLA, Virginia Tech and either Hawaii or Tennessee.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Although he said his commitment to Notre Dame is rock solid, Oxnard (Calif.) Santa Clara running back Cierre Wood told us he still plans to make a few official visits.

"I just want to take my visits to see what is out there and have some fun with it," Wood said. "I'm sold on Notre Dame, that won't change, but I've heard from so many people how fun the visits are so I plan on taking at least two or three."

Wood said two schools he'll visit for sure are UCLA and Florida. Cal is a strong possibility as well.

"Of course I'll visit Notre Dame too," Wood added. "I'm still getting recruited pretty heavily, I thought it would slow down when I committed but it really hasn't."