ESPN West recruiting Blog

Posted by Greg Biggins

Linebacker Aramide Olaniyan (Woodberry, Va./Woodberry Forest) took an official visit to UCLA this past weekend and it sounds like the talented athlete could be headed West to play his college ball.

Olaniyan was one of the top linebackers I saw during the entire Nike Camp tour and was LB MVP at the Nike Camp in Virginia last spring. He has played a lot of defensive end in high school, but projects as an outside linebacker in college and has huge upside potential.

He made an early commitment to Duke, but backed off last September saying he wanted to open up his options to be sure of his decision. He has taken several unofficial visits in the last few months and has seen Michigan, North Carolina and Duke several times.

"The visit to UCLA was the best visit I've taken so far," Olaniyan said. "My mom came with me and I want to come back with my dad to show him what UCLA is all about. My parents are very influential in my decision and my mom really loved it there.

"I just loved everything about the school. Los Angeles is a beautiful city and UCLA has a great campus. I really enjoyed speaking with the players and coaches and it was nice to be in the locker room after the game and see how excited everyone was after the win.

"My parents are all about academics and UCLA has a lot to offer there. I want to go to law school and that's where coach (Rick) Neuheisel has his background, so it was cool to have that connection with him."

Olaniyan said he plans to take two more visits in December and then make his decision.

"I have Duke set for (Dec. 4) and North Carolina (Dec. 11)," Olaniyan said. "I'll make my commitment right after those visits. If I get invited to an All-American game, I'll announce then in January but otherwise, I'll do it in mid-December after my last visit."

Slavin enjoys Nebraska

Wide out Tyler Slavin (Corona, Calif./ Roosevelt) took his second official visit of the year this past weekend to Nebraska. He visited Arizona back in October.

Slavin is a big, physical receiver with very good hands. He may not have the speed to stretch the field, but the 6-foot-1, 191 pounder is a very nice looking possession receiver with excellent body control and he knows how to use his size to his advantage.

"Nebraska was great, it was the best trip I've taken so far," Slavin said. "The crowd atmosphere at the game was crazy and the fans are so in to it there. It seems like the fans were as excited about the recruits as they were about the game.

"The facilities were another thing that stood out and the coaches really stressed academics and how many academic All-Americans the school has produced. I got along really well with the players and coaches and I just felt really comfortable my whole time there."

Slavin said despite the great visit, he was never tempted to commit and wants to take his remaining visits.

"I don't have dates yet, but I plan to visit Stanford and Washington," Slavin said. "The next time I talk to the coaches, hopefully I'll be able to work out a date with them. Right now, Nebraska is my top school, but I want to finish off my trips so I can make sure I'm making the right decision."

Will Martin visit this weekend?

Defensive end Chris Martin (Grandview, Colo./ Aurora) took an official visit to Notre Dame a few weeks back and may take another official visit this coming weekend.

Martin is still a solid commitment to Notre Dame, but has said previously that he could take a few official visits and is considering checking out the Big 12 this weekend.

"I may visit Oklahoma but I'm still looking in to it," Martin said. "I would say there's a 15 percent chance of it happening. I'm also looking at possibly visiting Florida at the end of the month and I also want to try and get back to the home state and maybe check out USC, UCLA or Cal."

Martin said his visit schedule could be determined by how well Aurora does in their playoff run.

"Hopefully we make a long run all the way into December," Martin said. "We're looking good and I'm having a lot of fun playing with these guys. Right now, nothing is set in stone, I'm just going to see how I feel about everything and kind of play it by ear."