ESPN College Football Recruiting

Under Armour All-America cornerback John Fulton (Manning, S.C.) plans to narrow his list soon, perhaps as early as Friday. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder has offers from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Clemson, NC State and Maryland.

"I am going to sit down and talk with my parents and try to name a top 5," Fulton said. "But even if I name a top 5, that may change later on."

At this point, many feel that the Crimson Tide and Gators are the strong out-of-state players but that Fulton could very well end up at one of the in-state programs, South Carolina or Clemson.

Fulton has been timed as fast as 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has the size that many college programs are looking for in a cornerback, particularly in the Southeastern Conference, where bigger receivers like A.J. Green (Georgia) and Julio Jones (Alabama) should be among the league's most dominant players in the coming seasons.

Fulton isn't the only talented prospect in Manning. ESPNU150 Watch List defensive end Dexter Morant says that there are three schools out in front for his services and that he could be making a decision within the next 120 days.

"I want to commit before my season starts," he said. "I will probably wait until August, but it just depends on when I see one that I really like and if it's where I really want to be. I have a top 3 right now, and really, it is Georgia, Florida and Alabama."

The 6-foot-7, 235-pound Morant has been to all three schools unofficially.

"Right now there is nothing that really separates them, I like about the same thing from each one of them," he said. "They all have great campuses and great academic areas and graduation rates. Also they all have good football teams so I could go there and be seen."

The Leaderboard

There are some talented running backs in the 2010 class. Here are some current projections for five of the country's top running back prospects. Keep in mind that these are educated guesses at this point, particularly this early in the process.

• Mack Brown (Lithonia, Ga./Martin Luther King): Florida
He is extremely high on the Gators and fits in well with their offense.

• Michael Dyer (Little Rock, Ark./Little Rock Christian): Auburn
Sources don't think he's a lock, but the Tigers are strongest.

• Malcolm Jones (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian): Stanford
Word around the Los Angeles Nike Camp was that the Cardinal may land another big one.

• Marcus Lattimore (Duncan, S.C./James F. Byrnes): Florida State
Jimbo Fisher has done a great job building a relationship, and as many as four former teammates could be at FSU with him.

• Lache Seastrunk (Temple, Texas): Auburn
The Tigers have done a great job building this relationship.

Breaking Through

One thing that jumped out from the RB projections is the current momentum that Stanford and Auburn have at the moment. The Tigers and Cardinal have been two of the more unlikely noisemakers early in the 2010 recruiting cycle. Will it hold up? Time will tell. But at the moment things are looking good in Auburn and Palo Alto for a breakthrough recruiting year.

While I'm on the subject of breakthrough recruiting efforts, there are five programs that you may not have thought about in recent years when you thought recruiting but that have good momentum right now. Of course, Auburn and Stanford are on this list.

Auburn: Gene Chizik's staff has been very impressive in recruiting thus far.

California: The Golden Bears have some nice players committed and have expanded their reach.

North Carolina: It's not really a surprise that Butch Davis and staff can sell this program.

NC State: It is a surprise how well the Pack have been able to match that ability and land solid talent of their own.

Stanford: Other schools make excuses about tough academics; Stanford sells it well.

Honorable mention: Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Boston College and Texas Tech.

Creating a Buzz

This changes as recruiting ebbs and flows throughout the cycle, but here are five schools that are hot with the prospects right now.

Auburn: When you lead for what could be the top three running backs in the country, that's impressive.

Florida: Two national titles in three seasons have the Gators hotter than ever.

Michigan: The Wolverines are selling their offense, tradition and playing time all at once.

USC: When the country's top prospects are giddy simply because you offer, you know you are doing something right.

Stanford: We keep talking about the Cardinal, but prospects are digging Palo Alto and the campus along with the other things they are selling.

Honorable mention: LSU, Oregon, Florida State and Alabama.

Recruiter To Watch

Willie Taggart, running backs coach, Stanford
The Palmetto, Fla., native recruits Georgia, Florida and Kentucky for the Cardinal and is responsible for landing Under Armour All-America receiver Tai-ler Jones (Gainesville, Ga.) in this class after getting Under Armour All-America receiver Jamal Patterson (McDonough, Ga./Henry County) in the 2009 class. He relates well to recruits, and Jones recently commented that Taggart did a "great job" recruiting him and building a relationship with him. This was very important for a prospect who is going to play more than 2,500 miles from home. Honorable mention: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State; Tosh Lupoi, California; Trooper Taylor, Auburn; Sal Sunseri, Alabama

Coast To Coast Notes

Philly tackle to Beantown?
Look for offensive tackle Seth Betancourt (Philadelphia/St. Joseph's) to commit to Boston College sometime in the next 48 hours. The talented 6-6, 295-pounder wants to stay close to home so his parents can see him play and is extremely high on the Eagles' program.

At least one college coach felt that Betancourt was a national-level recruit and gives BC another headlining prospect to go along with quarterback Joe Boisture (Saline, Mich.). Linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis (Stamford, Conn./King Low Heywood Thomas) is another solid prospect who currently rounds out the Eagles' class.

White to be hooked?
It's no secret that the Texas Longhorns under Mack Brown have been having great success recruiting early. In fact, though we are in the middle of the spring evaluation period, it's somewhat late to be talking about a major prospect whom Texas wants but who has not committed, especially one from the Lone Star State.

But Under Armour All-America wide receiver Darius White (Fort Worth, Texas/Dunbar) is that kind of player. While the Longhorns are the favorite, Oklahoma and, to a lesser extent, Oklahoma State are still factors.

The Sooners have made an offer to White's teammate, linebacker Rashod Favors. If the Sooners land Favors, it could give them some help with the 6-4, 200-pound White. Still, White is not expected to be any sort of a package deal. The Cowboys have offered White a chance to play basketball. Some believe that could help OSU, along with an offer to a third Dunbar teammate, athlete Dominique Sanders.

Expect White to make a decision in May. Safe bet here is that White ends up a Longhorn with the Sooners coming in second.

Next in Texas
Since Texas gets out in front of it so early, it's never too soon to start looking at some of the top in-state prospects for the 2011 recruiting cycle. Currently, most of the talk is about a trio of talented running backs for the next class. Keep an eye on Malcolm Brown (Cibolo, Texas/Steele), Aaron Green (San Antonio/Madison) and Bradley Marquez (Odessa, Texas).

The 6-foot, 218-pound Brown rushed for more than 1,300 yards last season in seven games. He also runs track, and some believe he could be the state's top prospect for the Class of 2011. Texas and Oklahoma are showing early interest.

Green was a first-team all-district selection last season, rushing for 2,024 yards and 27 touchdowns. The 5-11, 180-pounder recently picked up a verbal offer from Georgia to go along with those of Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

Marquez rushed for 1,743 yards and 21 touchdowns last season and had another 484 yards and five touchdowns receiving. Texas, along with LSU and Oklahoma, is showing early interest in the 5-11, 175-pounder.

Gators coming hard
Under Armour All-American Corey Brown (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) is a versatile prospect who could play running back, receiver or both in college, so it's no surprise that Florida is a team that is highly interested in the speedy prospect.

Brown says the Gators and Urban Meyer currently are recruiting him the hardest. While he did not come out and name a leader, you get the feeling that he is very high on the defending national champions.

"I talk to coach Meyer a lot," Brown said. "They are by far recruiting me the hardest right now. I just like everything about Florida. I like the lifestyle, the weather, and they have great academics."

Brown added that he likes the academics at Penn State and believes he could play early should he stay in state and head to Happy Valley. He has more than 30 total scholarship offers and plans to narrow his list to five to 10 schools in the next couple of weeks.

Assistant coaches Steve Addazio of Florida, Sal Sunseri of Alabama and G.A. Mangus of South Carolina were at Cardinal O'Hara checking up on Brown on Wednesday as part of the spring evaluation process.

Two out in front for Joyner
Under Armour All-America cornerback Lamarcus Joyner (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) currently has Ohio State and Florida State in a dead heat for his services. He also may make a decision this summer and end the recruiting process before the season.

Joyner holds scholarship offers from most of the top programs in the country, but the Buckeyes and Noles have been out in front for some time.

More interest for Wilkerson
Running back Anthony Wilkerson (Tustin, Calif.) holds offers from UCLA, Stanford, Washington and Utah. All four are excellent programs, but it's a modest list compared to those of some of the other backs in Southern California in this class.

To be fair, the area is loaded at the position, but Wilkerson rushed for 2,300 yards and 35 touchdowns last season and stood out among some of the better players at the recent Los Angeles Nike Football Training Camp. But schools have started to take a look during the spring evaluation period.

"Coach Jim McElwain from Alabama came by to check on me the other day," Wilkerson said. "He took my tape and told my coach they were interested. Arizona also wants my tape, and they are also interested."

Wilkerson added that he recently started to send out some new film of his junior season and that he thinks interest will pick up. He also had good things to say about the Bruins, Cardinal, Huskies and Utes, the four teams that have already offered.

Vegas D-lineman likes Bruins
Class of 2011 defensive lineman Jalen Grimble (Las Vegas/Bishop Gorman) plans on attending the USC rising stars camp in June. UCLA, however, is the early team to beat despite the attention from the Trojans and the fact that his cousin, Under Armour All-America tight end Xavier Grimble, just committed to the Trojans.

Audibles
Receiver Dyjuan Lewis (Indianapolis/Pike) recently visited Cincinnati and enjoyed his time. Michigan State, Kentucky, Illinois, Purdue and others have made offers to the 6-3, 186-pounder. … Syracuse and Louisville have offered to running back Kamal Hogan (Montvale, N.J./St. Joseph's). … Sleeper cornerback Tony Grimes (Hollywood Hills, Fla.) picked up an offer from Texas Tech last week and is on the verge of his second offer from South Carolina. Oregon has been on him from the start, and the Ducks are in good shape at this point, as is South Florida. … Most of the scuttlebutt around Under Armour All-American Jordon James' recruitment continues to be wide open, but if USC offers, that would grab his attention. So far, no offer from the Trojans. … Look for defensive tackle Shawn Green's (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) stock to continue to rise after a stellar showing at the Atlanta Under Armour Combine on Sunday. Green tested well with a 4.53-second shuttle and was dominant in the one-on-one drills. Florida State and Ole Miss are among the programs that have already offered.

JC Shurburtt covers recruiting for ESPN.com. He can be reached at jcsespn@aol.com.