ESPN College Football Recruiting

It's been a busy time for running back Brennan Clay (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch). Aided by an impressive performance at the Los Angeles Nike Football Training Camp in April, interest in the speedy back has risen during the spring evaluation period.

"Recruiting has picked up a ton with all of the coaches coming by the school to check up on me," Clay said. "They can't really talk to me, but they are all trying to get that look at me and get the inside scoop from my coaches. I have been focused on school and running track right now, though."

Clay does not publicly name a leader, but one program that could have the inside track is Michigan, which signed quarterback Tate Forcier out of Scripps Ranch in the Class of 2009. Forcier is already in Ann Arbor, participated in spring practice and currently is competing for the Wolverines' starting job.

"I loved playing with [Forcier]," Clay said. "I love the players on the team and I love the Michigan coaches. I enjoy talking with [Wolverines head coach] Rich Rodriguez and [quarterbacks coach and area recruiter] Rod Smith. Honestly, they would be my top school if I had a top school. I just really like that program."

Michigan, Georgia, Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford, Washington and Washington State all have offers on the table for Clay. And perennial title contender Oklahoma recently offered.

"[Oklahoma assistant] Cale Gundy and I talked to each other on the phone recently," Clay said. "We talked about the recruiting process and taking care of business in the classroom and on the athletic field. He told me that Oklahoma usually has a power back and that they were looking for a back like me to change things up."

But the two schools located up the highway in Los Angeles, USC and UCLA, have yet to jump in.

"With UCLA, they have not offered, but I expect them to roll one out to me soon," Clay said. "With USC, they put a great deal into finding the top running backs. I actually spoke with [Trojans assistant] Johnnie Morton the other day and he told me that he was going to try to get down here and get some film of my spring game so he can show it to [USC head coach] Pete Carroll.

"They've been offering running backs left and right, though, so I guess they have found the players they are looking for at that position."

There are three major things that Clay is looking for in a college.

"Academics are first and foremost," he said. "I want to go to a good school academically where I can get a good degree, just in case something freakish happens and the real world comes crashing down on me. The second is my relationship with the coaches. I have to be comfortable with the coaches. The last thing is the environment of the school. I have to be there for the next 4 or 5 years, so I have to make sure that I like the environment of the school and the surroundings."

While not as highly recognized nationally as other parts of Southern California, San Diego puts out its share of talent. Reggie Bush, for example, is a San Diego product. Clay talked about the talent in his area and how he feels about being a part of what is a budding tradition of sending excellent prospects to Division I.

"It's such a great honor," he said. "To follow a guy like Reggie Bush, who is such a great athlete. I just want to be in his place some day. We have good running backs here in San Diego this year. We have guys like Dillon Baxter [Mission Bay, committed to USC], Tony Jefferson [Eastlake in Chula Vista, projects as a linebacker] and we also have some receivers, too, like Kenny Stills [La Costa Canyon, Nike Camp receiver MVP]. So San Diego puts it out."

The Leaderboard

It's no secret that South Florida (Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County) is loaded at receiver for the Class of 2010. Here's a look at five of the top prospects and their current school projection.

• Chris Dunkley, Pahokee: Florida.
He won't decide for a while, but Dunkley loves the Gators.

• De'Joshua Johnson, Pahokee: Florida State.
Florida State has been the team to beat for some time.

• James Louis, Delray Beach Atlantic: Florida.
While he's considering Miami, LSU, Virginia Tech and South Florida, most believe he is Gainesville-bound.

• Ivan McCartney, Miramar: Too close to call between Florida and Miami.
He is giving off good vibes to both the Gators and the Canes.

• Ted Meline, Miami Booker T. Washington: Georgia.
He loved his unofficial visit to Georgia and could commit soon.

These projections likely tell us absolutely nothing unless all five of these guys sign with those five schools on Feb. 3, 2010, but they do show that defending national champion Florida is awfully strong right now. The Gators and Urban Meyer look like they'll be adding more speed to a program that Meyer hopes remains the fastest in college football.

The Hot Sell

Here's a spotlight on a hot school in recruiting right now.

Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes have been excellent for a while now and an offer from OSU is still the gold standard for prospects in the state of Ohio. What has been impressive about Jim Tressel and his staff, though, is they are able to compete nationally for players as well now. The talent-laden Buckeye State has and always will be the focus, but many prospects from across the country are now chatting up OSU, a trend that has been developing in the past five years.

The Buckeyes already have five commits, including three from players on the ESPN Watch List. They are also in the running for many other top players, including four Under Armour All-Americans and 10 players on the ESPN Watch List.

Honorable Mention: Southern California, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Florida State.

Recruiter To Watch

Sal Sunseri, defensive line coach, Alabama
Sunseri recently joined Nick Saban's staff after a stint in the NFL and he is already making noise on the recruiting trail, getting a commitment from Under Armour All-American quarterback Phillip Sims (Chesapeake, Va./Oscar Smith).

"He's a great coach and a great recruiter and one of the reasons I committed." Sims said.

He also has the Crimson Tide in the game with players like offensive lineman James Stone (Nashville, Tenn./Maplewood) and Under Armour All-Americans Corey Brown (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) and Jordan Hicks (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West).

"I thought coach was a cool dude. I could tell by looking at him that he knew his stuff," Brown said.

Though he was coming in from the NFL, Sunseri isn't exactly new to recruiting. He signed Ben Wilkerson, Andrew Whitworth and Rudy Niswanger, among others, when he was an assistant at LSU. Prior to that, he signed Sean Gilbert and Curtis Martin while he was an assistant at Pitt. Sunseri's current work is an example of how Saban has extended the Tide's recruiting reach. Alabama now is competitive across the country for players while signing most of the top players out of the Yellowhammer State.

Also keep an eye on:
• Bill Bedenbaugh, Arizona: Has made headway in the state of Illinois for the Wildcats.

• Joe Gordon, Kansas State: Program insiders say he's rekindled interest from Kansas and Missouri prospects and renewed focus on the Dallas Metroplex.

• Jeep Hunter, South Carolina: Recruiting talent-laden South Florida hard for the Gamecocks.

• Larry Johnson, Penn State: Known nationally for his recruiting ability and off to a fast start momentum-wise again.

• John Neal, Oregon: Coaching insiders say Neal could be the best recruiter in the entire Pac-10.

• Rod Smith, Michigan: Great feedback from recruits on his relationship-building ability.

Coast To Coast Notes

Phillips proud of home state, but no lock to stay there
Wide receiver Shakim Phillips (Wayne, N.J./DePaul Catholic) holds 15 scholarship offers as West Virginia, Louisville, Duke, Connecticut, Syracuse, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona, Wisconsin and Boston College all have jumped in.

The 6-foot-2, 191-pounder is as wide open as it gets.

"I am still kind of taking everything in," he said. "I want to get out and learn about the different colleges that have offered me."

Phillips, who said he is going to be looking at academics (he wants to major in business management), the player-coach relationship and football tradition, talked about the number of players that played high school football in New Jersey (seven) being selected in the first round of the recent NFL draft.

"It's just great to know that people came from Jersey," Phillips said. "It just shows that New Jersey has good football and not all of the good schools are down in the South."

Trojans push for Trail
Defensive end Lynden Trail (Miami, Fla./Booker T. Washington) was considered a heavy lean to Florida until he received an offer from USC. And just like that, the Trojans are suddenly a major player for the 6-7, 205-pounder.

Trail has great speed, so once he adds bulk to his frame, his upside is obvious. That's why it's not surprising two of the nation's top programs are poised to battle it out for his services. Still, when all is said and done, Florida prospects typically stay in Florida if they have an offer from the Gators, Miami or Florida State. Trail has all three.

Tigers still on top
LSU still is in the driver's seat for receiver Justin Hunter (Virginia Beach/Ocean Lakes), the Under Armour All-American confirmed earlier this week. The 6-4, 172-pounder is being recruited by D.J. McCarthy, one of the top recruiters in the Southeastern Conference and it would not be surprising to see him commit on his next unofficial visit to Baton Rouge should the Tigers' momentum continue here.

Cougars making noise
Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin and his staff are catching the eye of some observers of Texas recruiting. The Cougars recently picked up a verbal from receiver DeAndre Perry (Austin, Texas/Bowie), a prospect many hold in high regard in the Lone Star State. Houston has an excellent class so far that includes ESPNU150 Watch List safety Kent Brooks and sleeper linebacker Kurt Killens.

Some believe that outside of Texas and Texas A&M, the Cougars are doing the best job of evaluating talent in the state.

Sunshine State youngsters
While Trey Burton (Venice, Fla./Venice) and Jaylen Watkins (Cape Coral, Fla./Cape Coral) both put an early end to their recruitments, expect their younger brothers to be very hot commodities on the market for the Class of 2011. Burton's younger brother Clay is a 6-4, 225-pound tight end/defensive end while Watkins' brother Sammy (Fort Myers, Fla./South Fort Myers) is already bigger and faster than his older brother. Stay tuned.

Audibles
Penn State was hot this past week, landing commitments from Adrian Coxson (Baltimore, Md./City College High), running back Silas Redd (Stamford, Conn./King and Low Heywood Thomas) and Luke Graham (Harrison City, Pa./Penn Trafford). Redd's highly regarded teammate, linebacker Khairi Fortt, revealed that Penn State was his leader. ... It appears that Texas A&M has taken the lead for Under Armour All-American linebacker Corey Nelson (Dallas, Texas/Skyline). ... Sources close to Under Armour All-American John Fulton (Manning, S.C./Manning) believe that current leader Alabama will be in the mix until the end for the 6-1, 190-pounder. ... Look for Florida to be a big factor with defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington) now that the Gators have offered.

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