ForumsBy JC Shurburtt
Scouts Inc.
Brandon Willis
“I have a top five of California, Florida State, Tennessee, North Carolina and UCLA,” said Willis, the No. 54 prospect in the 2010 class. “I haven’t scheduled any official visits, but I know that I am going to Tennessee in October.”
Willis plans to head to Florida State on Monday to watch the Seminoles’ home game against Miami. The Seminoles are the perceived favorite for Willis. Florida State already has a commitment from fellow ESPNU 150 defensive lineman Corey Miller, his high school teammate. The Noles also signed safety Justin Bright from the Class of 2009 and defensive lineman Everett Dawkins from the Class of 2008 from the upstate South Carolina school.
California could be a dark horse here, though. Cal defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi has done an excellent job building a relationship with Willis and continues to impress on the recruiting trail.
“I hope to have a decision soon; I just want to make the right decision for me,” Willis said.
Byrnes will face a stiff in-state challenge Friday night when Myrtle Beach and Class of 2011 ESPNU 150 Watch List quarterback Everett Golson come to town to play the Rebels. Myrtle Beach was the Class 3A champ in South Carolina last season.
In addition to Miller and Willis, Byrnes features five-star running back Marcus Lattimore, Rutgers quarterback commit Chas Dodd and standout receivers Nick Jones, Jazz King and Torian Richardson.
Out of state, challenges remain. Willis and the Rebels play top-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas on Oct. 2 in Fort Lauderdale. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
The leaderboard
When you look at the top 60 prospects in the country and project the likely destinations for the uncommitted, two schools have an outstanding chance to vault toward the top of the ESPN team recruiting rankings at the end of the cycle: Florida and Florida State.
The Gators could add to an already stellar class by pulling the upset and beating Southern California on five-star defensive end Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, Calif./Rancho Verde), the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect. Powell has visited Gainesville twice unofficially, so the defending champions are in the thick of things there.
Florida also is the clear leader for four-star receiver Chris Dunkley (Pahokee, Fla./Pahokee), the nation’s No. 13 overall prospect. Dunkley is enjoying the process, so don’t expect a public announcement from him any time soon. That said, it would be a major surprise if he ended up anywhere but Gainesville.
The Seminoles are heavily in the mix for five-star linebacker Jeff Luc (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Centennial), five-star cornerback Lamarcus Joyner (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) and Under Armour All-American linebacker Christian Jones (Winter Park, Fla./Lake Howell).
Should this class come together like it is projected to and get added to the other classes that Bobby Bowden, Jimbo Fisher & Co. have signed in recent years, the program will take another step toward returning to prominence.
Hot sell: Ohio State
There has been excellent news for the Buckeyes in the past week, both for the 2010 recruiting cycle and the 2011 recruiting cycle. On Saturday, 2010 receiver Tyrone Williams (East Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) committed to Ohio State. The four-star prospect is the No. 36-rated receiver in the country. Then, on Monday, 2011 ESPNU 150 Watch List defensive end Kenny Hayes (Toledo, Ohio/Whitmer) decided to end his recruitment early and commit to the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder is the first pledge for Ohio State’s 2011 class. The top prospects in Ohio are the foundation for the Buckeyes program. On-the-field success will continue as long as the in-state talent continues to make Columbus its college choice.
Coast-to-coast notes
Mosley knows of three visits
ESPNU 150 linebacker C.J. Mosley (Theodore, Ala./Theodore) says he knows of three visits he plans to take.
“Alabama, Auburn and Michigan,” he said. “I will fill the last two with Stanford, Tennessee or Georgia.”
Mosley said the Crimson Tide and Tigers are recruiting him the hardest. The four-star prospect is the nation’s No. 11-rated linebacker and No. 126 prospect overall.
Offers in for Vegas junior
Class of 2011 ESPNU 150 Watch List defensive end Jalen Grimble (Las Vegas/Bishop Gorman) received written offers from Stanford, Tennessee and UCLA on Tuesday, the first day juniors could receive written offers.
Grimble also has a slew of verbal offers. Southern California and LSU are two of the programs that offered verbally during the summer. The 6-3, 255-pounder is the cousin of Class of 2010 Trojans tight end commit Xavier Grimble, the nation’s top-ranked prospect at his position and an Under Armour All-American.
Louisiana juniors get offers
The Class of 2011 is supposed to be outstanding in the Pelican State, and a pair of ESPNU 150 Watch List prospects, running back Jeremy Hill (Baton Rouge, La./Redemptorist) and wide receiver Jarvis Landry (Lutcher, La./Lutcher) both got excellent news in the mail Tuesday.
Hill received four written offers from LSU, Tennessee, Florida State and Houston.
“It’s an honor to get the offer from LSU,” Hill said. “People take it for granted all the time. But I am really grateful for this opportunity.”
The 6-1, 225-pound Hill also talked about the Noles’ offer.
“I have always been familiar with Florida State,” he said. “I’ve got a good relationship with the coaches there like [offensive coordinator] Jimbo Fisher. I am going up there in a couple of weeks for their game with South Florida. I haven’t been there on a visit yet.”
Hill, who plans to attend LSU’s home opener and home games with Florida and Auburn later in the season, knows what he will look for in a program.
“I want to go to a school with a good environment and good coaches,” Hill said. “Early playing time isn’t as important to me. I don’t mind if I have to wait a couple of years.”
Hill and his high school team face city rival Southern Lab this weekend.
Landry had four catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns last week against Destrehan (La.) and pulled in offers from Michigan and Notre Dame on Tuesday. He said LSU and others could be on the way as well. The Tigers have offered verbally.
“My coaches told me something happened with the mail, so I may have gotten more [in addition to the Irish and Wolverines].”
Landry has positive feelings about the in-state program.
“I’ve been to LSU games a couple of times, and I really enjoy myself,” Landry said. “It’s like family there. I really like the coaches. They understand where I am coming from being from a small town and all that. It would be a dream come true to run out of that tunnel on a Saturday night in Baton Rouge, but at the same time, I am trying to look at all of my options.”
Short Stuff
Three-star Class of 2010 linebacker Justin Parker (Beaufort, S.C./Beaufort) picked up an offer from Georgia Tech earlier this week. Clemson retains a slight lead over South Carolina. … Temple was the first school to offer Class of 2011 ESPNU 150 Watch List athlete Damiere Byrd (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek). Syracuse is expected next.
JC Shurburtt covers recruiting for ESPN.com. He can be reached at jcsespn@aol.com.
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