Golden Recruiting Thread: March 2010

is up. I’ll have more info on Sheldon here.

Vei Moala, DT (Sacramento, CA) -

"Don’t know about SC just yet," said Moala. "I’m looking to take some visits and make a decision after the season, closer to signing day. I’m going to let God do his work. There’s a pretty good chance [Cal] could be No. 1." – Scout.com

Sheldon RIchardson, DT (Visalia, CA) -

“Cal o Cal why u do me lik dat had a great time campus was huge skool is 1 of the best n got da oregan nike contract man a lot 2 offer there at UC.” – alleged Facebook status after Cal Junior Day

Making some Mizzou fans (stalkers?) unhappy

"Coach (Jeff) Tedford’s figured out I can throw, so the Wildcat came up," said Ervin. "On my film, he didn’t get a chance to see the whole film. He didn’t see me play quarterback, when he saw then Wildcat just popped into his head. But I will be an athlete, used in the slot, at running back and receiver." – Brian McLaughlin, The Recruitnik

Reading over at Burnt Orange Nation, Hughes visited Texas on their junior day and wasn’t offered (he’s a big Texas fan) – due to class size and class needs.

This ($)Biggins’ article has more on Jalil -

Barr, Jalil among strong group of DL out West

For whatever reason, it’s always tough finding quality defensive tackles out West, but the Class of 2011 looks to be an exception. There is more talent at the position than over the past several years and one player who takes a backseat to no one is Todd Barr (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood).

Of all the standout tackles out West, Barr might be the most athletic. He lined up all over the defensive line for the Lancers, but played primarily as a three technique. He’s incredibly quick off the ball and very strong.

Barr earned all-league and all-CIF honors after totaling 87 tackles, 32 for loss and 12 sacks. He was sitting on a pair of Pac-10 offers, Washington and Arizona, for a while but added two more offers over the last week.

Rob on the Cal Junior Day visit -

“The coaches were the big thing to me,” said Hankins. “They want to be mentors to me, not just coaches. And the football team’s a real family in the locker room and that means a lot to me. I have that in high school and that’s a big reason why I’ve had the success I’ve had so far. I know at the college level, it’s a lot more business-like so finding that family atmosphere’s really important to me.”

“I fell in love with the place. I loved the city and I loved Berkeley. It’s not a bad deal to have the ocean, the city and the mountains all right around where you live.”

“I haven’t made a lot of visits but I will take a lot this spring. Sometime late spring or summer I’ll narrow it down to a top five. I can safely say that Cal will be one of my top schools, though,” he added.

ESPN On the trail

Wittek on California: "They’re a prestigious program. There are definitely a lot of good quarterbacks to come out of there. Coach Tedford and Coach Lovely Ludwig definitely are very advanced offensive minds, and quarterback gurus, and they’ve proven themselves time and time again with who they’ve put out. I liked the school; it was a good place, good atmosphere. I definitely liked Cal a lot.

Wes Mitchell, GamecockAnthem.com / Scout.com

We have confirmation for attendee #25 to Cal’s Junior Day last weekend – Ray Hamilton of Strongsville, OH

Class of 2011 prospect Ray Hamilton (Strongsville, Ohio) has received a scholarship offer from Notre Dame bring his total up to roughly 20, ESPN affiliate Web site IrishSportsDaily.com reports.

Oklahoma, Boston College, California, Michigan Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Stanford and West Virginia, where his father Tom played college ball, have also extended scholarship offers.

"I have no favorites, but at the same time I’m definitely genuinely interested in a good amount of schools and taking it one day at a time," Hamilton said. "I’m doing my research on each school so when I make the ultimate decision, I’ll be making the right choice for the next four or five years of my life."

He also explained what he wants in a program, "I want to feel the campus atmosphere. It should feel like a home away from home environment. Definitely want to build a relationship with the whole coaching staff, but in particular you want to build a relationship with the position coach because ultimately that’s who you’re going to be spending the majority of your time there with."

"Also the academics. When football is all said and done, whenever that is for me, what’s my degree going to do for me for the rest of my life? Where can I network and how good of a degree is it? You want to set yourself up for life after football." – ESPN On the trail

Boys 200m, ESPN Rise/DyestatCal

1st Team
1. * DeAnthony Thomas (Crenshaw, LA) 21.11
2. Tevin Carter (Santee, LA) 21.30
3. * George Atkinson (Granada, Livermore-NCS) 21.35

(*) Cal Schollie offer for 2011

2nd Team
Kaelin Clay (LB Poly) 21.36wa

Tedford & Co want speed. Lotsa speed.

“Rob came back just completely enamored with the place,” said Dallas Episcopal Head Coach Scott Nady, himself a former Golden Bear, recruited by former Cal Head Coach Steve Mariucci when he coached receivers at Cal.

“(Cal linebacker)Coach (Kenwick) Thompson, my linebacker coach, he made it very clear to me how important I was to their recruiting class, said Hankins. So did (Cal Head) Coach (Jeff) Tedford and (defensive line) Coach (Tosh) Lupoi. I got a lot of love from all of them.”

“We [Coach Pendergast & Hankins] got a chance to talk about the defense,” said Hankins, “and all the new stuff he’s bringing in and how they’re going to make it one of the most dominant defenses in the nation. It sounds real fun and real interesting and I feel like I want to be a part of that. He had a lot of years in the NFL.”

Defensive end / tight end Brennan Scarlett (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) picked up an offer from LSU Thursday, ESPN affiliate Web site IrishSportsDaily.com reports.

The Tigers join Notre Dame, Oklahoma, California, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Texas Tech, UCLA, Washington and BYU.

Last season, he registered 60 tackles, eight sacks and one interception. On offense, he caught 17 passes for 350 yards and nine touchdowns.

“I definitely wouldn’t mind playing tight end. It’s going to be a hard decision, and I’ll have to decide which one I like better and can play for four or five years. I’ll sit down with my parents in hopefully a couple months once all the offers have come in, and we’ll sit down and try pick out a couple favorites.” – ESPN On the trail

Bill Murphy, Gainesville Times -

The highlight of his visit was spending about 90 minutes talking with Georgia’s new defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham, who showed Bailey film from when he was defensive line coach of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and his 3-4 defensive scheme he’s installing in Athens.

“Coach Grantham says he wants to use Sterling as either a defensive end or outside linebacker in his 3-4,” said Sterling’s father, Kevin.

Sterling’s father said that his son likes Georgia, but may not even need to use one of his five official visits to visit the school next year, only because of the proximity to home. He’ll probably end up saving the official visits for schools out of state. Kevin said that Florida and Florida State are probably front runners for official visits with his son next fall.

Kevin also added that Notre Dame will likely be the 20th program [including Cal] to offer Sterling a scholarship. They’ve had contact with Vikings coach Bryan Gray this week and said they like what they see with Sterling.

Hey Kevin & Sterling. Cal plays the 3-4 and Coach Pendergast went to the Super Bowl w/ Arizona in 2008. Come check out the Blue & Gold and put pressure on Pac-10 QBs.

Svyle is one of the fastest players in the country regardless of grade. No sophomore posted a better time in the 100-meter dash than Sylve’s 10.35 last spring. He also recorded times of 10.47 and 10.48 last spring.

In the 55m dash last year, Sylve ran a remarkable 6.31, which is faster than any time nationally this year.

By the time he’s a high school senior, he projects to be one of the country’s fastest athletes. – Canada Football Chat

Cal has already offered. LSU appears to lead Sylve’s recruiting.

Max Wittek*, QB Mater Dei
Kyle Boehm*, QB Archbishop Mitty
Kasen Williams*, WR Skyline (Sammamish, WA)
Victor Blackwell*, WR Mater Dei
Greg Townsend Jr.*, DE Beverly Hills

Bryce Treggs, WR St John Bosco (2012)
Josh Atkinson, DB Granada (attended Cal Junior Day)

(*) offered Cal schollie for 2011

Brandon Huffman, Scout.com

Chris – many blog commentaries are giving you recruiting props, making it sounds like you were very responsible for getting players here. Can you please set the record straight and state what role you had in influencing certain players? Which players?

HERE IS INITIALS OF WHO:
THEY INFLUENCED ME: DAVE WILK, DASARTE YARNWAY, SEAN CATTOUSE, CAM JORDAN,
WHO I “INFLUENCED”: KEENAN, GABE, EGO :-(, ARIE :-(

http://www.formspring.me/CALBEAR10

A standout 6’1" receiver from Summit HS with reported 4.41 40, Blackmon added ’Bama to his list of offers from UCLA, USC, FL, BSU, CAL, Oregon, Oregon St, Wash, & Wazzou.

“I was surprised when I called Alabama, it was like they were expecting me.” Blackmon told Crimson Confidential. “Coach (Nick) Saban personally offered me and told me how much of I priority I was. It meant a lot for him to take the time out to talk to me.”

“Oh yeah, Alabama is definitely one of my favorite schools out of all of the teams that have offered. I mean, it’s Alabama, they are at the top of the college football world right now.”

“Coach Saban thinks that I would be an excellent slot receiver,” Blackmon said. “He told me that I could also be the guy back there in the Wildcat formation where (Mark) Ingram played.”

Will Matthews, CrimsonConfidential.com

Mario Gomez, CalSportsDigest.com -

Josh Atkinson (6’1, 190) currently holds offers from Arizona, San Jose State and Washington. However, the one school he is waiting for is California.

Atkinson along with his twin brother George visited Berkeley last weekend for Cal’s Junior Day. "The visit was cool," said Atkinson. "Cal is probably my No. 1 [school] right now."

His brother has an offer from the Golden Bears. But Josh says his shouldn’t be too far away.

"They are still evaluating," said Atkinson. "I talked with [DB] Coach [Al] Simmons. He says I’ll likely be getting an offer soon."

Jacob Welter, OG
Monta Vista
6-5 280

Welter did not attend Cal’s junior day last weekend but plans to visit the Berkeley campus in April. He said Wisconsin has started to get involved as well. Recruiting has gone to another level for Welter since he sent his junior film out and now he has options all across the country.

"We’ve been really good with getting my tape out there," Welter said. "That contributes a lot and after signing day things have picked up a little bit. My parents are really good with putting together my tape and getting it to the right people. It’s been going really well.

"Some we just sent it to and some how they got a hold of me I’m not quite sure. There were definitely a lot of schools that I had interest in. That was our basic approach."

Welter does not have a schollie offer yet. – Adam Gorney, Yahoo!

Conor Hanratty*, OT
New Canaan CT
6-4 290

"I don’t know too much about Cal but I know some people that go there and they say it’s a great school," said Hanratty, who also plans to attend Notre Dame’s spring game. "Also coach (Tosh) Lupoi is a great recruiter and he’s been talking to me for a while."

Lupoi, the Rivals.com recruiter of the year, was instrumental in landing many of the East Coast standouts that Cal signed in its 2010 recruiting class and he’s back to go after some of the top talent this cycle. Hanratty said Lupoi is a big reason why Cal is getting a visit from him.

"His age is a big factor," Hanratty said. "He’s really young and he’s kind of like us and a person to connect to. He sets a good example. He’s one of the best recruiters I’ve been around so far."

Hanratty is also visiting ’Furd on his West Coast trip. – Adam Gorney, Yahoo!

Cal & Texas Tech lead for the 6-6, 227lb pass-catching TE.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/video/recruiting-football/amp-two-schools-lead-for-klein-oak-te-102679

Status check -

To date the rangy defensive end [Drew] with 4.7 speed has upward of 20 scholarship offers. In the last week or so Southern Cal, Notre Dame, Miami, Rutgers, Mississippi State, South Florida and Louisville have joined a list that already included Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Florida State, among others [including Cal].

So far this year Drew has attended junior days at only Georgia Tech (Jan. 30) and Florida State (Feb. 27). He also took a one-day unofficial visit to UGA on Jan. 31. He plans to go to Florida’s junior day March 27. In two weeks he’ll spend his spring break touring schools in the Carolinas, Virginia and Tennessee.

But he’s in no rush. He said his only timeline with regard to recruiting is "national signing day."

"I’m just going to play it by ear," he said.

Exactly what position Drew will play in college is uncertain. He earned his reputation in high school dominating the line of scrimmage while playing out of a stance. He had 72 tackles and six sacks playing that way last season.

But with Tech and Georgia switching to a new 3-4 look, he’s being looked at the Will, or weakside outside linebacker position. And Drew still is not sure how he feels about that.

"I’m used to playing with my hand in the dirt," he said. "I’ll have to get up there and learn a little more about it and get a feel for it because I’m not used to playing in a stand-up position."

Asked if playing up or down would be an issue in his recruitment, Drew said, "somewhat." – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As far as recruiting is going, Drew has remained humble and focused on selecting the best school for him.

"My faith in God has really helped me with this whole process. I know that without him, nothing is possible and that I need to stay humble but hungry from here on out. Football is all I do and I want to make sure that the school I go will help me play one day for a living."

Drew has not openly named a favorite, and still remains wide open regarding his future decision.

"I’m just taking it day by day," Drew said. "I want to give all the schools a chance to show me why they would be the best fit for me."

Tennessee, along with at least twenty three other schools, have already extended scholarships to this 6-foot-5, 240 pounder.

"It’s been crazy," Drew said. "I never expected to have this many offers so early on in this whole thing. It has been a very humbling experience for me."

For now, Drew plans on having his best season yet in 2010. Thomas County plans on utilizing him more as a tight end and he will still play every special team except kickoff return. He also plans on working as many camps as possible, and checking out a few schools this spring. – VolNation.com

JC Shurburtt, ESPN -

Football is in Westerman’s blood. His father, also named Christian Westerman, signed with California from the Class of 1986 out of El Toro High in Southern California. He played linebacker for the late Bruce Snyder in Berkeley.

Texas, Alabama, Florida, USC, Notre Dame, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Florida State, California, Oregon, UCLA, Oregon State, Michigan, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Auburn, Colorado and a host of others have offered the 6-foot-5, 288-pounder. Some think he’s the most coveted prospect in the country.

Tedford & Co are currently leading the recruiting of the No 1 LB in CA.

"Cal is my No.1," Jason Gibson said about the California Bears. "They’e definitely my favorite. Right now I can see myself going there for sure. I can’t say anything bad about them." So has Gibson considered pulling the trigger early and committing to Cal? "It has crossed my mind. I thought about it because it seems like it might be right, but I’m also thinking I should wait. I’m kind of…"

($)Scout.com

Gibson & Hankins would make another solid LB class for 2011.

"I really like Cal right now, it’s a cool Pac-10 school," said Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wide receiver Victor Blackwell… ($)Scout.com

Still early, but a great Junior Day.

Solarise, what WCAL guys is Cal targeting right now besides Boehm?

One of the top players on the West Coast this recruiting cycle is Auburn, Wash., standout Danny Shelton, who’s picking up more offers and being recognized as a must-have prospect in the 2011 class.

Shelton’s latest offer is from UCLA and the Bruins join California, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State and Idaho on his list. The offer from UCLA is big, Shelton said, and it will be strongly considered as the process continues into his senior season.

Shelton said Oregon was his favorite school but he’s recently cooled on the Ducks because of their recent spate of off-the-field problems.

Although Shelton doesn’t have an established top three he said Washington, UCLA and Oregon stand out the most. The Ducks have not been eliminated and Shelton said he’ll still strongly consider them.

"I really like Oregon but there have been a lot of problems there," Shelton said. "My mom doesn’t want me to be around problems like that. It was my No. 1 school before they started having problems." – Adam Gorney, Yahoo!

Williams is the #1 WR recruit of 2011 according to Scout.com

FVSports -

Per DuckTerritory’s [ESPN Affiliate] Matt Prehm…

2011 probable 5* WR Kasan Williams out of Seattle, WA is locked into Oregon, USC, Cal, Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma. Washington has fallen out of group.

Surprised Washington is out of it, a lot of people thought he would be a Husky like his dad. Should be an interesting race.

No confirmation yet.

Adam Gorney, Yahoo! -

He [Gibson] recently visited Berkeley and Cal is almost certainly a team that will make Gibson’s cut. An early top five is Cal, Florida, Oregon, Arizona and Stanford.

In recent weeks, UCLA has increased its interest in Gibson, who might project as an outside linebacker in college. There is uncertainty, though, about Southern Cal because the Trojans have not yet offered. If there is an offer, SC could shoot to the top of Gibson’s list but nothing has come through yet.

"I don’t know right now," Gibson said. "I like them a lot, that would be my No. 1 school right now, but they haven’t offered me and I haven’t heard anything from them lately, not anything at all."

Gibson plans to attend the Los Angeles Nike Camp held next month at Southern Cal, another chance for the stud defensive end to show people his skills – something Serra coach Scott Altenberg has seen for years.

"He’s very talented, really mature, a captain for us last year as a junior," Altenberg said. "He’s just great with his hands. He’s an outside linebacker and we can use him a little like that but no one can block him at defensive end.

One of the elite tight ends, both locally and nationally, this year is Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Gig Harbor, Wash./Gig Harbor). He started picking up scholarship offers as a sophomore and he could be interested in making an early decision.

Seferian-Jenkins (6-foot-6, 240 pounds) is a huge kid and has some of the softest hands in the region. As a junior, he caught 63 balls for 1,076 yards and 11 touchdowns, while earning all-state and several junior All-American honors.

He has received offers from Washington, Washington State, Arizona, ASU, Cal, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Clemson, Boise State, Notre Dame, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Illinois, Oklahoma, Vandy and Miami, among others. – ($)Greg Biggins, ESPN

UCLA is the favorite. Cal has offers out to several other TEs for 2011 (Ben Koyack, Ray Hamilton, Max Stevenson, Jay Rome, Troy Niklas).

JC Shurburtt, ESPN -

Will USC sign its second quarterback in three recruiting cycles from powerhouse Mater Dei High (Santa Ana, Calif.)? It could happen. The Trojans offered fast-riser Max Wittek last week. Wittek took the reins of the Mater Dei offense last season, replacing USC starter and 2009 Under Armour All-American Matt Barkley.

“I am real excited about getting the offer,” Wittek said. “They know what they are doing with quarterbacks. The practice intensity was way up the entire time they were practicing and never died. I am really excited about it and looking forward to speaking with them in the future.”

The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder also holds offers from Arizona, California, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon State, South Carolina and UCLA.

Talk in Los Angeles recruiting circles is that Wittek is good friends with elite running back prospect De’Anthony Thomas (Los Angeles/Crenshaw). Wittek and his talented teammate, ESPNU 150 Watch List receiver Victor Blackwell have also reportedly talked about playing at the same school.

Thomas has an offer from at this point and Blackwell, one of several talented receivers in California this year (it’s loaded at that position), does not.

Blackwell is expecting his $C offer soon. I am anticipating another high-stakes recruiting face/off bet Tedford & Co and Kiffin-Orgeron.

Free, invite-only events so coaches get to know more about the recruits

Cal attendees (Saturday)

George Atkinson III*
Amir Carlisle*
Jordan Perkins
Jordan Rigsbee*
Jacob Welter
Dylan Wynn
Blake Renaud
Bart Houston

Mustafa Jalil (prefers to attend in Berkeley but UCLA is an option)

UCLA attendees (Sunday)

Antwaun Woods*
Jordan Payton
Brendon Bigelow*
J.B. Salem
Kelsey Young
Greg Townsend Jr.*
Troy Niklas*
Connor Loftus
Cody Kessler
Michael Eubank
Barrinton Collins
Larry Scott
Desman Carter
Corey Waller
Brian Farley
Trevor Gretzky
Jalen Jefferson
Devin Lucien

Maybes to UCLA (Sunday)

Max Wittek*
Victor Blackwell*
Tre Madden
Junior Pomee
Antoine Arnold
Devon Blackmon*

(*) holds Cal scholarship offer for 2011

Adam Gorney, Rivals

LSU leads the recruiting of the trackstar w/ 10.35 100m speed.

($)Gerry Hamilton, ESPN -

Under Armour All-American and ESPNU 150 Watch List member Bradley Sylve (Port Sulphur, La./South Plaquemines) is yet another top junior prospect in a loaded crop of Louisiana talent. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Sylve has legit track speed and make-you-miss ability, and the home team is leading an ever-increasing offer list for his future services. “I’ve got offers from Alabama, LSU, Stanford, California, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and USC,” Sylve said. "LSU is my favorite. Basically, …

Notable attendees -

Vei Moala*, DT Grant Union Sacramento
Amir Carlisle*, RB Kings Academy Sunnyvale
George Atkinson III*, ATH Granada Livermore
Jordan Perkins, RB Lodi
Dylan Wynn, DE De La Salle Concord
Blake Renaud, LB De La Salle Concord
{2012} Bart Houston, QB De La Salle Concord
Jordan Rigsbee*, OT Pleasant Valley
Jacob Welter, OG Monte Vista Danville
Nick Sherry, QB Casa Grande Petaluma
Sam Atoe, RB Maria Carrillo Santa Rosa
Brian Moran, OT Sacred Heart Atherton
{2012} Ben Scott, QB Vanden Fairfield
Nathan Falo, OG Indekum Sacramento
Isaiah Henderson, OG Berkeley

(*) holds Cal scholarship offer for 2011

Very happy about Vei Moala’s visit. No indication tho as to whether Mustafa Jalil made it to Berkeley or not. We should hear more after Sunday.

Adam Gorney, Rivals

Notable attendees -

DeAnthony Thomas*, RB Crenshaw
Max Wittek*, QB Mater Dei
Victor Blackwell*, WR Mater Dei
Jason Gibson*, LB Serra
Jordan Payton, WR Oaks Christian
Antwaun Woods*, DT Taft
Dillon Van Der Wal, TE Oaks Christian
Brian Farley, OT Henry
Christian Heyward, DT Point Loma
Bryan Peters, OT La Mirada
Reggie Coates, LB Crespi
Jared Baker, RB Loyola
Max Gama, ATH La Mirada
Desman Carter, ATH Kaiser
Devin Lucien, WR Crespi
Troy Niklas*, TE Servite
Connor Loftus, K Servite
Jake Van Ginkel, K Upland
Chad Jeffries, QB Glendora
Aaron Almond, ATH Diamond Ranch
{2013} Hayden Rettig, QB Cathedral
JB Salem, DE Newport Harbor
Matthew Lyons, LB Dorsey
Jalen Jefferson, ATH St Bonaventure
Isaac Luatua, C La Mirada
Michael Eubank, QB Centennial

(*) holds Cal scholarship offer for 2011

[DeAnthony] Thomas, one of the nation’s top players, did video interviews. He traded cell phone numbers with other players. And then he dropped news about his recruitment and how he and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei prospects Max Wittek and Victor Blackwell have talked extensively about playing in college together.

“That would be like Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman,” Thomas said. "That would be a dangerous offense right there.

Adam Gorney, Rivals

Junior tight end Max Stevenson (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak) picked up his ninth offer over the weekend. Notre Dame is the latest program to offer the 6-foot-5, 223-pounder with 4.6 speed.

The Owls and Cyclones join Baylor, Texas Tech, California, Northwestern, Arizona, Duke, Iowa State and Rice in offering. UCLA, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, TCU, Missouri, Michigan, LSU and Kansas are also showing interest in the athletic prospect.

He has attended Texas Tech’s junior day and the Rebels and Irish are considered the early favorites. – ($)Gerry Hamilton, ESPN

Hamilton’s report differs from Stevenson’s Rivals interview where he said that Cal and TX Tech lead.

Potential attendees -

Brennan Scarlett, DE/TE* (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic)
George Atkinson, ATH* (Livermore, Calif./Grenada)
Trey Madden, LB (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo)

(*) holds Cal scholarship offer for 2011

JC Shurburtt, ESPN

Outside linebacker / defensive end Jason Gibson (Gardena, Calif./Serra) is currently holding a dozen scholarship offers, ESPN affiliate Web site DuckTerritory.com reports.

“I’m up to 12 total offers at this time. I have offers from the entire Pac-10 except USC, Florida, and Tennessee. Oregon State and Oregon offered recently. I think Notre Dame is coming soon. USC has been recruiting me hard, but hasn’t offered yet. Right now I would say I hope to hear more from Miami and Oregon.”

Gibson added, “I’m just looking at the surroundings, how comfortable I feel there. I really want to see if there was no football for me, could I still live there. I’m hoping to make my decision during the middle of my senior year, but I’m not certain on that.”

He registered 98 tackles and 16 sacks as a junior earning first team all-CIF recognition. As a sophomore, Gibson recorded 67 tackles and 10 sacks. – ESPN

I see that Brian Kelly wants in on the Thomas-Wittek-Blackwell package.

Highly-touted quarterback Max Wittek (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) has been offered by Notre Dame, ESPN affiliate Web site IrishSportsDaily.com reports.

“(Head coach Brian Kelly) just said tell him the date I’m visiting, so he can get the red carpet ready,” Wittek laughed.

The Irish join USC, Florida, Arizona, Nebraska, UCLA, California, Clemson, North Carolina, Florida State and Duke among others in offering the 6-foot-3, 200-pound ESPNU 150 Watch List prospect.

Wittek completed 136 of 230 attempts (59.1-percent) for 2,126 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions while also rushing for 189 yards and two more scores last fall.

Notre Dame also offered another Watch List talent from Mater Dei, wide receiver Victor Blackwell.

California, UCLA, Florida State and Tennessee are some of Blackwell’s other offers.

He caught 52 passes for 1,044 yards (20.1 average) and 11 touchdowns as a junior. – ESPN

Mater Dei, QB High?

The prep quarterback factory also known as Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA, has been delivering polished quarterbacks to USC for years. Both Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley honed their craft at the high school power house and now Max Wittek is the latest Mater Dei quarterback to capture the Trojans interest.

The 6’3", 205 lb. gunslinger has a rocket for an arm and just needs seasoning to improve his accuracy. Wittek, who understands the tradition of Monarch quarterbacks who have gone on to USC, also holds offers from almost every major program in the country, including Florida and, recently, Notre Dame. – Rick McMahan, Bleacherreport

Not sure if Wittek even qualifies as a sleeper recruit

Scottsdale Saguaro offensive lineman Cyrus Hobbi told the Republic that Southern California will be offering him a scholarship. He also received an offer from Oklahoma this week, the same day he was invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the Under Armour All-American Game…

Cal has already extended a scholarship offer to Hobbi.

Top offensive lineman Cyrus Kouandijo (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) updated ESPN affiliate Web site CrimsonConfidential.com.

“Some of the schools that have already offered are Notre Dame, Alabama, FSU, Tennessee, USC, LSU, Cal, Maryland, Pitt, West Virginia, Boston College, Iowa, among others,” said the ESPNU 150 Watch List talent.

“I don’t have any top groups or anything right now. I plan to travel around this summer and see some schools. I have been to Virginia, Maryland, and Pitt already. I’m going to New Mexico in a few weeks for their spring game,” he said.

Kouandijo continued, “I’m going to take my time, this is just too big of a decision to rush. I think of it as a 10 year plan, what will this prepare me for 10 years from now. This is a bigger decision than just about football.”

“Number one I’m looking at the people in the area, four years is a long time, I want to feel comfortable. Number two, the coaching staff will be a very important part of my decision. Number three is education, gotta have a great education.”

Kouandijo’s older brother, Arie, signed with Alabama’s Class of 2010. “Alabama definitely has my early attention though. How could they not?” he concluded. – ESPN

Cyrus K also visited Penn State unofficially last weekend.

Check out William’s recent Track & Field results -

Friday, March 26
Eastmont Wildcat Invite

400 relay: 1st (Alex Lee, Dustin Bratten, Kasen Williams, Joey Kettel) 44.04
High jump: 1st – Kasen Williams 6-feet 8-inches
Long jump: 1st – Kasen Williams 22-feet 0.5-inches

Kid is a pure athlete.

Sammamish Review

100m finals
2nd George Atkinson Granada 10.65
4th Josh Atkinson Granada 10.73

Congrats to George & Josh. Their previous bests were 10.75wa (George) & 10.88wa (Josh) I believe.

Stanford Invitational Track & Field results