ESPN West recruiting Blog

Posted by Greg Biggins

Running back Kyle Middlebrooks (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley) saw his season come to an end last Friday, but his recruitment is taking off and he should be setting up a couple of visits shortly.

Middlebrooks is the fastest back in the state and will likely double sport in college. He finished No. 2 in the state 100 meter a year ago with a personal best 10.48 clocking and is the favorite to take home the title this spring.

The Barons lost their playoff opener last Friday to a very good Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) team 41-24, but Middlebrooks still had a big night. He rushed for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the year with 1,875 yards and 23 touchdowns. Middlebrooks also caught 25 balls for 331 yards and five more scores and added another score on a punt return.

On the recruiting front, Middlebrooks has already taken an official visit to Washington and said he has three other visits in mind.

"Arizona and Arizona State both just offered me in the last two weeks," Middlebrooks said. "They both like me for running back and I'm very interested. In the next week, I plan to set up my visits with both schools and I want to trip to Washington State as well.

"I haven't heard much from Washington lately, so I'm not sure if they're still interested or not. The two Arizona schools are definitely recruiting me the hardest right now. My plan is to take all my visits in December and then commit sometime in January."

Parker has two trips in mind

Defensive back Sean Parker (Los Angeles/ Narbonne) is a tremendous talent and easily among the nation's top safety prospects. Parker has taken two official visits thus far and has two schools in mind for his last two.

Parker could be the hardest hitting safety in the region and has been making big plays on both sides of the ball the last two seasons. The athlete had a very solid game in the Gauchos 33-0 playoff opening win over Jordan (Los Angeles), including his ninth touchdown catch of the year.

On the recruiting front, Parker has already visited Notre Dame, Cal and would like to take two more visits before making his decision.

"I want to visit Michigan and Oregon," Parker said. "I'll also take an unofficial visit to USC and that will be it. I'm starting to get a little burned out with recruiting so my list isn't as big as it was before.

"I still plan to wait until signing day before making my decision. It's not that I'm trying to build up the suspense, I just really think I'll need that much time to figure out what I want to do. I don't have a leader right now and I want to take all the time I have to make sure I'm doing the right thing."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Tony Jefferson (Chula Vista, Calif./Eastlake) checked out Michigan this past weekend and said he loved being a part of rivalry weekend. The five-star athlete has previously visited Oklahoma and Arizona and said he loved his time in Big Ten country this past weekend.

"It was a good visit," Jefferson said. "There's a lot of tradition at Michigan and the game atmosphere was the best I've seen so far. They have great fans and that stadium is just huge. I was really impressed with both teams and both defenses played well, but that's Big Ten football for you, they get after it.

"I got along great with all the guys on the team and it was cool to hang out with some of my boys from San Diego, Kenny Stills (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon), and Dillon Baxter (San Diego/Mission Bay), who were also visiting with me. Michigan definitely made me feel comfortable and I'm going to consider them the rest of the way."

As good as the visit was, the Wolverines still have some ground to make up on a couple of other teams.

"Oklahoma and UCLA are my top two," Jefferson said. "I'm still committed to UCLA but it's pretty soft and I'm having some second thoughts. My heart is still there but I'm also thinking it would be cool to play out of state and I really loved my time at Oklahoma and fell in love with the place on my visit.

"UCLA offers the chance to play early but Oklahoma does as well and they have open spots at safety too. There's not as much to do there as some other places but it's still a cool college town and I liked it there a lot. I'm going to visit UCLA in December and then just compare these two schools and wherever I feel most comfortable, that's where I'll go."

However, in what should be considered a surprise, Jefferson will take an official visit next weekend to a school he said he had no interest in just a few weeks ago. It's also a school he gave a silent commitment to back in the spring.

"I'm going to visit USC this weekend," Jefferson said. "It's an official visit and I'm interested to see what they have to offer. They started calling me again and I just want to see what the coaches have to say.

"Back in the spring, they told me I was the only safety they were going to take and then at the Rising Stars Camp, I find out they're recruiting a bunch of other safeties, so that kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like they should have been more up front about it.

"So we'll see what happens the rest of the way. Like I said, the coaches started talking to me again and USC is still a good school so I'm going to visit and see how it goes. UCLA will then be my last visit and since I'm graduating early, I'll be ready to announce in early January."

Posted by Greg Biggins

It hasn't been a typical year for state powerhouse Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.). The Jackrabbits finished the regular season 5-5 and failed to win the Moore League for the first time in 25 years, but they still have some talent on the roster, including wide out Kaelin Clay.

Clay has carried on the Poly tradition of producing elite receivers. He had his best game of the season last weekend in a 42-12 win over Compton totaling 212 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone.

On the season, Clay has caught 23 balls for 438 yards and four touchdowns, rushed 23 times for 269 yards and two scores and has 323 return yards on just seven touches (46.14 avg.) and a score.

"Kaelin is right up there with Travon Patterson (USC) and Terrence Austin (UCLA) in terms of ability," Poly assistant coach Doc Moye said. "He's bigger than both and faster than Terrence so he can definitely play.

"He didn't have big numbers as a junior, so his recruitment has been a little slow but the entire Pac-10 is starting to come around now. He has a few offers right now, but things will pick up and are already starting to."

Portland State, Utah State and Northern Arizona have offered Clay and a few more could be on the verge.

"I'm also hearing from Hawaii, Fresno State, Colorado State and UCLA," Clay said. "I believe Hawaii and Fresno State are close to offering and I heard UCLA could offer soon as well. I have a visit set up to Fresno State (Jan. 8) and I'm looking at taking a few other trips as well but nothing is concrete right now."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Four-star linebacker V.J Fehoko (Honolulu, Hawaii/Farrington) is having a monster senior season and has definitely shown he's one of the elite prospects in the entire West region this year.

Fehoko is a high-motor player and can really get after the quarterback. In just eight games this year, the athlete has 28 sacks including two games where he racked up five sacks.

"It has been a fun senior season," Fehoko said. "We have the top defense in the state and as a team we can really get after it. We lead the state in scoring defense and have a good chance to go all the way and win a championship this year.

"They're moving me around all over the place. I'll play some defensive end, outside linebacker, inside linebacker and I'm blitzing all over the place, so I'm really enjoying myself out there."

On the recruiting front, Fehoko has all but narrowed his focus to three teams and is hopeful of taking all of his visits in December.

"Texas Tech, Utah and Washington are the three schools I'm looking at right now," Fehoko said. "I haven't set up any of the trip dates yet because we're in the playoffs, but if it works out, I should be able to take them all in December so I can make an announcement at the Under Armour All-American game.

"I know right now, a lot of people think I'm locked up for Texas Tech because my older brother plays there but honestly, I'm open to all three teams. They're all equal right now and I'm just looking for the place where I'll be most comfortable and where I fit in best.

"Early playing time will be big for me as well. I know at Washington and Utah, they both lose a lot of linebackers so I'll have a chance to get in there and play right away. My relationship with my position coach and the defensive coordinator is another big thing I'm looking for."

Fehoko has already unofficially visited Texas Tech and Utah numerous times and is anxious to see the Husky program up close.

"That will be the first visit I take," Fehoko said. "I love talking to the coaches at Washington and it's cool that coach (Steve) Sarkisian, the head coach, is recruiting me personally.

"I know it's going to be a tough decision, but I'm blessed to have these great schools to choose from. I won't rush my decision either. If I don't know by the time the UA game is here, I'm not going to decide. Just whenever I feel ready to do, that's when I'll make my decision."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Colton (Calif.) defensive back Derrick Malone took his first official visit of the year to Nebraska two weeks ago. The talented safety was expected to take two more visits this month but will put recruiting on the backburner for now.

"Nebraska was a very good visit," Malone said. "They played Oklahoma and that was a big rivalry game so the atmosphere was crazy. They have the best fans and the support they get is incredible. You could feel the energy from them and they knew who all the recruits were and were chanting our name, it was pretty cool.

"I was watching the defensive backs play the whole game and I like how they use their safeties. That's kind of what I do now, when I'm watching football, I'm trying to see how well I would fit in with that defense. I'm looking at the college game now more like a business than just as a fan and I think I would fit in well at Nebraska.

"Overall, I was very comfortable at Nebraska. They have a nice campus and I like the area as well. It's different than Southern CA obviously, a little smaller but still a very good fit for me."

Malone was scheduled to visit Arizona and Washington later this month but is going to put all his focus on the upcoming playoffs.

"I decided to postpone my visits," Malone said. "I think we have a chance to make a nice run in the playoffs and I don't want to have any distractions right now. All my visits will be after we're done playing and hopefully that won't until December.

"I'm definitely going to visit Arizona and Washington and I just got offered by Oregon. I've liked Oregon for a while now and I was very excited about that offer. So I'm going to visit Oregon and those are really the main four schools I'm focusing on now."

Vainuku excited by latest offer

Eureka (Calif.) athlete Soma Vainuku picked up a new Pac-10 offer and also recently set his first official visit.

Vainuku is a talented two way player who is getting looks at both fullback and linebacker. Washington, Oregon State, San Diego State, Hawaii and Arizona State all offered early in the process.

"Arizona just offered me too," Vainuku said. "I'm very happy about that offer and will definitely visit them at some point this year. The only trip I have set up so far is to San Diego State (Dec. 4) but I definitely plan to take all five visits before I commit anywhere."

Vainuku said he's actually considering six schools at the moment and will use an unofficial visit on one of them.

"Along with UA and San Diego State, I'm also looking at USC, Hawaii, Oregon State and ASU," Vainuku said. "I'll set up official visits with all of them after my season and will unofficial to Oregon State. Even though I live in California, I'm actually closer to Oregon because were way up in Northern CA and OSU is not that far for me."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Crenshaw (Los Angeles, Calif.) is absolutely loaded this year and has one of the two or three best teams out of the city section in the last five years. One big reason for that is two-way standout Greg Ducre.

Ducre plays part-time receiver, but is being recruited strictly on the defensive side of the ball. He plays both safety and corner for the Cougars and is having a very solid senior season. He has 13 catches for 409 yards and five touchdowns to go with 46 tackles on defense.

On the recruiting front, Ducre took his first official visit to Colorado two weeks ago and is basically down to two schools at the moment.

"Colorado was a great visit," Ducre said. "That's a beautiful place with a real nice campus. The game atmosphere was the best I've seen and they have great fan support there. They beat Texas A&M that weekend and it was a fun atmosphere to be a part of.

"I know a lot of the guys there, including Gardner McKay, who played at Crenshaw a few years back. My host was Chapelle Brown and we got along very well. He's a senior and plays the same position I do, so it was cool to watch him and kind of see how I would fit in with that defense.

"I want to major in kinesiology and they have a great sport medicine program at Colorado. I heard it can get cold there but on the visit, it was actually sunny and warm so overall, it was a really good trip. I loved everything about it."

As good as the visit was, many close to the program at Crenshaw feel it will be tough to get Ducre away from Arizona State.

"I'm taking my visit to ASU (Nov. 27)," Ducre said. "They were the first to offer me and I took an unofficial visit there in the summer and loved it. Coach Yarbs (Eric Yarber) is a Crenshaw guy and close with our program and Clint Floyd is a sophomore there and has always been like a big brother to me.

"When I got to Crenshaw, he took me under his wing and has mentored me ever since. I like the ASU program a lot, but I'm not ready to commit anywhere yet. I like both of these schools a lot and Nebraska told me they're going to offer me soon as well, so I may give them a look."

Posted by Greg Biggins

UCLA picked up a big commitment from one of the top linebackers in the nation. Aramide Olaniyan (Woodberry Forest, Va./Woodberry Forest) visited Westwood two weeks ago and decided to end the recruiting process Monday afternoon.

"I was going to finish off my visits, but I knew UCLA was the place for me," Olaniyan said. "The more I thought about it, I realized there wasn't a school that I could see myself attending more than UCLA. I'm 100 percent committed and will not be taking any more visits.

"I took several unofficial visits and UCLA was by far the best visit for me and had everything I was looking for. My mom loved it even more than I did and there just wasn't any negatives about going to UCLA. The city, the football team, the academics, the coaching staff, I mean everything was just a perfect fit for me."

Olaniyan committed early in the process to Duke, but backed off last September to open up his options when national schools from all over the country began to offer him.

"I'm so excited to be a Bruin," Olaniyan said. "My parents are very excited as well, they love everything about UCLA. I love talking with Coach Neuheisal and he was so fired up along with the rest of the staff when I called to commit.

"UCLA is on the upswing and I'm excited to be a part of the turn around. They lose some linebackers and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to get in there and compete early if I can. I need to get bigger but I'm confident that won't be a problem."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Christian Thomas (Palmdale, Calif./Highland) is one of the elite tight end prospects in the country. He took his first official visit of the year this past weekend to Oregon and the Ducks moved way up his list.

Thomas has consistently named the two local schools, USC and UCLA, as his favorites since last spring. After a great visit to Eugene last weekend, you can put the Ducks right up there at the top as well.

"I loved it there, Oregon has everything I'm looking for," Thomas said. "Oregon is a beautiful place with a great coaching staff in a great environment. The fan support is incredible, the facilities are the best I've ever seen and the way the coaches and players bond with one another is amazing as well.

"They have a great football team that is absolutely killing it on the field and if you're a tight end, you would be crazy not to look hard at going to Oregon. They really feature the tight end in that offense and with the talent on the team, I think Oregon is going to be good for some time."

If there was any downside at all about the visit, Thomas said the weather was something he wasn't used to.

"Man, I couldn't feel my toes," Thomas said. "It was so cold there but you know what, that's what long socks are for. I'm looking for the best school for me and the weather really won't play a factor at all in my decision."

Thomas hasn't set up any other visits, but said he would like to take a few more trips before making his decision.

"I'm still talking with Miami, LSU, USC and Cal a lot," Thomas said. "UCLA hasn't called me in two months so I'm not sure if they still want me. I still have both USC and UCLA on top but Oregon is right there with them now as well.

"I might just do an unofficial visit to USC since it's local and then officially visit the other schools out of the area. I don't have a timeframe right now for when I'll decide."

Posted by Greg Biggins

It was a fairly quiet week on the official visit front out West. One player who did hit the road was wide receiver Kenny Stills (San Diego, Calif./LaCosta Canyon) who checked out Oklahoma.

Stills has already visited Tennessee, so the trip to Norman was his second visit of the year.

"Man I loved that place, I had a great time," Stills said. "I know some players I was talking with before the visit were saying there isn't much to do in Norman, but it's a lot better than everyone imagines. I would have no problem spending the next four years of my life there and I was very comfortable with everything about the place.

"The environment was great and I loved the people. Everyone I met, from the players, the coaches, the teachers and the fans were all great to be with. Everyone was down to earth and real and I liked that. The offense is explosive and they know how to put it down on people. They spread the ball around and if you're a receiver, how can you not be excited to play in that style of offense?"

Prior to the visit, Stills said Florida was a slight leader, but the Sooners are right at the top as well.

"This just keeps getting harder and harder," Stills said. "Oklahoma did a great job and gave me a lot to think about. I know I'm blessed to have these options so I'm grateful for that but at the same time, this is going to be such a tough call.

"I have my visit to Michigan this coming weekend and then Florida the following weekend. I'll revaluate after that and see about taking a fifth visit or not."

Posted by Greg Biggins

Washington picked up a big commitment from one of the state's top linebackers Sunday. Victor Burnett (Culver City, Calif./Culver City) took official visits to Washington, Oklahoma and Arizona before committing to the Huskies.

"I just bonded the best with the coaching staff there and that was a big deal for me," Burnett said. "They're such an intense staff and that stood out to me. I've seen a lot of improvement and progression this year with the team and I think the coaches will be able to get the most out of me as a player and person.

"I like the style of the defense they play and I'll also have a chance to play early and compete for a spot next season. I like the Pac-10 and Washington is a good academic school as well, so it's just a great overall fit for me and where I was most comfortable."

Burnett said he originally planned to take all five of his visits, but will not take his last two and is a solid commit to the Huskies.

"I was ready and growing tired of the process," Burnett said. "I've been thinking Washington was the place for me for a few weeks now, so I didn't see the need to put this off any longer. I'm relieved it's over and excited to be a Husky."

In addition to his three official visits, Burnett was also offered by Arizona State, Cal, Nebraska, Oregon State, Tennessee, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV and West Virginia.

Young commits to the Bruins

It always seemed like just a matter of time before John Young (Los Angeles/Loyola) announced his commitment to UCLA. The Bruins were the favorite for some time and Young finally went public with his choice over the weekend.

Young was recruited to play tight end for UCLA, although he could easily grow into a guard or defensive tackle down the line.

"A few other schools talked to me about playing defense, but UCLA has never mentioned anything other than tight end to me," Young said. "I've always wanted to go to UCLA and actually committed a couple of weeks ago. I just kept it quiet because I wanted to really be sure about my decision.

"I think UCLA is a great school all around, athletically and academically. They have a great coaching staff with great team values. I like that it's close to home so my family and friends can come see me whenever they want. It's just a great school and I think it's a place that can help me reach my full potential overall and I'm excited about my decision."

Now that he's a Bruin, Young said he'll put on his recruiting hat and is working hard on his talented teammate Anthony Barr, who is down to the Bruins and Notre Dame.

"I've been in his ear for awhile now," Young said. "I think we got a good shot, he likes both schools a lot and I'm definitely going to keep working on him but in the end, it will be Anthony's decision and I'll respect him no matter who he chooses."

Young officially visited Arizona State and was also offered by Florida State and UNLV.

Posted by Greg Biggins

Athlete Josh Shirley (Fontana, Calif./Kaiser) is one of the most dynamic players in the region. He has been one of the state's most explosive pass-rushers the last two seasons, but has made the move to inside linebacker this year.

The 6-foot-3, 210 pounder had 17 sacks last year and many feel he'll have to make a move to outside linebacker in college and he has gotten the opportunity to get an early jump at playing off the line this year.

"I like it, it has been a good experience for me," Shirley said. "At first I was going to play outside linebacker, but teams were running away from me so they put me inside so I can make more plays.

"I made the move full time earlier in the year and we're playing well now. We got off to a rough start, but we've won four in a row, all league games, and we have a chance to clinch it all Friday night."

On the recruiting front, Shirley narrowed his choices to eight schools awhile back with plans to officially visit the five out-of-state schools and unofficially visit the three in-state schools. He visited Washington in September and Arizona last weekend.

"Arizona was real nice, I liked it a lot," Shirley said. "The players and coaches were all real cool to be around and I like their defense a lot. Coach (Tim) Kish has been recruiting me for a while now and Arizona is a school I'm going to consider all the way to the end.

"Right now, I don't have any other visits set. I have the same eight schools, Arizona and Washington, I visited both of those already. Then there's Miami, Tennessee, Notre Dame, USC, UCLA and Cal.

Another local offer for Zumwalt

Just a day after picking up an offer from USC, linebacker Jordan Zumwalt (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) picked up another offer from a school close to home.

"UCLA offered me Thursday morning," Zumwalt said. "They were at my game last weekend against Fountain Valley and decided to offer. I'm excited about that one as well, UCLA is a good school and has a lot going for it.

"They have been recruiting me for awhile now and coach (Rick) Neuheisel called me a few weeks back and said they want me to visit so I knew they were interested. Like I said before, my commitment to Stanford is still strong but I do want to take some visits and I'll check out USC and UCLA for sure along with Stanford of course."

Zumwalt will be at the Coliseum this weekend to take in the USC-Stanford game.