Monday, September 8, 2008
Fenton enjoys Wisconsin visit
Wisconsin Badgers coach Bret Bielema's list of verbal commitments stands at an even dozen, but it may not stay that way for long. Bielema brought in just one prospect on an official visit over the weekend, but it may soon result in Badger verbal commitment No. 13.
A.J. Fenton (Erie, Pa./McDowell) was in Madison for his first and what might be his last official visit.
"I loved it there," Fenton said. "It's my favorite place I've been so far."
Fenton has made unofficial visits to Michigan, Illinois, Pitt and West Virginia, but his trip to Madison had something extra to offer.
"I really liked the city," he said. "It's not a big city, but it's not a small town either. I liked the atmosphere. The stadium was packed and they won... Right now Wisconsin is my top choice."
After a somewhat slow start, the Badgers scored 51 straight points for a 51-14 victory over the Thundering Herd.
The 6-foot-1 and 215-pound Fenton, who rushed for over 1,000 yards during his junior season, is being recruited by the Badgers as a linebacker. In addition to Wisconsin, Fenton also has scholarship offers from Pitt, Iowa and Illinois.
Ending the recruiting process in Madison crossed Fenton's mind.
"I thought about committing, but I decided I didn't want to rush into anything," Fenton said. "I'm supposed to make an official visit to Pitt Sept. 20. I'll probably take that visit, but I'm not sure. We'll see what happens."
Smith postpones official visit to Penn State
Wide receiver and return specialist Devon Smith (Waldorf, Md./ Westlake) was set to make his first official visit to Penn State over the weekend, but Tropical Storm Hanna kept him home.
"The rain from [Tropical Storm] Hanna carried over to Maryland," said Smith. "It was real bad down here. I really wanted to go, but my mom was scared to drive up there in all the rain."
After his game Friday night, Smith, his mother and father were going to drive to State College first thing Saturday morning. The trip will be rescheduled.
"I called coach (Larry) Johnson and told him we wouldn't be coming up, and we would come up for another game," Smith said. "He was OK with that. I'll probably go up for the Temple game or when they play Michigan."
Smith has scholarship offers on the table from Penn State, Temple, Akron and Eastern Michigan. He plans to at least make official visits to Penn State and Temple.
Midwest Notes
• Running back Jaamal Berry (Palmetto, Fla), the top rated running back in the ESPNU 150, committed to Ohio State last weekend while on an unofficial visit. But a couple days after committing to the Buckeyes, reports he would make an unofficial visit to Florida for the Miami game began to circulate. However, Berry did not make the trip to Gainesville Saturday and says he is a Buckeye.
• One of the fastest juniors in the state of Pennsylvania attended the Penn State-Oregon State game over the weekend. Wide receiver Alex Kenney (State College, Pa.), who has run the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, was on hand as the Nittany Lions defeated the Beavers 45-14. Kenney already has a Penn State scholarship offer on the table.
• On Friday, junior defensive end J.T. Moore (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman) received a written scholarship offer in the mail from Ohio State. Moore is a strong candidate to become the Buckeyes' first class of 2010 commitment.
