2008 DL will be an elite prospect

Although Signing Day is still a couple of months away, it's never too early to look at the class of 2008. One player we know will be heavily recruited and one of the top players in the region is Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame defensive lineman Wes Horton.

Horton, 6-6, 230 pounds has been called by some the best prospect to come out of Notre Dame since Travis Johnson (Florida State) seven years ago. Horton is a tremendous pass rusher, and has totaled 13 sacks on the season. He has a great frame and will be an absolute monster when fills out in a few years.

On the recruiting front, Horton is a player we expect to have several early offers once Signing Day has come and gone.

"No one has offered yet but I've been getting a ton of mail from everyone in the Pac 10," Horton said. "UCLA, USC and Arizona State are probably the three I'm hearing the most from and those are the three schools I like the most right now as well.

"UCLA is the school I grew up liking because my dad (Myke) played there," Horton said. "So I obviously like them a lot but at the same time, I have to look at this as a business decision and do what is best for me. My dad will always be a Bruin but I don't think he would mind if I went somewhere like USC because it's such a good school and their team is so strong.

"I also like ASU a lot because I love warm weather, I want to stay on the West Coast and I've heard great things about the campus and the facilities there. Right now, it's so early for me and I have no plans to commit early. I want to take all five of my trips and go through the process with an open mind.

"I do plan on checking out some schools in the summer on unofficial visits and then narrowing my list during the season. I'm going to be looking for a school that is strong academically, a place where I'll be comfortable for four or five years and somewhere close to home."