3 stand out for Crayton

According to four-star defensive tackle Rod Crayton of Dadeville (Ala.), he probably won't release an official list of favorites until his senior season starts.

However, he admits three schools are currently standing out.

"I'd say it's Tennessee, LSU and Mississippi State," Crayton told Rivals.com. "They're not leaders or anything. And it's not in any order."

Crayton has visited all of the above colleges, and here is what he likes about each:

Tennessee: "I really like the coaching staff there. And the atmosphere. I feel like I'm at home. I went there a couple weeks ago for one of their practices, and I went there another day when they had one of their junior days. I liked it a lot. They're saying I'm one of the best they've seen as the middle guy."

LSU: "I like the DL coach (Brick Haley). He's a cool guy. I've been to LSU two or three times. We went to the game against Arkansas. I liked the crowd. It was crazy. I liked it on gameday. I like how they rotate their players, and I like the defense they run -- the 4-3."

Mississippi State: "I've been there a bunch of times. I went there when they played South Carolina. I've been there for junior day and other visits. I've been there a lot. They're recruiting me hard. They told me I'm the No. 1 target on their board. I like the coaches there. They show me a lot of love. I could see myself being there four years. Their whole staff has sent me letters."

The 6-feet-1, 290-pound Crayton, who is known for his great strength (he can bench press 430 pounds four times), also holds offers from a number of other schools, including Arkansas, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Michigan, Mississippi and Vanderbilt.

When might a commitment come? Crayton isn't sure.

"I'm not trying to rush into it," he said. "I'm just enjoying the process."

Keith Niebuhr can be reached at Keithrivals@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.