Phone calls are always a great indication of genuine interest on the part of colleges to prospects.

And when they come in the form of a head coach taking time from his schedule to make contact, you know it’s serious business.

Such was recently the case for West Monroe (La.) standout Luke Sanders, a member of the Rivals100 Team and the No. 7 rated inside linebacker in the nation.

“I talked to coach Saban from LSU and coach Fran from Texas A&M,” he said. “It means a lot when the head coach calls you. That’s a big reason why I’ve had them so high on my list. They’ve shown me the most interest and stayed in contact with me the whole time. Some of the other schools would have a decent chance, too, but I haven’t heard as much from them.

“I talked to A&M’s coachs for a long time. Coach Fran had me talk to the linebacker coach and my recruiting coach, too. That was pretty fun.”

Sanders (6-4, 228, 4.6) also received calls from Colorado and Southern Miss since the contact period resumed. He has offers from LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn, Colorado, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State.

He hasn’t written off the other schools – or a program like Oklahoma, which has yet to offer – but readily admits the Tigers and Aggies are clearly in the lead.

“Those are both pretty good fits for me,” he said. “It’s a tough call between them right now.”

Sanders will visit LSU for the Georgia game and plans to be at A&M for its matchup with Pitt.

In his first game of the season last week, he recorded eight tackles, one sack and a blocked punt in helping lead West Monroe to a 28-0 win over Parkway. This week, No. 2 ranked West Monroe is preparing for a showdown with No. 3 Carencro.

Academically, Sanders maintains a 4.0 GPA and has scored a 27 on the ACT.