Blackmon promises three official visits
FONTANA, Calif. - Wearing a blue UCLA hat and black UCLA skullcap, Devon Blackmon swore he wasn't sending a message about his recruitment, only acknowledging a Bruins' assistant coach that showed up at his game Thursday night.
"UCLA was out here scouting me so I gave them some love," Blackmon said. "If Oregon comes out next week I'll have a hat for Oregon. Any team that comes out here. It's nothing big. I'm not committed yet."
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Rivals.com rates Blackmon, a 6-foot, 175-pound prospect, as the third-best athlete, No. 20 nationally and fifth in the California state rankings. He'll probably be a wide receiver in college but plays quarterback at Fontana Summit which defeated Etiwanda, 42-35, in the season opener.
Blackmon was especially good in the second half even though he was battling a right ankle injury so he didn't always exhibit all of his explosiveness.
The four-star recruit rushed for a 33-yard touchdown, threw for a score and had an interception but also threw a pick. There was no question he was the best player on the field but didn't necessarily dominate the game at all times.
"I come in and do what I need to do and play hard," Blackmon said. "It's a great compliment (to play quarterback) so I can control the offense like I did. It's great. It's a learning process but I think I managed it well. I've been on this for about four years now so I know the offense left and right."
What was especially impressive about Summit's offense was the two-headed monster of Blackmon and senior running back Montigo Alford, who had the bulk of Summit's carries and finished with two rushing touchdowns.
Teams will have a difficult time stopping both players and that's exactly why the offense is tailored around the two standout athletes.
"The deal with putting Devon at quarterback is that we want to get our best athlete the ball," Summit coach Tony Barile said. "Get our best player the ball every play and he gives us so many different things he can do so you saw him make some pretty nice plays back there at the quarterback position.
"Teams are focusing on Montigo now and Devon is getting some carries. It goes back and forth. It's hard to focus on both of them in the backfield and we can still throw the ball to a lot of guys as well.
"It's very nice that we don't have to worry about (Blackmon) on the other side. You have to game plan for the athleticism. You have to put two guys on him. You have to put two guys on Montigo. Now you have a problem so it's a good thing to have."
Recruiting is still not a major focus for Blackmon, who was outstanding at the Gridiron Kings event in Florida this summer and was rewarding with a boost in his ranking. No official visits have been set up yet but Blackmon guaranteed that he will take trips to Oregon, Alabama and Florida.
Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Colorado, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon State and Utah are some of Blackmon's other offers. UCLA and USC remain very much involved in his recruitment but Blackmon said he wasn't sure if either Pac-10 team would receive an official visit.
"I've been there so many times," Blackmon said of UCLA and USC. "That's what it is with those two schools."