Byrd one of the Souths best

Athlete C.J. Byrd is pulling in scholarship offers from all over the South and he's sure to be ranked one of the top players in the region. Does he have any leaders?

"Right now I'm trying to stay as open as I can, but a school here and there will catch my attention," said Byrd. "I just got offered by Auburn, so I'm pretty high on them right now. When so many good schools are talking to you, your favorites tend to change a lot. I'm trying not to get too high on any schools or too low on others, and just wait and see the big picture."

Byrd has already visited Auburn and Clemson and has trips scheduled to three SEC schools in the near future.

"I think I'm going to South Carolina on March 20th, Tennessee the next week and then Georgia the week after that," he said. "Growing up here in this part of the country I see these teams play all the time and know all about them. I still can't wait to go to them and see all those facilities."

Byrd has received scholarship offers from Auburn, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Clemson, Ole Miss, Maryland, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Illinois. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound athlete from North Augusta, S.C. runs the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds and has the potential to play several different positions in college.

"I really don't know exactly where I'll end up," said Byrd. "I think I've got the speed, strength and knowledge of the game to play a couple of different positions on offense and defense. I want to get on the field early, so whatever will get me playing time."

While Byrd doesn't have a leader, the schools in Palmetto State are in a good position.

"Oh yeah, I'll definitely consider South Carolina and Clemson. I'm not closing any other doors, but being from South Carolina you have to respect those two programs. Lou Holtz and Tommy Bowden really know the game and I could see myself playing for either one."