Cali junior holding early offers

One of the better junior running backs we saw this past season was Compton (Calif.) Dominguez athlete Marcus Darden. Darden already has a trio of scholarship offers on the table and will be recruited at the national level this spring.

Darden, 5-9, 190 pounds is an explosive back and a true home run threat from anywhere on the field. We saw the Dons in action twice this season and Darden wowed us in both games. He has a great burst and is a top speed after just a few strides.

Darden also has the ability to make you miss while maintaining his speed and once he gets a crack, he's gone. On the year, Darden rushed for 1,348 yards and 22 touchdowns while sharing time with two other running backs. He could easily double his yardage as a senior when he's the featured back.

"Marcus is a great prospect and one of the best backs we've had here," Dons coach Keith Donnerson said. "He can do a lot of things and has a very nice upside. He's so fast but is tough too and can run between the tackles. He's going to be recruited by everyone and I already have a lot of schools telling me they plan to offer him in the spring.

"Right now, he has offers from Arizona, Ole Miss and Mississippi State but he'll have a lot more after Signing Day. He has the talent to play anywhere he wants and he's solid academically too so he'll be able to be recruited and go anywhere he wants."