California CB would like to play in Pac 10

Star football players are presented with tests and challenges every single day out. For Lakewood (Calif.) Mayfair cornerback/receiver Alterraun Verner his latest test came at the USC summer camp where he did battle with five-star receiver David Ausberry.

"I thought I did real well," Verner, ranked as the No. 96 player in California by Rivals.com, said. "USC had me playing cornerback. I felt like I matched up well with some great players like David Ausberry. He is a real good player. I know I did really well."

That's just like he did well enough to earn scholarships early on from Wyoming, Boise State and Nevada. He also got May phone calls from Wyoming, Washington, Washington State, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Utah, Fresno State, Mississippi State, UC-Davis, Boston College, Boise State and Nevada. That's quite a group for quite a player.

"I'm very aggressive," Verner said. "I go get the ball whether it's on the offensive or defensive side of the ball."

Verner, who is 5-foot-10 ½ and 151 pounds, also camped at Arizona, Stanford, UCLA and he was also at the Palo Alto NIKE Training Camp. Even though he plays a lot of offense in high school, his size probably projects him on the defensive side of the ball.

"I'll probably end up playing defensive back in college," he said. "I don't have a preference, though. As long as I can get on the field I'll play whatever a team wants me to play."

When it comes to picking a college, Verner said he'd like to play in the Pac 10 and teams like UCLA, USC and Cal are high on his list. Still he's not tipping his hand too much at this point.

"I like the Pac-10 a lot," he said. "I hope I get to play there, because it's close to home, and I've followed those teams my whole life. I'd really like to get an offer from Stanford. UCLA and Cal-Berkley, too. Those teams would be on the top if they offered, but I wouldn't say one would be a leader.

"I am looking at the prestige of a program. I want to go somewhere with a good team. Playing time is kind of important, too. Not immediate playing time, necessarily. I just want to be able to get on the field early on in my career."