California lineman gets the love

Two-way lineman J.J. Fifita is one of quite a few solid recruits in the class of 2007 at Los Angeles Birmingham. Fifita measured 6-foot ½ and 262 pounds at the recent Rivals.com Junior Day in Anaheim, Calif., and he's also starting to measure up on the recruiting front with plenty of attention from all over the place.

"Florida State, LSU, Tennessee, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, Colorado State and Fresno State have all been sending me stuff a lot," Fifita, an all-area pick as a junior, said. "It's just a bunch of letters but some of them seem pretty genuinely interested.

"Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, and LSU have been sending me a bunch of mail. Oregon, Washington, and Cal are my top three teams right now, though. I want to stay close to the West Coast. I want to be closer to home and closer to my family so they can watch me play."

Fifita doesn't have any offers yet, but his coach Ed Croson thinks it's just a matter of time.

"J.J.'s brother, Siaosi, plays at San Diego State," Croson said. "He is a lot thicker and stronger than his brother when he was in high school."

To help his stock, Fifita has plans this summer to see several places.

"I was thinking about going to the USC camp and also the NIKE camp," he said. "That's probably the only team camp I'm going to be going to. Colorado State wanted me to come to their camp and Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington asked me to come to theirs. I don't think I'm going to flying anywhere, though."

When it comes time to make a decision, Fifita has a few things in mind at the perfect school.

"Location will probably be the biggest factor for me," Fifita said. "I want to go somewhere close to home, and I guess a place with prestige and a good status for their school. I'd like a team with history and a team that's been good in the past.

"I plan to take all of my visits and then make a decision near the end or after my season. I might visit down on the East Coast or in the Midwest. I was thinking Florida State and LSU would be two schools I want to visit and then the other three visits would be on the West Coast."