Childs gets offer he was waiting for

One of the big mysteries for us at this early point in the recruiting process was why one of the top receivers in the entire West region, Los Alamitos' (Calif.) Jeremy Childs was still waiting for his first scholarship offer. After a standout performance at the Nike Camp at Stanford last weekend, the wait is over as Childs picked up two new offers with two more coming shortly.

Childs, 6-0, 180 pounds has been on the recruiting radar since his sophomore year when he might have been the top player in his class at that time. He was a first all-state Underclass selection and also earned Student Sports Junior All-American honors.

As a junior, Childs had a solid year catching 57 balls for 750 yards and seven touchdowns to earn second team all-state Underclass honors. He dropped a little in the eyes of scouts and was passed over by a few other receivers like Long Beach Poly's Desean Jackson and Los Angeles, Jefferson's Austin Usher.

Childs set out to prove he truly was an elite receiver and did just that this past weekend at the NorCal Nike Camp. He looked good in the position drills but then took it to another level in the one on ones. If Jackson was the top receiver of the day, Childs was a close second and might have been even better than Jackson in the one on ones.

Childs has gotten bigger and stronger in the last year and it showed when the defensive backs tried to press him at the line. The athlete was able to either beat them off the line with a quick move or overpower them and made several nice catches with the corners draped all over him. Few players are as smooth in their route running and have the hands that Childs does. He's a natural pass catcher and you never see him fighting the ball like you do with other receivers.

After not having a single offer prior to the camp, the wait is finally over for Childs.

"Wyoming offered me Monday and then UCLA offered me yesterday," Childs said. "Colorado and Oregon State are coming by the school and both are going to offer me according to my coaches. I was real excited about the offer from UCLA. They have been my top school for awhile and that's where I'm leaning."

In the past, Childs said he would even consider committing early to UCLA if they offered, any chance of that happening?

"I thought about committing as soon as they offered," Childs said. "UCLA is a great school with great academics and it's close to home. My mom wants me to stay local too but my aunt thinks I should leave the area to experience something new. I'm thinking about it but I also want to play things out a little and see what else is out there for me. UCLA is definitely my top school though and I could still see myself committing there early."

Others on Childs short list include Arizona, Oklahoma, Florida, Cal and Oregon.