Clinkscales thinking Nebraska, K-State

If Terrell Clinkscales lived in some sort of strangely specific alternate universe that forced junior college football players to announce their commitments in mid-November, he'd be headed to Kansas State.

Clinkscales offers up that information unprompted and in as many words. The problem for K-State, of course, is that the Dodge City Community College defensive tackle lives in this universe - a universe where he'll take three more official visits before announcing anything.

The next trip on the docket will be a Nov. 29 tour of Nebraska, and the Huskers' coaching staff has every reason to think things will go well. When a player is tossing around the term "dream school" before ever setting foot on campus, there's plenty of reason for confidence.

So when Clinkscales starts talking about his feelings on K-State, which he visited last weekend, it's important to keep in mind that the road ahead includes three more trips. Still, the next one on the schedule might be the most important.

"I've been watching Ndamukong Suh since he was there," Clinkscales said. "I watched him come up even as a freshman and how he grew. They were a dream school for me growing up. I remember wanting to play with him so bad. I was a sophomore in high school talking about playing with Suh."

But Nebraska is more than a boyhood dream. It's an option - and a very real one at that.

"It's a great program with a lot of tradition," Clinkscales said of Nebraska. "I know Bo Pelini does a lot of great things for that program. The D-line coach is good, too. He gets players to that next level. He gets them to the NFL."

As for his take on K-State, which he visited just days ago, there's some gushing being done on that front as well. The 315-pound lineman liked what he saw in Manhattan. And if there weren't more visits to take, his mind would be made up.

"I loved the visit," Clinkscales said. "The fans were amazing. The coaches were straightforward guys. I definitely felt more love with the program once I got there and got a chance to meet Bill Snyder and got to know Coach Mo Latimore. It felt like home in a way. If I had to sign today or tomorrow and didn't take other visits, I would sign with K-State."

Aside from the upcoming Nebraska trip, Clinkscales intends to visit Ohio State and Texas Tech. Each school will have the chance to change his mind before he signs anything. But Clinkscales junior college teammate, cornerback Danzel McDaniel, recently predicted his friend's choice will boil down to the Wildcats and the Huskers.

It's a claim Clinkscales has a hard time disputing.

"I don't know why Danzel thinks that, but I'll say that's accurate," Clinkscales said. "He knows me well I guess."

Clinkscales, who holds more than 23 scholarship offers, plans to announce his commitment in early February, after he's concluded the five official visits allotted to him by NCAA rules.