Cornell close to narrowing his list
St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall 2015 defensive end Jashon Cornell has accumulated 22 scholarship offers from Division I programs. He is working to pare that list to a more manageable number in the coming weeks.
"I am still working on it, but I have a list I think I will release soon," Cornell said. "I am planning on the first [cut] being down around ten-ish."
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Two schools Cornell said are strong candidates to make the list are Iowa and Michigan. The Hawkeyes were the first school to offer the class of 2015 prospect last winter.
"The coaching staff is loyal to me," Cornell said. "They were the first team to respect me as a player, give me an offer and get my name out there."
With the college football season set to begin this coming weekend, Cornell is lining up game day visits with several schools and Michigan will be the first to host him.
"The first one I'm planning on going to - I already have my plane tickets - is Michigan vs. Notre Dame [Sept. 7 in Ann Arbor]," Cornell said. "Just seeing two of the schools that are recruiting me and that big rivalry they have. I have talked to some of the recruits that are going up there.
"Then, I am going to Iowa vs. Michigan State [Oct. 5 in Iowa City] and probably USC at Notre Dame [Oct. 19]. I know I'll go to one at Minnesota and probably Ohio State vs. Wisconsin [Sept. 28 in Wisconsin]."
Cornell said Notre Dame is another school he is considering strongly when narrowing his list. He has plans to see the Irish play twice this season, which may give him a chance to see his friend and former teammate, Notre Dame freshman wide receiver James Onwualu, kick off his college career.
"[Onwualu] said it is going really good and he is working hard," Cornell said. "He said it is a dog-fight and you have to fight for your position. I think he is going to get playing time right now. I've known him all my life, so that will be nice to watch him out there."
Cornell has had game day visit experiences in the past - he attended games at Iowa and Minnesota last fall - and he noted that visiting a school for a home game provides a different perspective of a university than an off-season visit.
"In a game experience I am looking at the fan base and how it feels to play at that stadium," Cornell said. "During spring practices you get to know the coaches more and the campus life, but during games I want to see how coaches coach and how they treat their players if they mess up."
Cornell is set to begin his junior season this week when Cretin-Derham Hall hosts Roseville on Thursday night.