Cravens has special junior season

Su'a Cravens might be the best junior in California and while he doesn't dismiss that type of recognition the Murrieta (Calif.) Vista Murrieta prospect doesn't necessarily embrace it, either.

Cravens can only control what happens on the field and this season he absolutely dominated at running back and wide receiver but especially on defense where all five favorites are looking for him to play.

That's right, USC had preliminarily wanted Cravens as a halfback but the 6-foot-1, 205-pound prospect said after talking with the Trojans' coaching staff a few times they're looking for him to play defense now. He could end up at safety or outside linebacker.

Oklahoma, Stanford, Notre Dame and Arkansas are the four others that make up Cravens' frontrunners but a commitment is not expected soon.

Cravens wants to take official visits, be patient with the recruiting process and once he makes his pledge doesn't want to worry about backing out or rethinking things. That means the process can drag on for him but he's not necessarily opposed to it.

"I'm going to stick with it until I start talking to the coaching staffs more and take my official visits in my senior year," Cravens said. "I want to see their records and their bowl games but right now that's my solid five.

"Like I said before, I'm not going to be a guy who commits and then de-commits and decides to go somewhere else. I'm going to wait until I'm 100 percent decided in my heart and that's where I'm going to go."

With 17 verbal offers already, many consider Cravens the top 2013 prospect in the state of California and his statistics back up that opinion as well.

On defense, Cravens finished with 96 tackles, 11 sacks and three interceptions. He rushed for 673 yards and 15 touchdowns and had 339 receiving yards and four scores. Vista Murrieta did not lose a game on the field but finished with a 10-4 record because it had to forfeit four games after they were played.

As for being the top player, Cravens doesn't sidestep the question - and says he believes he should be in the conversation - but added that he'll leave the rankings to others. He's just focused on getting better and making sure he finds the best fit for his abilities.

"My dad always tells me to not read the headlines and that I'm not as good as they say you are, you're not as bad as they say you are but I have to say I'm one of the good ones in California," Cravens said.

"There are a lot of great athletes out here. You have Michael Hutchings at De La Salle and he's a great guy. It's wherever they rank us so I can't really tell."