Daraun McKinney close to trimming his list

DETROIT - River Rouge, Mich., three-star cornerback Daraun McKinney has accumulated eight offers, but is ready to narrow his focus. One school that has solidified their spot already is Indiana, where he visited last month.

“We went down on a team visit, I think there were 12 players. It was a great visit,” McKinney said. “The weight room, it was huge and they have all up-to-date equipment, electronic equipment like cameras on the bench press. It really got me; it was impressive.”

Indiana was the first school to offer McKinney last fall, and is “definitely top five,” for the Detroit-area prospect heading into the spring. He is aiming to release that top five before April.

Shortly after visiting Indiana, McKinney made his way down to Cincinnati. This past weekend he was wearing a Bearcats zip-up at the Sound Mind Sound Body Showcase in Detroit.

“They matched (my expectations) well. What I expected is what I saw,” McKinney said of Cincinnati. “That was the first time I had been down there and when I got down there it was exactly what I expected. They probably have the best dorms I have ever seen.”

Besides Cincinnati and Indiana, McKinney’s other six offers are from Mid-American schools, several of which he plans to visit this spring.

“Two spring practices I definitely will be at are Cincinnati and Western Michigan,” he said. “I most likely will make it to Miami (Ohio) University, and I am going to Northern Illinois next week.”

Most schools are recruiting the 5-foot-10, 180-pound McKinney for cornerback, except for Ball State and Buffalo, which see him as a slot receiver. Every school recruiting him has also mentioned they want him for special teams returns as well.