DE Hunter favors four

Four teams are out in front for Cary, N.C., defensive end Fre'Shad Hunter and all of them offer different things: NC State is just minutes away, LSU is a powerhouse SEC program, Florida State has tremendous history and Florida has become one of the nation's hottest teams.

It will be a difficult decision for Hunter, rated as the No. 84 recruit in the 2010 class by Rivals.com. He finished with 60 tackles and seven sacks last season. But he's also in an almost no-lose situation because each school can be a great situation for him. NC State was the first school to offer him and it sticks out a lot.

"I've been an NC State fan all my life," Hunter said. "I love the coaching staff out there, the coaching staff is great. They've been together for about 15 years so I know they have some chemistry in the coaching part of the football program and the facilities and the people in general.

"It's getting important that it's right down the road because I know I'm close to making that decision whether I want to go out of state or if I want to stay close to home. My mom is trying to talk to me about staying close to home but really distance is not an issue for me. I'm going to play wherever I fit in."

The offer from LSU came as a surprise to Hunter, a 6-foot-5, 246-pound recruit. He had not heard much from the Tigers' coaching staff and then one day he talked with defensive line coach Brick Haley and a big-time offer was on the table.

"LSU is one of those powerhouse programs," Hunter said. "I talked to the defensive line coach on the phone and he gave me a four-year full ride on the phone and I was just surprised by that. My coach told me to come into his office and he told me he had the LSU coach on the phone and I was supposed to come and talk to him.

"I was surprised because I hadn't heard anything from them and they're a big name. It's LSU. They produced Glenn Dorsey and you know he's a monster."

The Seminoles offered about a month ago and it's another big-time program to consider. Hunter said he hopes to make visits early this summer – and trips to Florida State and Florida will be on the schedule. Although FSU has not won national championships in recent years, Hunter said it was a place he could see himself fitting in.

Florida has won two of the last three national titles and that's one reason why Hunter is interested in the Gators. Florida's staff has not offered but that could change if he visits in the next couple months.

Hunter's coach has told him that over the next few months 10 or so more offers could arrive, which might make his recruitment that much more difficult to figure out. Oregon, Purdue, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee and East Carolina have offered as well.

"My coach told me it's going to pick up," Hunter said. "He told me it's slowed down over the past week, that he wasn't receiving too much mail, but he told me during the summertime it's going to pick back up and I'll probably receive about 10 more offers before the summer is over."