Decision soon for CB Reed

A handful of schools have jumped into the recruiting race for Waldorf (Md.) Westlake star Aaris Reed. The 5-foot-9, 183-pounder picked up offers the last few weeks from the MAC and Big Ten among others.

The running back picked up his most notable new offer from Illinois.

"Ron Zook and the running back coach came to our school and offered me on the spot," he said. "My dad lives a couple of hours from Illinois, so when I go up and see him I can go see the campus. Ron Zook is a legend and I know they have great running backs playing at the school now and to learn from them would be great."

Previously it was listed that Reed was favoring Vanderbilt, but now the back has opened things up a little bit.

"I don't know where I want to go, everything is neutral," he said. "I'm favoring the schools that have offered and I also like Michigan State. I'm planning to make a decision in the next month though, I'll know where I'm going by July 4th. I plan on visiting all the schools that have offered me before then."

Reed went on to talk about some of the schools he has offers from.

"Vanderbilt's academics are very good, you can be making money doing anything coming out of there," he said. "Nashville is pretty warm too. My best friend Jerry Fagan goes down there and plays corner for them. I'm definitely a lot more interested because he goes there and they probably wouldn't have offered me without Jerry.

"I like North Carolina a lot. They tied for third in the ACC last year and talking to the coaches, they seem to know what they are doing. It's a warmer climate there and it's one of the nicest offers I have right now. All the MAC schools really like me at running back and they are all pretty good programs. They all compete and the coaches seem really cool."

Michigan State came out of nowhere during the evaluation period, but they caught the attention of Reed.

"I was impressed with all the schools and I'm blessed that I'll get a free education," he said. "I was really impressed with Michigan State. Their coach contacts me a lot and they've been to my school three times as well as practices, track meets and more. We've had great conversations."

Before he makes a decision, Reed is expecting to visit Akron and Marshall. He recently took a trip to North Carolina.

"I'm just looking to see how comfortable I am at each place. I really liked North Carolina," he said. "I'm going to take a look at Akron and Marshall and maybe Illinois before I decide."

Where Reed will play on the field is still up in the air.

"Most of the bigger schools are recruiting me for cornerback, while the smaller ones are for running back and Akron and Vanderbilt said I can play both," he said. "I'd prefer to play running back because I feel more confident running than on defense. My heart is with running the ball."

There's no denying that as Reed ran for 1,336 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. He added 19 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions as he was named first team all-conference and all-Southern Maryland team.