Dinovo patiently waiting

Tarpon Springs (Fla.) East Lake three-star pro-style quarterback Pete Dinovo is still waiting for his first offer.

"I am hoping and praying every day that it is close," Dinovo said. "I have a lot of colleges talking to me, I can't even start to tell you how many are saying they are going to be down during spring ball and want to see me throw live. I am trying to build a relationship with some of these guys.

"I am excited for it all to happen," Dinovo added. "I am just anxious for it to start rolling."

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound signal-caller recently took an unofficial visit to an in-state school and came away with a feeling that they are on the verge of extending an offer.

"I went over to UCF recently for a visit and they said they love me," Dinovo said. "They said I am on the top of their board. They said I am right there and they are ready to offer, they just have to make that final determination which is going to come during spring."

Dinovo shed a little more light on his recent visit to check out the Knights.

"I spent a lot of time with Coach (Charlie) Taaffe and we did a lot of X's and O's on the board," Dinovo said. "He said he was really impressed with me. He said most of the quarterbacks that he has recruited couldn't get up on that board and do the things I did. I was pretty happy with myself for that.

"As far as the facilities and everything there, it was beautiful, top of the line," Dinovo added. "The fields are great. I really enjoyed my time up there."

Dinovo said he is planning to take a number of visits during the remainder of the spring and into the summer. Some destinations he mentioned included Auburn, Duke, Florida State, Miami, Northwestern, and Purdue. Those are some of the schools showing him the most interest.

"I have built a really good relationship with the guys at Florida State," Dinovo said. "They have told me that depending on what the (Jameis) Winston kid decides to do, they are going to make a decision off of him.

"I have also built a relationship with Coach (Scot) Loeffler at Auburn and of course Coach Taaffe at UCF," Dinovo added. "I also keep in pretty regular contact with Northwestern, Purdue, and Duke."

The Sunshine State quarterback isn't working with a hard timeline but admits he would like to have his recruitment done before his senior season begins.

"I really would like to narrow it down and maybe make a decision by the end of the summer," Dinovo said. "I am just open right now. I will just take some visits along with my mom and my dad and see who shows the most love and where I feel at home."

When it comes time to decide, Dinovo is looking at a number of factors in selecting his future home.

"One of the biggest things for me is feeling at home," Dinovo said. "I want to go and see the facilities, obviously most Division I schools are going to have great facilities. I also want to have a great relationship with the coaching staff. I am also going to look at the type of offense that they are running, because that is going to be important to me. I am also looking at who else the school is recruiting in my class."

As a junior, Dinovo was 157-for-236 for 2,337 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also threw eight interceptions. On the ground, Dinovo rushed for 149 yards and four touchdowns on 48 rushes.