Down to two, but one leads
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Rivals100 prospect Brandon Hicks has narrowed his school list to two, and Florida has the lead over Miami at this point.
"I really like Florida. I like Coach (Urban) Meyer, and I talk to (co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison) all the time, too. He tells me about their school and we talk about life most of the time.
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"Miami has a theme where they are trying to keep things like a family. They are trying to keep guys home and keep it as a family there. I really like that.
"I would say Florida has the edge. I am real close to committing to Florida, but I am trying to wait it out. I am waiting for that one thing to spark it, so I can make my decision right then."
A decision date hasn't been set, but Hicks is leaning toward Signing Day.
Hicks is preparing to play in the Offense-Defense Bowl this week, and he has shown his speed and athleticism in the early workouts.
"Practice has been going real good," said Hicks. "The one thing that has been hard is transitioning back to football. It has been a while since I played.
"I have been working at outside linebacker. They have us on the outside working on the strong-side and weak-side. We are rotating around those positions and we will do that in the game, too."
Hicks has shown a lot of athleticism this week.
"One of the my strengths is getting to the football. I really explode to the ball and I have good speed. I really want to work on getting to the ball quicker though on the inside runs. I am real good on the outside, but I want to get better on the inside."
This Rivals100 linebacker thinks his home will be on the outside.
"When I look at my size and body frame, then I definitely think I will play outside linebacker in college," Hicks said. "I am long, tall, athletic, and fast, so I think I am best outside."
Down in Oakland Park, Hicks has a lot of talent around him at linebacker.
"I had heard about Kendall Smith, and he is really good. He has a lot of speed out there. I am playing with a real good group. They all play hard, have good speed, and it is nice to play with guys like that."
Hicks said he is happy with how things are coming along at the all-star practices.
"I am OK with my performance in practice so far, but I think I will get better with the more practice I get. I know we are all doing pretty well right now, but we can get better. I have started to feel it more and more, but I know I will get better each day."
The East were in full pads for the first time on Monday.
"That was cool," he said. "It felt good to get in pads and be able to hit somebody. It was good to finally get back into action. We didn't really hit anybody too hard yet because we don't want anybody to get hurt. We are just trying to get ready for Thursday."
The game is scheduled to be televised live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. EST.
"It is a privilege to be here and to be playing in this game," Hicks said. "I get to see where I stand between all these players. They are not just the best in Florida, but the best in the nation."