Eye-opening visit for Billyk

New Castle, Pa. defensive end Allen Billyk headed into his most recent official visit with a clear leader in mind. However, things have suddenly become much tougher.

"I was really surprised at how nice Boston College was," said the 6-foot-4, 260-pounder who took an in-week visit to Chestnut Hill, Mass. from Tuesday-Thursday. "I was hosted by Tim Bulman and got to hang out and check out bowl practice. It was the week of finals so the night life was pretty dead, but I got to meet a bunch of the players. It was a lot like Virginia actually."

The Cavs had a pretty good lead for Billyk's services before the BC trip, but now it's all even.

"Before the visit, I was pretty sure I'd get to BC and return home still thinking Virginia was the place for me," he said. "Now it's too close to call. My parents didn't get to make the trip with me like they did with Virginia, so I want them to be able to see it very soon so they can compare the two. I'm going to try to get back there as soon as possible."

Billyk took his visit during the week because he has a huge basketball game this Sunday.

"We play LeBron James," he said of the superstar from Ohio expected to be the No. 1 pick in June's NBA Draft. "I could have taken the visit instead, but I want to be able to tell my kids I played against him if he's going to be as great as they say. I'm looking forward to it."

So what's next for Billyk?

"Well, I have Michigan set for Jan. 10 and Stanford for Jan. 17, but I might not need either of them," he said. "BC opened my eyes so much that it kind of makes me want to take my Michigan trip because maybe I'll be just as surprised. But on the other hand, I know that Virginia and BC are my two favorites so I could just decide by Christmas."