Final three for 4-star Coney

Four-star linebacker Tevon Coney of Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) has set his announcement date for Tue., Oct. 21 at his school. His finalists are Florida, Notre Dame and Miami, with the Gators and Fighting Irish thought to be his top two choices.

"I'm looking forward to it," the 6-foot, 221-pound Coney said. "It's going to be a big day and I feel blessed to have the chance to get to do this."

Coney will announce less than two weeks after taking an official visit to Gainesville for Florida's game against LSU, when the Gators suffered a tough loss at the hands of a last-second field goal. On Sept. 6 he was in South Bend, taking an official visit to Notre Dame for the Fighting Irish's game against Michigan. The Fighting Irish won 31-0.

Coney has been weighing his options since the Florida visit.

"It's going to come down to which school has the most coaching stability," he said. "I'm looking at the staff and who they get along with players and recruits and how they handle certain things."

As far as stability goes, it would appear the Muschamp-led Gators staff is in serious jeopardy of keeping their jobs. But that's not how Coney sees it.

"I think Muschamp will be there next year," he said. "And I've got trust in the coaching staff. I think he'll be there. If he's not there, then I guess that's something I'll have to talk to my parents about."

Coney grew up a Gators fan and Gainesville is just 3 ½ hours from his house. Miami is even closer - about an hour from Coney - and that was the Hurricanes' pitch when trying to convince Coney to choose them.

"I talked to the staff and they talked to my parents," Coney said. "We had a long talk about staying close to home and it was interesting so I figured I'd put them back in there (among my top choices)."

Coney said he hopes to be in Miami when the Hurricanes host Florida State on Nov. 15 for an official visit.

Notre Dame is the furthest from home, but there's still plenty Coney likes about them.

"They have a great team and great academics," he said. "And I like how their linebackers play aggressive. They have a big front four and they're coached very well. They use an NFL scheme and it's a good scheme to play in."

Coney insisted he's yet to reach a final decision but between now and next Tuesday he'll have it figured out.

"I'll look at all the factors and determine the best opportunity for me," he said. "That's what I'll be thinking about."