Five-star closer to trimming his list

With college coaches from coast to coast stopping by his school this spring, five-star defensive end Darius Hamilton of Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep has taken a business-like approach to his recruiting process As he continuously gathers information about schools, he is also preparing to trim his list down, which should happen in the next couple of weeks.

"The spring has been good," said Hamilton. "It's a little hectic though, with meeting a lot of new coaches."

Hamilton has received visits from multiple coaches on a daily basis, but was asked to name a few that he recently remembered.

"Auburn, Alabama, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Oregon, USC, Florida and Georgia have been in to see me," said Hamilton, who also mentioned that the most persistent interest has been coming from Florida, Oregon, Alabama, Rutgers, Miami and Tennessee.

No visits have been taken to this point, but he's looking to change that.

"No visits yet, but I plan on taking a few in June," said Hamilton. "I just don't know where yet."

As he puts together his visit schedule, Hamilton is also preparing to trim his list of schools down.

"Yeah, I plan to do that in like two weeks," said Hamilton. "I want to get it down to about 10 to 12."

While he was not ready to release an official list of 10 to 12 at this point, he did mention six schools that are in a good position to make this list.

"Rutgers, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Miami and Georgia," said Hamilton, who does not plan to make a final decision until after his senior season.

During this process, Hamilton and his teammates have also been preparing for what could be another high stakes season at Don Bosco Prep.

"We have a lot of returning starters, so we are all looking forwarding to our senior year," said Hamilton, who also discussed the pressure his team will be facing. "I mean, this is what we wanted. We wanted to prove that we could be the best and we knew what it took to get us here. We are just going to keep pushing and working harder than ever to have more success."

Part of the drama for the upcoming season for Hamilton and Don Bosco Prep is the impressive out-of-state schedule the school has put together, which includes Manatee from Florida, St. Edward's from Ohio and Mission Viejo from California.

"They are great programs and we are looking forward to playing them," said Hamilton. "We know that they will give it their all, but that's exactly what we plan to do also."