Published Nov 12, 2012
Five-star DB McQuay talks recruiting
Kynon Codrington
Recruiting Analyst
For Leon McQuay, there is never a dull moment in the recruiting process. Many fans have pegged him to end up at their school of choice, but not even his family knows what he plans to do.
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His father, Leon McQuay Jr., caught up with Rivals.com to talk about the latest visit to Michigan and how trips have gone so far for the McQuays.
The Wolverines hosted the five-star safety for last weekend's overtime win against Northwestern. The McQuays had taken an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor last May, but the Michigan staff impressed this time around with its attention to detail.
"All of the schools have a lot to offer and things are starting to look the same to me." McQuay Jr. said. "However, when we arrived Michigan had his courses laid out, so that was a plus. I haven't seen that anywhere else. They knew he is coming in early, so the music director give him two different options to major in."
In addition to the first-class academic treatment, McQuay III spent time with defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. Mattison went over NFL-style defenses and concepts and how McQuay would fit into the Wolverines scheme.
"They showed him clips of Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed and how he is used on blitzes and making the calls." McQuay Jr. said. "Mattison was basically putting Leon in that position. Coach was basically doing a compare and contrast with Leon and Reed."
The five-star safety enjoyed his trip and liked everything from the game, fans, the school, and the coaches. Did the visit help Michigan's chances?
"It didn't make it easier for me to decide," McQuay III said. "I like how they run the Ravens defense and how they want to use me."
Right now things remain even for all of the schools pursuing the ball-hawking safety. But in recruiting things can change in a hurry.
Rumors will fly at the end of the season, and coaching changes will be made. Two schools in particular in McQuay's top five will be mentioned. Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin is expected to be in the mix for a few job openings. The future of USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is another question mark.
So will coaching shakeups affect his decision?
"I'm not sure yet," McQuay said. "We will see how it goes."
Leon and his dad have been to Vanderbilt six times already, and the Commodores offered him after his freshman year, before Franklin was there. So they are very familiar with the program.
As far as Oregon goes, he had a great trip to Eugene. The Ducks do not have an audio engineering major, so the faculty told him he they would create courses for him to apply to a major of his choice. He feels that is a positive because he will get more one-on-one instruction from his professors.
He will take his final two official visits to Florida State and USC in the coming weeks. The 'Noles will have him on campus in two weeks when they take on Florida. He is planning his trip to Los Angeles the weekend of Dec. 7 if his team doesn't make it to the semifinal round of the playoffs.