Five-star Diggs down to eight

Olney (Md.) Good Counsel wide receiver Stefon Diggs has narrowed his list down to eight schools as he prepares to begin setting up his official visits. The 6-foot, 180-pounder could take two officials in December and could be flying west for his first. What schools made the cut?

"In no order, it's Cal, Southern Cal, Oklahoma, Florida, Auburn, Virginia, Michigan and Maryland," said Diggs, ranked as the No. 8 player in the country overall and the nation's No. 2 wide receiver. "There are a couple of schools that are still trying to get in there that I haven't ruled out entirely but those are the ones I am focusing on."

Diggs talked about each program.

"Cal will be my first official visit and I'm really interested in getting out there. I like the offense, coach Tedford is a good offensive coach and the DeSean Jackson comparisons are nice. I liked the way they showcased him in the offense.

"USC has a good coaching staff and I really like coach Gilmore, he was just here to see me. They give young guys a shot, they always have great quarterbacks and it's a pro-style offense that puts up big numbers. Coach Gilmore talked about how they are using Robert Woods and Marqise Lee and I didn't get to see the UCLA game but I heard about it.

"Oklahoma came in late but I liked what they had to say and it's clear they have a need to fill so I'm looking at it that way. I have no idea if I'll like it or not until my visit, but that's an offense that really spreads the ball around and likes to throw.

"Florida I've always liked and my mom went down there this weekend and she liked it. I haven't had a chance to talk to her in depth about how she liked the coaches but we texted a lot and she had nice things to say about it when she was there. Jelani Jenkins comes from my school and he really likes it down there too. They just need a few pieces to the puzzle on offense and I think I could make an impact.

"Auburn was one of my favorite visits and coach Trooper Taylor came to see me at one of my games. I'd like to get down there one more time because they have always been high on my list and I had such a good time down there.

"Virginia is up and coming and I just took an unofficial visit there. I know they lost but they will be good, they have a good quarterback and they could use some receiver help I think so I feel I could step in early. I spent some time with some of the recruits down there like Eli Harold as well as some of my old teammates. I know a lot of people there.

"Michigan has my former teammate and good friend Blake Countess up there and he loves it. They are winning, I have good conversations with the coaches and it's a great program. I'd become a better man up there.

"Maryland is my home state school and I know they are struggling a lot but you have to show your home state school respect and give them a look. I think I could make a big impact there."

As far as other schools, Diggs said a couple are still on his mind.

"Notre Dame and Miami are on the outside but still in my thoughts," he said. "Notre Dame just came in a couple of weeks ago and showed a lot of interest and Miami has always been my school since I was a little kid. I'm not ruling anything out, but my focus is on the eight I mentioned."

Diggs has a plan for official visits but no dates set.

"I'll probably take a few before Christmas and the rest after that," he said. "As of right now I want to take officials to Cal, USC, Oklahoma, Florida and Auburn but that could always change, it's not in cement. I'm going to start setting those up now."

Diggs finished with 1,443 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 32 tackles and four interceptions on defense. He plans to make his decision on Signing Day.