Four-star DE Fullwood names finalists
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With a decision coming on Saturday, four-star Darius Fullwood has announced his last top five. The finalists for the defensive end from Olney (Md.) Good Counsel are Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio State and Virginia Tech.
"I don't have an order to these schools," said the 6-foot-3, 238-pound Fullwood. "I don't know which one I'm going to pick yet but I'll probably figure it out in the next few days.
Each school has made its case to Fullwood. He explains below.
Duke- "I recently went down there for the camp," he said. "I really liked it down there. They have great academics. Coach Cutcliffe is doing a lot with the team. They just went 10-4 last year and played in a big bowl game against Texas A&M so it seems like they're doing a lot of big things with the program. They're still on the rise. The main thing they are looking for is defensive players. They can put up a lot of point but so it the other team. I feel like I could be a key part to that team."
Kentucky- "I'm great friends with Kobie Walker and we talk a lot," Fullwood said. "Just being down there I've been able to build relationships with other guys in the 2014 class. I like what they're doing with the program and I get along with the whole staff. It seems like they're really trying to rebuild the program and turn things around. Most of the staff is defensive-minded especially coach Stoops. He's done a lot of good things with big programs so I feel like I could go in there and be able to contribute."
Maryland- "I like the home town school," he said. "I have a great relationship with coach Wilt, the defensive line coach. He's been recruiting me hard for the past few weeks. I just think it's a good opportunity with them being close to home and moving to the Big Ten. They're going to be playing better competition each week. I just feel like if I go there I'll be able to get a lot of other players from our area to come down there and play. There's a lot of good things about Maryland.
"The connection Maryland has with Good Counsel is big," said Fullwood. "There have been so many people that have come from Good Counsel and are doing big things at Maryland. On Saturday I talked to Jesse Aniebonam. It was his first day checking into the dorms and I saw him down there while I was watching a 7-on-7 tournament. Just like Kobe, Jesse is a really good friend. We've played the last few years together rand we are pretty close. It could be good to have me play defensive end there with him playing next to me at outside linebacker."
Ohio State- "The camp up there was a good experience," he said. "Ohio State is the top dog and they have great academics. They have great coaches, one of the best head coaches and defensive line coaches in the nation. You can't really go wrong with Ohio State. They have a lot of things going for them and they recruit the top players. If I were to go there some very good players would surround me throughout my four years. I'm supposed to find out where I stand with them from the coaches."
Virginia Tech- "They are one of the first teams to really start recruiting me," Fullwood said. "I have a great relationship with all the coaches there. I've been talking to coach Moorehead since the beginning of my sophomore year. I have a great relationship with coach Wiles and coach Foster. I love their defense. They usually have one of the top ranked defenses each year. A bad season for them is like 8-5 so they are always competing and looking to win a lot of games every year. To be able to go to and win a bowl game every year is really attractive to me.
"On top of that, my friends Melvin Keihn and Kendall Fuller are down there right now," he said. "I've been talking with them and hung out with them the last time I was down there. Kendall tells me about how the whole defensive staff is excellent. He told me they developed him into a better player since he left good counsel. He also said they look out for the players and support them in everything. They make sure you are on top of your schoolwork and not in trouble. I like that about them."
Fullwood will be doing some soul searching between now and Saturday.
"I have to go with my heart, with my gut feeling to figure out which one is going to be the best fit for me," said Fullwood. "I have to think about the relationships that I have with the coaches, which ones will be there for me and which ones will develop me into the best I can be throughout my four years. Everybody is going to have a pretty good education so those are the main things."
Fullwood sustained a minor injury while participating at the Ohio State camp which prevented him from camping at North Carolina on Saturday night.
Adam Friedman is the Mid-Atlantic Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
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