Four-star DT Joel Starlings names his top five and details his visit plans

Four-star defensive tackle Joel Starlings has a good idea of what the remainder of his recruitment will look like. The Richmond (Va.) Benedictine star named North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia his top five contenders and has a visit planned to each school.

*****

CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board

RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info for 2022 series

*****

"I plan on committing at the end of my upcoming senior season so I felt like this is the time to narrow down my list before these official visits start," Starlings said. "I don't have any other unofficials except for Oklahoma. I'll be there on June 9th. That's probably my last one. I'll be taking an official visit to North Carolina on May 20th. I'll be at West Virginia at the beginning of June for an official visit on June 3rd. I have one set for South Carolina on October 22nd. Virginia's official visit will be November 19th. "

North Carolina- "The Tar Heels made the cut because they're pretty close to home," he said. "I've built a relationship with coach Cross and coach Brown. They came to my school a lot last year so they've been recruiting me for a while. I've been up there a couple times as well so I'm pretty familiar with the campus."

Oklahoma- "The made the cut because I've built a relationship with the new coaches when they were at Clemson," said Starlings. "I had good relationship with coach Bates. I talk to him and coach Venables a lot. I plan on getting up there before I set up an official visit."

South Carolina- "They've been recruiting me for a while and they probably one of my strongest relationships," he said. "They've been up to my school plenty of times and they were up there today. Coach Gray was there today. I've a great relationship with those guys."

Virginia- "The new coaching staff seems better than the older one," Starlings said. "They're actually recruiting in Virginia so it felt good to be recruited by the in-state school. I've been up there a lot so I'm really familiar with that spot as well. The coaches are very genuine."

West Virginia- "It's kind of the same situation with them as UNC," he said. "They've been to my school a decent amount and I've been up there a couple times too. Coach Jackson and coach Brown have said they need defensive linemen so I could get a decent amount of playing time."

There is a lot left to play out in Starlings' recruitment. The former Michigan commit is determined not to make a quick decision again and he has a plan that will help him learn as much as possible about his contenders this time around. South Carolina has to like where they stand right now but they can't take their foot off the gas. Virginia and North Carolina are charging hard and so is West Virginia. Oklahoma's will need to make a strong impression when he takes his unofficial visit in June if they want to have a serious chance down the stretch.