Four-star has top five

Four-star Anthony Barr (6-4, 230, 4.5) from Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola is one of the most sought after players in the country, so naturally both of his local schools, UCLA and USC like it when he shows up their practices. Thankfully for the fans of both schools, Barr has shown up and has taken in practices at both Los Angeles schools.

"Practices at both UCLA and USC have been good," Barr said. "I think both school are going to have successful seasons."

It is no wonder why UCLA,USC and a whole host of other schools are so interest in signing the skillful athlete in February. Barr is a rare athlete who has the type of versatility and ability to play several positions on the D-I level.

"Most schools say running back," Barr said when asked what position he is being recruited for. "That could change at any time. When they tell me running back, I understand that at any point in time, I can be changed to a different position."

Besides running back what other positions do colleges think Barr can play?

"I've heard everything from running back, to tight end, wide receiver, to outside linebacker, to free safety and strong safety," Barr said. "They think I can play just about any of the more athletic positions on the field, but who knows at this point.

"Like I said, most colleges have told me running back, but like I have said before, I am open to playing different positions," Barr said. "I don't know where I will end up."

Look for Barr to add strong safety and outside linebacker to his running back duties this fall. Rivals.com saw Barr in a passing league tournament going into his junior season playing safety and he had incredible closing speed for a young man his size.

Barr didn't get to play too much defense during his senior season because of his value as an offensive player where he rushed for 1,890 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.

With the versatility that Barr brings to the field it's no wonder that the talented athlete has 20-plus offers to his credit, but he is beginning to narrow things down.

"I've narrowed things down to four or five schools," Barr said. "They are UCLA, USC, Cal, Notre Dame and Michigan.

"I haven't set any visits yet, but I will probably take them during the bye week and after Thursday games this year," Barr said. "I'll probably be able to take visits during that time.

"I'm hoping to make my decision by the end of the year," Barr said. "That is my ultimate goal, but realistically, I don't know if that is going to be possible, but that's what I'm shooting for."

What attributes is Barr looking for in a college?

"A good academic school," Barr said. "Life after football is more important than life during football, because I'm going to be alive a lot longer after football and I'm going to play football, so I want a place that will provide with a good education that will last me the rest of my life.

"I also want to go to a place where I feel comfortable," Barr said. "If I'm going to be somewhere for four years, I want a place that's going to feel like home.

"A place where I can feel comfortable with the coach and grow a deeper relationship with the coach, not just a coach/player relationship, but on a more personal level," Barr said. "And a place that's going to prepare me for the next level. I hoping to play in the NFL one day and I think a school that's going to prepare me for that is really going to help me in the long run."

Barr comes from an athletic family. His father is Notre Dame great, Tony Brooks and his uncle is another Fighting Irish standout, Reggie Brooks. Will strong ties to Notre Dame enter into Barr's decision process?

"No, I don't think so," Barr said. "It, is always good knowing that my dad went there and people are always asking me if that is going major influence, but he made his decision based on where he wanted to go and what was best for him and I have to do the same.

"Who knows if Notre Dame is going to be the best fit," Barr said. "I can't base that off of a past decision. I'm just going to have to look at all of the pros and cons and make a choice based on what I ought to do.

Barr has high expectations for him and his Loyola teammates.

"I think we can go pretty far this year," Barr said. "We have a lot of big time recruits on our team and a lot of returning players and a lot of good players who are willing to work hard and do what they have to do to help the team.

"I think if we continue in that mindset with a team first attitude," Barr said. "Then we can go pretty deep."

Barr earned a spot on the Rivals.com Rivals100 team for the class of 2010 landing as the nation's No. 21 prospect at any position. He also ranked by Rivals.com as the country's No. 3 athlete prospect. His honors also include being selected to theRivals.com California Preseason Top 100 team as the No. 4 rated prospect at any position in the Golden State.