Gildon makes his choice

After giving a commitment to Oregon back in the summer, Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian defensive back Anthony Gildon opened up his recruitment a bit and took an official visit to USC. When we talked with Gildon a week, he was still torn between the two schools but it looks like he has now made a final decision.

Gildon, 6-1, 185 pounds is a very talented cornerback and an argument can be made that he's the top cover man in the West region this year. The athlete has size, speed, toughness and plays the pass and run equally well. He was the top cover man of the day at the NIKE 7 on 7 Passing Championship over the summer and has a very high upside to him.

Along with visiting USC, Gildon also tripped to Boise State but this really came down to a battle between the Ducks and Trojans. A week ago, Gildon said he was still undecided on what he was going to do and listed solid reasons for attending both schools.

Gildons said he liked Oregon because of how close he was with the coaches as well as feeling a sense of loyalty to them since he committed so long ago. With USC, the athlete mentioned the chance to play for national titles and also said he wanted to live in Southern CA after football and a degree from SC would open more doors. What did he end up doing?

"He's going to stay with his commitment to Oregon," Oaks Coach Bill Redell said. "I told him last week that he needed to hurry up and make a decision and said by 12:00 on Friday, he needed to decide on a school.

"Last Friday, we talked and he said he was going to stay with Oregon. I was actually a little surprised to be honest. I thought he was going to jump over to SC because of the distance and also his desire to live in Los Angeles when his playing days were over.

"What it came down I believe was Anthony just really liked Oregon a lot. He liked the coaches and felt a connection and I think he also feels he'll have a better opportunity to play early there. USC is going to be bringing in the best corners every year and Oregon doesn't have that same kind of depth.

"I'll tell you what, Oregon is getting a heck of a player. Anthony reminds me a lot of Darien Gordon, the former Stanford corner who played for the Chargers. I think he's the best corner in the state. There are some very good corners out there but I wouldn't trade any of them for Anthony."