Gorney's Takeaways: Passing Down SoCal Regional
FONTANA, Calif. – The Passing Down SoCal Regional was held Sunday and many top prospects were in attendance. Here are some takeaways and recruiting notes from the event.
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FLORIDA VISITS COMING UP
At least three top prospects from Ground Zero 7on7 are headed to visit Florida and Florida State in a couple weeks and it could be important to their recruitments.
Four-star quarterback Jayden Daniels, four-star running back Sean Dollars and four-star cornerback Jeremiah Criddell will visit with the Gators and the Seminoles soon. Daniels and Dollars have already been offered by both programs and Criddell is still waiting for his Florida State offer.
The visit could be especially important to Dollars, who has Florida State, Oregon and USC as his frontrunners with Washington right there as well. He has developed a great relationship with position coach Donte’ Pimpleton and so getting to Tallahassee could be huge.
Criddell is also visiting Washington and Oregon soon with the Huskies considered to have an edge in his recruitment. Daniels could see Cal and Oregon in the coming weeks, too.
PERKINS KNOWS OF TWO VISITS
Oklahoma continues to make a big impression on three-star linebacker Jonathan Perkins and his relationship with position coach Tim Kish is playing a big factor in why the Sooners are so high on his list.
The San Bernardino (Calif.) Cajon standout said Oklahoma and Oregon will definitely receive official visits in the coming months and then he’s still trying to figure out his other destinations. Perkins has started to bond more with Ducks’ assistant coach Jim Leavitt and that could be really important moving forward as well.
YOUNG TO VISIT TEXAS
Big 12 offenses definitely intrigue 2020 quarterback Bryce Young and the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout is planning to visit Texas in the coming weeks.
Young, who has already seen a lot of schools, is really interested in getting to Austin to talk more with coach Tom Herman, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Beck and others, and just get a sense of what the Longhorns have to offer. Oklahoma, USC and others remain serious contenders for Young.
“I’m definitely looking forward to that trip so I can talk to coach Herman and coach Beck,” Young said. “The coaching speaks for itself, the tradition speaks for itself and they’ve had a lot of success with young quarterbacks who aren’t the biggest so that’s good for me.”
RICKS STILL LIKES SEC
LSU remains the leader for 2020 defensive back Elias Ricks and that’s good news for the Tigers because his interest has not cooled down after a recent visit. He loved the atmosphere and the big-time feel of Baton Rouge when he was there.
But Ricks’ recruitment could get much busier in the next week. The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei prospect said Florida State is showing a lot more interest and the Seminoles might offer soon. He likes to model his game after Jalen Ramsey so that would be a big offer.
Plus, Ricks is expected to visit USC next weekend and he admits the Trojans were the dream team growing up so that could change his perspective as well if they offer.
WASHINGTON STANDS OUT
One of the best-looking prospects at Sunday’s event was Las Vegas Desert Pines tight end Darnell Washington, a 2020 prospect who’s all of 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds. After playing basketball the last few months, Washington is back on the football scene and looked great.
So far, the 2020 tight end has landed offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Kansas, Oregon, USC and Utah. But it is UCLA that has caught his attention early on after a recent visit to Westwood. Washington said he had some great talks with the new UCLA coaching staff and playing for coach Chip Kelly would definitely be a big deal.
With Washington’s outstanding size and athleticism, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he become an even bigger national recruit soon.