Hornsby hacks list

Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood coach Adam Geis calls safety Jamar Hornsby one of his babies because he was the first ever player that he brought up to the varsity as a true freshman and he's had a chance to watch him grow up over the past four years.

College coaches from coast-to-coast call Hornsby the top player in the Sunshine State, and it looks like Geis' baby has taken a major step toward graduation and making an eventual college choice.

"I was talking yesterday with Jamar, and since he is going to graduate early and be done on December 17th, we decided it might be best to go ahead and narrow his list to five schools," Geis said.

"After we came up with the five teams, Jamar told me to call Rivals.com so we can get the word out there and hopefully stop the phone ringing so much. He's had about 150 calls in the month of May, so we think narrowing the list down will make things easier to handle."

So who are the lucky five?

Hornsby, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound hard-hitting safety, said his final five teams are Florida, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Georgia and USC in no particular order. He was also being heavily recruited by Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina, Florida State and numerous others.

"That's the five that he's going with, and of course that is subject to change," his coach said. "But that's just the five he felt most comfortable with.

"Maurice (Wells) did his own thing last year, but since Jamar lives with his mom, I've talked to him about the process and asked him about what teams he felt most comfortable with. He's from Georgia, and he's from Atlanta, so he knows what Georgia Tech and Georgia are all about. He also really likes Urban Meyer. He's been really impressed with him."

And then there are national powers Michigan and USC.

"Michigan and Florida told me that Jamar was the top player on their board in the entire nation, and USC is always going to be high on people's list," Geis said. "Since he graduates early, he'd like to take his official visits for games and see teams play in person. Then he'd like to probably go ahead and commit by the end of the season.

The decision to graduate early and be on campus for spring drills with whichever team he picks will give Hornsby a big advantage, Geiss said.

"He's working hard on his own to help support himself," Geis said. "He's pays for his car payment, his insurance and a lot of his food. His mom does a great job with him, but with three other brothers, he has to help out as much as he can. I guess he's all grown up now."