Indiana makes impression on Stalker

Newly-minted four-star C.J. Stalker of West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West picked up his most recent offer from Indiana on a visit to Bloomington earlier this month.

The visit was set up on short notice after linebackers coach William Inge stopped through his school.

"He asked me to come up Saturday and that was actually their graduation," Stalker said. "It was me and maybe two or three other guys there and we got to sit in on graduation, meet the president, athletic director and a few others guys that were pretty high up, so that was a great experience overall."

The 6-foot-2, 223-pound Stalker also received his offer from the Hoosiers on that visit, and considers them a strong contender in his recruitment.

"Seeing the football facilities and everything they have redone there, it was definitely a good weekend," Stalker said. "Going through and taking these second trips to schools this summer that are high up on my list, they are definitely a school that will be on that visit list."

Duke and Boston College are also being considered for visits as are additional schools in the ACC, SEC and Big 12.

"Speaking with Coach [Vince] Marrow the other day from Kentucky, I will probably head down there at least one more time," Stalker said. "Coach [Tim] Kish from Oklahoma has been in a few times and Oklahoma will probably be another school that will be a trip taken to."

Since early in his recruitment, though, Virginia has been a team that has resonated with Stalker. They, along with Louisville, are two of the top contenders for his services at this stage of the process.

"I wouldn't say there is one school to beat," Stalker noted. "I like Virginia and Louisville because of the ACC aspect. The education at Virginia stands out at me, and at Louisville the rising success they've had has been shown on the field and in the number of draft picks they've had."

Stalker has not set any of his summer visit plans yet, but his next trip may actually be to Western Michigan following a visit this week from their offensive and defensive coordinators.

"That school is a little bit smaller, but I will probably be heading up there because Stryker, one of the largest private-owned medical groups in the nation, their world headquarters is actually in Kalamazoo, Mich," he said. "That would be a good connection for me as far as wanting to go into pre-med and wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon."

Stalker holds a total of 12 scholarship offers and earned his fourth star in the latest Rivals.com rankings update after a strong spring.