Long prepares for decision

Just a few days ago, David Long had considered pushing his commitment back a few weeks and even thought about some other visits.

But the Los Angeles Loyola four-star cornerback said he's prepared to make his decision and it should come sometime this week.

Recently, Long took an important unofficial visit to USC and said he had an excellent time meeting with the players and the coaches. He has some close friends on the team and the coaches really impressed him during the trip.

"It was great," Long said. "I went around, met with the players and jelled with everything. I met with the coaching staff. I love coach (Peter) Sirmon, coach (Keith) Heyward, great guys, great personalities. They're not just football guys. You can definitely go and talk to them about anything.

"I just like the lifestyle and what they're doing down at SC. It's all about competing. You're going to play with the best players in the country. You're going to go against the best receivers out there. They get you NFL ready, great conference, great education, it's a good balance and it's close to home."

USC has quickly emerged as a contender in Long's recruitment. Stanford has been at or near the top of the list for a long time and the Cardinal remain right there as the four-star inches closer to a decision.

"I'm still in great standing with Stanford," Long said. "As everyone knows, you have to qualify so that's definitely something. I'm on pace to qualify so that's not a problem.

"Another reason why I want to figure things out is if I don't go to Stanford I can rearrange my schedule a little lighter academically, not kill myself. That's why I'm trying to get things out of the way. I want to have everything planned out going into my fall and heading into summer camp with whatever school I choose."

Duke, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington and Wisconsin round out Long's top 10. He wanted to take trips to Ann Arbor and South Bend before a decision but that doesn't look possible at this point.