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McNamara slows down recruitment

Taylor McNamara said he was close to a commitment to Ohio State but the star 2012 tight end from San Diego (Calif.) Westview has decided to slow things down and he's taking a more thorough look at other programs.
Ohio State, Florida State and Arizona are the frontrunners for McNamara, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end who is receiving national attention even though he's only in his junior season.
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"I was going to (commit), I was close to one, but I've kind of backed off a little bit," McNamara said. "I was close to one, I really liked everything and then Arizona is competing now.
"(The Wildcats) have so much going. They throw to the tight end so much. My mind changed so much, so quickly, that I might just want to wait it out. I can't just rush it because it's such a big decision and my mind changes every other minute so I'm going to wait it out and make the right decision."
Arizona has made a serious push for McNamara's services in large part because of how the Wildcats used former star and current NFL player Rob Gronkowski in the offense. That's the template for McNamara, who said he plans to research all the teams recruiting him to make sure he'll be properly used in the system.
"That's definitely going to play in," McNamara said. "I guess that's what made me back off a little bit from Ohio State because they're more of a traditional set where at Arizona I could probably play early and Arizona wants to flex me out.
"They tell me they want to use me like they did with Rob Gronkowski. I love how they used him. They flexed him out and let him block which gave him pro potential and now he's in the NFL. That would be cool if I could follow in his footsteps."
The Buckeyes are definitely still under strong consideration for McNamara, who might attend the U.S. Army Combine over the holidays. With interest from Oregon, Alabama, Florida and many others, McNamara is considered one of the top offensive players in California's 2012 class.
"They're still right up there," McNamara said of Ohio State. "I'm still pretty much wide open and lots of schools are contacting me and e-mailing me. I'm just waiting it out. It's complicated."
Florida State is also in the picture. Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach James Coley is handling McNamara's recruitment and the two have already developed a strong relationship.
"The tradition stands out there and coach Coley is awesome," McNamara said. "I love talking to him. Whenever he calls I love talking to him, he's a really nice guy and we talk football. It's fun. It's cool he's the tight ends coach so that's a good combination."
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