Miami CB gathers new interest

Miami (Fla.) Norland cornerback Shannon Ballard is starting to feel his stock begin to rise and his offer count increase.

Akron was the first school out of the gate to send an offer Ballard's way, and now Rutgers has joined the mix for the 5-foot-10, 173-pound defender. A nationwide list of schools made their phone call in May and have been sending large amounts of mail ever since. Ballard, isn't claiming a favorite, but is enjoying the ride.

"Yeah, lots of mail all the time is the story," Ballard said. "Bowling Green just started sending stuff, Minnesota, and North Carolina. North Carolina is a school that a lot our players here have gone to and that's a great program that I'm definitely thinking about."

An unlimited amount of options means Ballard will look across the country at numerous schools before making a decision. It also means he is taking his time.

"I just want to take all the time I can," Ballard said. "I really like Auburn, Florida, Rutgers, Miami, North Carolina, and really a lot of schools but I don't want to make the wrong decision by rushing anything."

After attending camps at Rutgers and Miami, Ballard has a frame of reference to compare schools with on his list. He will begin to set up official visit dates as soon as he can get that list down to manageable level.

One thing that he has thought about is going far or staying close to home.

"You know, your mom doesn't want you to go to far away from her," he said. "It's my decision thought and whether it's Hawaii or Alaska, I'm going to go somewhere we they play big-time football."