In the middle of his sophomore year at Milton (Mass.) Milton Academy, Kalel Mullings already has the attention of some of the nation's top football programs. Schools are looking at Mullings to play running back or linebacker but he's just happy that he is showing out for his home state.

IN HIS OWN WORDS…

"For so long I've been trying to show people up here and around the country that players up here are just as good as the players elsewhere like in Texas," Mullings said. "I think that Michigan offer help me do that. I have seven offers now. San Jose State and UCLA are my newest offers. I got those during their camps over the summer. I went there to show everybody what I could do.

"We went to Stanford first," he said. "It's a great big campus. I loved the coaches there. The tour of Stanford reminded me of here (Milton Academy) with a mixture of academics and athletics. It was a great experience overall. I went to the junior day there.

"We went to UCLA next," said Mullings. "After their camp is when I got the offer. I wasn't able to take the tour there because we had to drive across the town to see USC. The coaches at Stanford were quiet, calm, and relaxed and the coaches at UCLA were more upbeat, active, and louder. It's not a good or bad thing. The running backs coach is at both schools were great guys. Both schools want me as a running back.

"I haven't received an offer from USC yet and they're not sure what position they want me out yet," he said. "I did a workout with their running backs coach and it was great. We had a drill with five different trash cans and it was something that I had never done before. The coaches there were great and really upbeat. I have a lot of kids at the camp.

"I did Penn State and Boston College during the offseason," Mullings said. "Penn State was great. I was there for their night camp. There weren't many people there and I liked that because I can get a lot of reps. The coaches talk a lot about family and I really like that. They're great people. Pat (Freiermuth), the tight end from Brooks, was there. We played each other last year and we know each other pretty well. The Lasch Bash was the next day which is sort of like their junior day when we get to go into town and see everything.

"I like Boston College a lot. Coach Reid is great," he said. "I literally live 15 minutes away from the school so that's great. AJ Dillon is a big deal here.

"I visited Ann Arbor in March. It's really nice there," said Mullings. "It's a football school with great academics. The academic support there is amazing. It was a great experience. I don't know many guys there. What they're doing with their facilities is amazing.

"After the Rivals Camp in the spring we went down to Rutgers for a cookout," he said. "It seems like a nice place. We were in their stadium and their coaches seemed nice.

"I don't know too much about Maryland right now," Mullings said. "I plan to go there for a visit at some point. Nobody expected them to beat Texas so everybody's keeping an eye out for them now.

"I definitely want to go down south to visit some schools," he said. "I'd also like to go to the Midwest to see some Big Ten schools. Notre Dame and Ohio State are some of the schools. Georgia, Alabama, Florida State would be nice to see."

RIVALS' REACTION

Mullings is one of those kids that is a no-brainer. He is a big, strong athlete that can make a lot of plays. As far as his recruitment goes, Mullings is a running back at heart but will play wherever he needs to so he can help the team so schools that give him a shot on both sides of the ball will have a leg up on the competition. Michigan and Don Brown's connections to the area Mullings comes from are very strong and they will see him again in Ann Arbor for the Ohio State game. Expect many more offers to roll in for Mullings after this season.