Minnesota tough to beat for CB

Ryan Collado of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy is one of the top sleeper picks in the state of Ohio for the class of 2007. The 5-foot-9, 164-pounder already has a slew of scholarship offers to pick from and by the time he's done, he could move all the way up from the No. 46 slot in the state to even higher in the rankings.

Collado says the recruiting process is going quite well and with offers on the table from Minnesota, Akron, Ball State and Ohio he definitely has plenty of options to consider.

"I went to Virginia and Michigan State's summer camp, and I'm going up to Northwestern next week," he said. "I played well at Michigan State. They said they were going to have a recruiting meeting. So hopefully I'll get offered by Michigan State."

"I was looking Michigan State's campus when I was up there, and I'm going to look at Northwestern too. And then I'm going to look at Ball St. in a couple weeks. My top teams now would be Minnesota, Michigan State and Northwestern. The big thing is that they're in the Big 10."

From the sounds of it, it might be tough to beat Minnesota, though.

"I like all the coaches," he said. "Carey Bailey at Minnesota is probably my favorite recruiter so far. I want a good academic school, but I want a chance to play early, too.

"I'm thinking if I don't get an offer from Michigan State or Northwestern, I'll commit to Minnesota before the season by the end of the summer. They're my favorite right now. If Michigan State or Northwestern offers then I'll take my visits."

Collado brings a lot of versatility to the table and several schools like him on the offensive side of the ball.

"Minnesota, Michigan State and Ohio are recruiting me as a cornerback," he said. "Ball State and Akron are looking at me as a wide receiver."

Family definitely will be a factor in his decision.

"My final decision is going to be after I have a talk with my parents and head coach," he said. "They're going to be the ones to help me make my final decision."