Mullen stays coy

DORAL, Fla. -- There's a reason why a recruiting top-10 list barely qualifies as news. The product never packs much shock, and Trayvon Mullen's was pretty standard in that regard. The programs most assumed would be left standing were indeed hanging around when the four-star defensive back tweeted out a list of his ten favorite schools. Man bites dog it was not.

The announcement provided little new insight. The schools that made Mullen's cut were the usual suspects mixed with options that, at least on the surface, seem to be filler programs. That said, Mullen has his method.

"The list was just after talking to the coaches and looking at the recent history of the schools," Mullen said of his top 10. "That's how I came up with it."

The prevailing thought is and always has been that Florida State, LSU and Ohio State are the three teams to beat in the process. And while all three certainly made the cut and there's plenty of good reason to buy into that line of thinking, Mullen has plans to visit a handful of outliers this summer.

"I think I want to make it to TCU, Oregon State, Ole Miss, Georgia, Michigan and a few others," Mullen said. "I'm not real sure."

Florida joins Florida State as in-state programs in Mullen's top ten, but the Coconut Creek (Fla.) High School star says he's not motivated by the idea of staying in his home state for college. According to him, there's no such thing as local advantage.

Instead, his checklist is more intangible.

"I just want that family feeling," Mullen said. "Just feeling like home. I'm just looking for a place I can feel comfortable and get along with all the people."

Mullen says he plans to announce his commitment during his senior season. He has not pinpointed an exact date for such an announcement.