Nations top o-lineman Pac 10 bound
The nation’s top offensive lineman, Loveland, Colo. center, Jeff Byers has made his college choice.
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The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Byers announced on Wednesday he had chosen Southern California as his college.
"I'm, proud and humbled to announce that I'm going to USC," Byers said. "It's a school with a great tradiion and I look forward to helping to contribute to the ongoing success."
Byers, the No. 13 rated prospect overall in the Rivals100, has his choice of schools from across the country. But recently had narrowed the list down to eight schools.
He took official visits to Ohio State (Aug. 29), Iowa (Sept. 19), Texas (Oct. 3), Southern California (Oct. 10) and Notre Dame (Oct. 17). He took unofficial visits to Colorado, Nebraska and UCLA.
"There was just something about USC that made me feel better than anywhere else," Byers said. "There is a ton of team chemistry and I know that USC will playing for national championships, and that's what I want to be part of."
In the end, it was USC and the other teams just couldn't compare.
"After I came to the conclusion that USC was No. 1 on my list, it was impossible for me to really rank the other teams," Byers said. "All of the coaches were really positive about their schools and what they had to offer, but I just felt like I had the best opportunity and felt right about USC."
Byers said now he's glad he can focus on his team's run through the Colorado state playoffs. With an 8-1 record and 141 tackles, 39 tackles for a loss and six sacks, Byers is a team leader on both sides of the ball.
But at USC, he'll be a center only.
"There is just something about having the ball between your legs and controling the start of every play," Byers said. "When you're the center, you know it all starts with you. And I can't wait to get it started at USC."
