Notes from South Florida: Five-star to visit Miami before decision

DAVIE, Fla. -- Not only is Trevon Grimes’ commitment date set, it’s approaching … rapidly. Officially, the five-star wide receiver is down to Ohio State, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Alabama and Georgia.

Of that group, most believe Ohio State, Florida State and Florida are the only programs with anything resembling a shot to land his commitment. It’s easy to go a step further and say that Ohio State is widely thought to be the odds-on favorite to land Grimes’ commitment.

The St. Thomas Aquinas star is aware of public perception.

“Everyone thinks they know where I’m going,” Grimes said. “I tell them all the same thing: ‘I could shock the world or I could go where everyone thinks I’m going to go.’ August 24 is the date, and they’ll find out then. “

According to Grimes, he was most recently in contact with Florida State. The FSU coaching staff wants to get him to Tallahassee on a final visit before he announces his choice. Grimes may or may not make that trip. He does, however, have another pre-commitment destination set in stone.

“I’m taking a visit to Miami before my decision,” Grimes said. “It’s in the next week or so. I’m not sure if I’m going to go to Florida State or not.”

Grimes is ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver and the No. 3 overall prospect in the class of 2017.

South Carolina, Clemson and Miami lead the way for Coconut Creek (Fla.) High School corner Stanley Gardner. On Saturday, he said the three schools are deadlocked at the top of his recruitment but that South Carolina felt the “most like family.” A class of 2018 prospect, Gardner hopes to land offers from TCU and Ohio State this fall.

Class of 2018 defensive back Miguel Edwards named Louisville as his leader on Saturday. Edwards says the way the Cardinals’ defensive is run is what makes the program stand out in his mind. “I love the coverages. I love everything about it,” Edwards said. Edwards hopes to land offers from Tennessee and Florida State in the year ahead,

Oregon State commit Camron Davis remains somewhat solid is his pledge to the Beavers. That said, Davis concedes that he’s taking a hard look at South Carolina and other programs. Davis is yet to visit Corvallis but will take a visit to campus this fall. A four-star running back, Davis is likely to explore options until Signing Day.

Florida State continues its pursuit of Auburn commit Robert Hicks. On Saturday, Hicks said he would “seriously consider” an offer from the Seminoles should it arrive. And while FSU is the biggest threat to flip Hicks, the class of 2018 linebacker says he is in contact with Miami “daily.” Hicks attended Florida State’s camp this summer and says he remains in frequent contact with FSU coaches, which he says tell him an offer is “coming soon.”

Four-star wide receiver Mike Harley Jr. remains committed to West Virginia but says a number of other schools remain involved in his recruitment. On Saturday, Harley said he continues to communicate with the staffs at Louisville, Miami, Florida, USC and Florida. Harley intends to visit USC at some time before National Signing Day. The Trojans and Miami seem to be the largest threats to change his commitment to the Mountaineers.

Four-star linebacker De'Andre Wilder says Miami and Auburn are the leaders in his recruitment. He acknowledged that he would ideally like to leave South Florida for college, but also sees the perks of Miami. He hopes to make a decision in November but could push his decision date back if need be.

A 2018 prospect, four-star wide receiver Dominick Watt doesn’t have a leader in the process, but did name a group of front-runners on Saturday. Watt is currently taking hard looks at West Virginia, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville and USF. Watt is yet to take many visits but hopes to hit the road following his junior season. Watt grew up hoping to play for Alabama but also hopes to land offers from Utah and Georgia.

Carol City (Fla.) High School safety Randy Russell arrived at Saturday’s South Florida high school media day event with a top five consisting of South Carolina, West Virginia, Louisville, Illinois and Indiana. The class of 2018 running back hasn’t set a timetable for a decision, as it’s still early in the process. He hopes to land an offer from Florida before making a commitment.

Four-star linebacker Billy Joseph lists a number of scholarship offers from major programs all around the country. When it came time for him to share his recruitment’s current pecking order, he threw a curveball of sorts. On Saturday, Joseph said that Alabama leads for his commitment. The Tide is followed by UCF with Miami currently running in third place. According to Joseph, a class of 2018 prospect, the UCF’s second-place standing is the product of readily available playing time.

Florida and Florida State remain in the race to land Miami commit Navaughn Donaldson. There are other schools involved, but, on Saturday, Donaldson said he will likely attended a Florida-based college. Donaldson remains committed to Miami but intends to take visits this fall. He says he will not make a “final decision” on his future until Signing Day. Florida State seems like the biggest threat to the Hurricanes at the moment.

UCF commit Sebestian Dolcine remains committed to the Knights but plans to take official visits to both Kentucky and USF this fall. There’s a strong chance that the Miramar (Fla.) High School product lands other offers in the coming months, so projecting where he may land is difficult. Depending on which offers arrive this fall, his list of official visits may grow.