Position important for Stovall
Melquise Stovall visited USC and UCLA late last week and he was especially impressed with how the Bruins plan to use him in their offense.
The Lancaster (Calif.) Paraclete standout has put up huge numbers in his high school career at running back but UCLA likes him even more as a slot receiver and Stovall is listening.
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"I liked UCLA a lot," Stovall said. "It's a very clean campus, the dorms are really nice and I actually liked how they're trying to use me. They're trying to use me at the slot position more than anything.
"They're going to kind of motion me from the backfield sometimes so I can be lined up with a linebacker instead of a defensive back.
"At USC, it was a great practice and I got a feel for the offense. I took a tour of the campus for the first time so that was pretty cool."
UCLA has definitely made a move in the recruitment of Stovall, who shined at the Rivals Camp Series in Las Vegas and other events so far this spring especially as a slot receiver. It's playing that position that has Stovall intrigued about a possible future with the Bruins.
At this point, Stovall is under the impression USC wants him strictly as a running back but he still needs to review that with the coaching staff before making a decision.
"That definitely helps (UCLA) because I'm trying to play slot receiver in college," Stovall said. "I'm going to have to gain 35 pounds to just be a running back so I definitely like the way UCLA wants to use me."
The four-star prospect said he would like to make a commitment soon but first he has a round of visits. He is heading to Cal in the first week of April followed by trips to Arizona State and Washington. He's also hoping to hear from Oregon soon.
In his junior season, Stovall rushed 198 times for 1,603 yards and 20 touchdowns.