QB Buchanan might have more offers coming

Because he is playing baseball this spring, scheduling visits to colleges hasn't been easy for junior quarterback Ryan Buchanan of Jackson Prep (Miss.).

"I really haven't had a lot of time," Buchanan said.

That said, he did manage to squeeze in trips to Mississippi State and Ole Miss, and on March 31 he plans to check out another Southeastern Conference program.

"I'm going to Arkansas," Buchanan said. "That's really the first weekend I don't have a [baseball] game. I've talked to Arkansas [assistant Paul Petrino] and I told him I'm coming up there. He said, 'You'll get an offer from us once we see you in person.'"

Thus far, the 6-feet-3, 203-pounder has offers from Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Syracuse. According to Buchanan, many in his home state presume the Rebels are the team to beat, but he insisted he has no leader.

"My sister is a freshman at Ole Miss and my mom went to Ole Miss," Buchanan said. "So everyone sort of assumes I'll go there. But my dad went to Baylor. And I'm really looking it this completely from a football standpoint."

Buchanan said he enjoyed his recent visits to Starkville and Oxford.

"At Ole Miss, my favorite thing was sitting in the film room with [assistant coach] Dan Werner and learning about offensive schemes," Buchanan said. "With Mississippi State, I just like the way they work out and how their program is right now. They've been doing better since [coach Dan] Mullen got there. I like both schools, and I like both head coaches. I like Mullen and I like [Ole Miss coach Hugh] Freeze. But I like them for their different styles. I grew up liking both schools."

Who is recruiting Buchanan the hardest?

"I'd say it's between Auburn, State, Ole Miss and Arkansas," Buchanan said.

Besides Arkansas, Buchanan also expects to make other trips this year before making a commitment, which he hopes will come before fall practice begins.

"I plan on visiting Auburn two weekends after Easter," Buchanan said. "[Assistant Scot] Loeffler keeps in contact with me more than anybody else. I like him and can't wait to meet him. I'm not sure the exact date, but I know I'm also going to Florida. I also started hearing from Alabama this past week."

Keith Niebuhr can be reached at Keithrivals@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.