Race for four-star TE heating up

Could there be a shift at the top of Washington (D.C.) Dunbar tight end Vernon Davis' list?

"It hasn't really changed much, it's probably just closer than it's ever been," said the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder. "It's Maryland and Virginia tied at the top and some others schools on the outside."

Davis, who could also play wideout in college, will take his first official visit this weekend.

"I go out to Purdue and they seem to want me as a wideout because they use a spread offense and throw the ball a lot," he said. "I'm interested in talking to the coaches and seeing it."

Davis also expects to visit Florida on either Jan. 10 or Jan. 24, but his two biggest visits are with the Terps and Hoos.

"I go to Maryland on Dec. 20 and to UVA on Jan. 17," he said. "They're both close to home and they pretty much promise me a good future. The coaches and I are real close, but I really like Al Groh. I know they're trying to get me, or whatever, but what he's saying to me seems real. Like what his program can help me become."

While many thing that the proximity to home that Maryland offers is a clear advantage, it might not be.

"Well, on the one hand playing for Maryland has always been something I thought about because it's home and I could play in front of everybody," he said. "But on the other hand, I feel I could just concentrate on football and academics at UVA. Maryland is right near the city I've know forever and all of my family and friends will be so close it could be a distraction."

Davis likes his recruiting coaches about the same

"Ron Prince from UVA and Mike Locksley from Maryland, I like them both quite a bit," he said. "I've also met players from each school. I know the Maryland players better, but that won't be a huge factor. Both schools offer Criminology which is what I want to major in as well."

Did UVA's win over Maryland change anything?

"If anything, it just made me consider Virginia a little bit more," he said. "I didn't think they could do that to Maryland so it showed that they're for real."

Davis won't decide until around the end of January. He was visited by West Virginia, Maryland, UVA, Penn State and others this week and has in-home visits with both Ralph Friedgen and Al Groh soon.