Recruiting notes from inaugural Premium Showcase
LOS ANGELES - The inaugural Premium Showcase was held Saturday at Los Angeles Salesian and it was a loaded event filled with top 2019 and 2020 prospects. Here are the latest recruiting notes from the workout.
CLASS OF '19 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | State
CLASS OF '18 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | State | Position | JUCO
Five schools are standing out early to Tauanu’u with USC, Oregon, Michigan, LSU and Washington leading the way. The massive four-star offensive lineman said the Trojans and Ducks have been the most aggressive so far. Being from Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne, Tauanu’u said he knows a bunch of prospects from that school have ended up at USC but he wants to keep his options open, especially early on. Texas, Florida, Florida State and Auburn are showing more interest.
Growing up in the Tampa area because his father was playing for the Buccaneers, Pittman always watched Florida closely so it was a huge deal when the Gators offered in recent days. The four-star receiver from Calabasas, Calif., said he will visit this offseason and is excited to return to the area. The other major program to watch in his recruitment is Ohio State. He will visit Columbus and OSU could be one of the teams to beat at this point.
Floyd, a four-star linebacker, landed an offer from Auburn on Friday and talked with linebackers coach Travis Williams. It was an eye-opening conversation and the Tigers have definitely become a player for the four-star linebacker. “It’s big,” Floyd said. “The things he said really opened my eyes and made me see Auburn in a different light.” The former USC commit said he’s working on a top nine with TCU, Texas and Oregon coming after him the hardest. Another pledge isn’t expected until Floyd’s senior season.
The four-star receiver who is one of the most physically developed prospects in the West is planning to visit Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame and possibly Oregon through the spring. Ford, who had 91 catches for 1,468 yards and 13 touchdowns this past season, said the Wolverines, Fighting Irish and Colorado have been recruiting the hardest so far.
Williams is no stranger to road trips and the four-star cornerback from Gardena (Calif.) Serra is looking to take trips to Oregon and Oklahoma soon. His relationship with new Oregon assistant coach Donte Williams has been going on for years as Williams is so well connected to California prospects. Williams said he is also close with Oklahoma position coach Kerry Cooks and is excited to check out Norman.
A transfer from Houston (Texas) King to Santa Ana Mater Dei in the 2020 class, Washington had a phenomenal day and could be one of the best safeties nationally. With his move to California, Washington said he’s definitely interested in hearing more from USC and has always watched UCLA closely but that he’s mainly focused on landing offers from Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. “I’m a Texas boy,” Washington said.
The new Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei prospect is one of the best 2020 quarterbacks nationally and he hasn’t hesitated to travel the country to check out top programs recruiting him. Young is planning to see Texas and Penn State in the coming months and it would not be shocking to see a pledge around the start of his junior season. USC and many others are also heavily involved but Young said he remains open to all teams this early.
There’s no question that Oregon offering in recent days is huge to Trujillo, who said it’s a “dream offer” and he’s been closely watching the Ducks since Chip Kelly coached them. “I fell in love with them from a young age,” Trujillo said. Colorado is also high on his list since that coaching staff has been involved for so long. Arizona, Arizona State and TCU are also interested.
UCLA is the top school for the three-star defensive back from powerhouse Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco. “It was really important because I’ve been recruited by them for a while,” Edwards said. “That was one I was waiting on. I grew up around UCLA so that was really big for me.” The three-star standout said it would be a “dream come true” to play for Chip Kelly, too. Utah, Cal and Washington are also highly involved in his recruitment.
The four-star athlete did not work out on Saturday but he was wearing a USC windbreaker and said the Trojans have always been his favorite. Right now, Utah and Fresno State have been the most involved in his recruitment and Arizona State, USC and others are showing interest. A two-way standout, Cropper said he prefers receiver to defensive back.
The four-star linebacker has been loading up on offers recently but three schools, in particular, stand out. Goforth, whose brother Randall starred at UCLA, said TCU, Washington and USC have piqued his interest so far. A visit to Fort Worth could happen this spring.
The 2019 two-way standout from Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne said he wants to visit Washington and Arizona State this spring and he’s also hoping to take a trip to Oregon. Patterson has a great relationship with receivers coach Matt Lubick and the Sun Devils have become a major player since former Long Beach (Calif.) Poly coach Antonio Pierce was hired as an assistant.
Next in line at quarterback for Las Vegas Bishop Gorman will probably be Bowens and so far the 2020 prospect has an offer from Arizona. Bowens said the Wildcats offered him at defensive back and he’s talented at that spot but the Gorman recruit wants to play quarterback. Oregon was Bowens’ last visit and he wants to see Miami, USC and UCLA again soon.