The Latest: Class of 2017 Rivals250 linebacker Jacob Phillips came into the summer with a number of offers from major programs. But after taking home MVP honors at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by Under Armour last month, he saw several programs intensify their recruiting efforts. Now, after adding new offers and taking a number of visits, Phillips has trimmed his five finalists and scheduled official visits with each of the programs. The schools that made the list, in no particular order, are Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama and LSU. Rivals.com caught up with Phillips to get his thoughts on each program and reveal the dates of his upcoming visits.
In His Words:
OREGON: It’s a school that’s far from home so getting out there has been kind of hard but I’m going to take an official there so I won’t have the regret of not seeing the school and potentially missing something. Coach Pellum and I have a tight relationship and he thinks I can do big things out there so it’s definitely a school I want to give a shot. Even though I haven’t been there Coach Pellum still talks to me every week so that keeps our relationship good and definitely makes me want to go out even more.
Official Visit: Sept. 3 vs. UC-Davis
OKLAHOMA: I just have an honest and a real casual relationship with Coach Kish and when I went down there it was probably one of the best visits I’ve taken so far. All the coaches, they seem like they love coming to work every day. Coach Stoops has been there for so long, the tradition is very healthy and I want to be record books like all the other great linebackers there. They’re definitely one of the schools recruiting me the hardest.
Official Visit: Sept. 10 – Louisiana-Monroe (ULM)
NOTRE DAME: I like a lot about Notre Dame just because of how different it is. It’s a completely different feel from all the other schools, especially the SEC schools that I’ve visited. It’s a very historic school with all the educational things and all the history there. Coach Elston, I think he’s done a really good job of recruiting me. Even when it looked like Notre Dame was out of the picture he was still there recruiting me and they’re in the picture now obviously. He’s told me he sees a lot in me and he just coached two Butkus Award winners in the last four years – and that’s another goal for me – so going there it could help my chances with that as well.
Official Visit: Sept. 17 vs. Michigan State
ALABAMA: I’m glad I went down there and had a conversation with Coach Saban because he answered all my questions about playing time and what they like me for and things like that. He just told me how impressed he was with me and what type of a player I am and he told me actual things that he’s seen me do on tape that he likes so different things like that so I know he’s not just shooting me a recruiting special. So I feel like that the recruitment from them is real. Winning a national championship is obviously a goal and just going down there they have a l ot of history and that can help me out. They can turn you into a great player. You might not start your freshman year but by the time you leave and scouts come in they won’t question if you’ve been developed the right way.
Official Visit: Sept. vs. Kent State
LSU: I think the main reason that they’ve been able to shoot up on my list so fast is because of Coach Aranda. He just got there not too long ago and he came from Wisconsin and I probably wasn’t on their radar at all but he’s changing the defense at LSU and he thinks that I will fit really well in the 3-4 defense playing inside linebacker. He thinks I have all the skills to be pretty good in that scheme. I’ve never been before but I’ll be there this weekend. Coach has really been pushing for me to get down there so now I’m going to go check it out.
Official Visit: Oct. 1 vs. Missouri
Rivals Reaction: Some of the programs that have been in the mix for a longtime didn’t make Phillips’ cut and the fact that he has already set up official visits shows just how serious he is about narrowing things down and making a final decision. Phillips is visiting LSU and Alabama this weekend, which will leave Oregon as the only school on his list not to receive an unofficial visit. Heading into the fall, Oklahoma is established as the favorite to land Phillips, but the Sooners will have to fend off some big competition in order to reel him in. Look for a decision to come sometime in mid-October, following the conclusion of all the trips.
