Ross ratchets it up

With one official visit already lined up for September 2 at Nebraska, the nation's No. 2 cornerback is looking to add more visits to his itinerary. So who else will be lucky to land an official visit from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., four-star standout Devin Ross?

"I'm setting up one to Oklahoma," Ross, who is 5-foot-11 and 185 pouds, said.

"I'm not sure which day, but I want to check them out. I like Oklahoma. They win a lot and I like coach (Bob) Stoops a lot. He's a fired up coach and he gets excited. Plus it's a good program with good tradition. Other than Oklahoma, I'm not real sure."

But there are plenty of candidates.

Ross said he's hearing the most from Washington, Colorado, Arizona and Michigan most lately in the mail. USC still is on his list, but he does not claim an offer from the Trojans at this point. Ross doesn't have a leader and is looking for something beyond wins and losses when it comes time to make a decision.

"I want to judge a team by its coaching staff, specifically my position coaches and not by the record," Ross said. "There are some teams I like right now, but I don't know enough to really narrow it down. I need to research different defensive backs coaches and head coaches before I narrow it down any."

Some coaches do standout to him, though.

"I really like coach (Steven) Wilks from Washington," Ross said.

"He always keeps me informed and tells me something interesting every time we talk. He tells me about the team and how they're working out together and stuff. My favorite coach to talk to is coach (Mike) Stoops from Arizona. He's funny, man. I went out there on a visit and we got along real good. He's a real good guy."

There will be other factors in his pick, he said.

"I'm looking for some big time facilities, a great coaching staff, how the players get along with each other, students at the school and the surroundings," he said. "I just want a good place with good academics and a low crime-rate."

The timetable is still a bit down the road when it comes to a decision. He said he doesn't want to drag it out longer than it has to, but he wants to take some official visits first so he can "research" the schools he's most interested in.

In the mean time, Ross has been working hard this summer, trying to improve his already impressive game

"I probably need to work on improving my hands and learning my position better, because you could never know too much," Ross said.

"I watch film on great defensive backs like Deon Sanders and Charles Woodson. I have TiVo, so I tape a bunch of games and then watch the cornerbacks every play and study them. I like to think of myself as a student of the game."