Serra notes: Betiku still open
GARDENA, Calif. - Each Wednesday, Serra holds a 7-on-7 tournament at the high school and this week, Long Beach Poly, Los Angeles Salesian and Harbor City Narbonne attended the workout. Here's the latest recruiting notes:
Wole warming up to USC
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Oluwole Betiku
Four-star defensive end Oluwole Betiku has talked a lot about UCLA, Texas A&M and Penn State lately in his recruitment and all three schools remain heavily involved.
But the Gardena Serra standout seems to be warming up to USC much more and he said he's going to take a closer look at the Trojans. He is definitely not counting them out as things move forward. Betiku said he's also going to be more patient and doesn't plan to make a decision soon.
There's no question USC is making a move. Assistant coach Keith Heyward was at Wednesday's 7-on-7 tournament and Betiku was chatting it up with USC signees John Houston and Caleb Wilson, former Serra teammates.
Burton still planning visits
Brandon Burton still plans to take all five official visits with one trip in each of the five power conferences.
The four-star from Gardena Serra said the idea is still to see Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida State and Alabama. As for the Pac-12, Burton said he's basically giving every team a chance and mentioned a possible trip to Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State.
USC and UCLA also remain in serious contention and Burton said recently the Bruins are recruiting him harder than any other program at this point.
Jones high on Michigan
Jack Jones
Jack Jones is still not naming any clear frontrunners yet, but the Long Beach Poly two-way standout is starting to seriously look closer at Michigan.
Jones said he loves what coach Jim Harbaugh has done in the NFL and that could play a major factor as his recruitment continues. The four-star also has closely followed receiver Michael Crabtree and he really likes how Harbaugh handled the 49ers. With him now running things in Ann Arbor, it could be a major factor.
The Poly prospect was also offered by Texas A&M this week and the Aggies apparently like him more at receiver. He hopes to visit College Station soon but if that can't happen, Texas A&M could get an official visit.
Tate considering official visits
Khalil Tate remains happily committed to Arizona -- especially since the Wildcats like him at quarterback -- but the Gardena Serra three-star said he's considering an official visit to USC in the fall. A bunch of teammates and friends play for the Trojans so that could play a factor.
Tate said Oregon State -- which was back at Serra on Wednesday -- has been recruiting him much harder and that the Beavers also like him at quarterback.
The three-star will take visits, but he said Arizona wants him to get those trips out of the way by October so he can finalize his commitment to the Wildcats or start to seriously consider other options.
Lenoir still high on UCLA
Deommodore Lenoir
Arizona State and Oklahoma have caught the attention of 2017 four-star defensive back Deommodore Lenoir, but UCLA still stands out most in his recruitment.
The Sun Devils offered on Wednesday and the Sooners have been involved for a while. The Los Angeles Salesian prospect said he's going to look closer at both programs. But UCLA has been after him the longest and hardest, so the Bruins stand out.
Lenoir still hopes to hear more from LSU, but he said it's been quiet with the SEC power.
Akingbulu stays with list
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Alex Akingbulu said his recruitment has been relatively quiet recently, and that means UCLA and Michigan stand out the most in his recruitment and then Cal and Utah are tied for third place.
The Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne prospect said he's not rushing a decision and still wants to take an extensive visit to UCLA before moving on with the process.
During the interview, Betiku joked that Akingbulu was going to commit to UCLA. Akingbulu did not exactly deny it, but didn't confirm, either.
