Six stand out to Tucker

Casey Tucker is shy about slapping labels on things for the time being. He intends to trim his list. Really, he does. The Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton tackle insists he hasn't done it yet, though. So when the four-star prospect starts tossing out names of school he thinks will make the cut, it's not intended as a final draft.

He's asked to share his thoughts, so he does just that. So what's Tucker thinking? Who are the favorites to make the cut when it comes? He doesn't mind responding to those sorts of questions. In fact, he cuts right to the chase.

"I know I have, like, six schools right now that I have as my favorites right now," Tucker said. "Arizona State, Stanford, Texas A&M, Oregon, Washington and USC."

A more definitive list trimming will come in the near future, but the current group of favorites is telling to a certain extent. Tucker, a former USC commit, won't speculate on a timetable for an official cut or speculate about a verbal commitment as things stand now. It could be a while before he delves into any of that. Tucker is about to set his recruitment on the back burner.

"I've kind of been trying to take a break a little bit and trying to eliminate some schools off my list because I'm really trying to slow down everything," he said. "I'm trying to focus on my grades and my season."

Tucker hopes eliminating a handful of options will allow him more time to think and reduce the number of messages he gets from coaches. And while he doesn't say he's ready to axe an entire region of the country, he certainly seems to be leaning that way. Then, coaches from those programs are already getting the hint.

"The SEC has slowed down on me as they kind of figured out that I like more local schools," Tucker said. "I mean, not super local, but kind of local. I don't want to go all the way to the east, but I don't mind going kind of far. Staying close to home was kind of a big deal to me a while ago, but it's not as much anymore."

Tucker, who claims 18 scholarship offers, is the No. 74 prospect in the 2014 class. He is the No. 4 prospect in the state of Arizona and the No. 10 offensive tackle in the nation. As a junior, helped lead Hamilton to a state championship.

Tucker committed to USC prior to his junior season and broke his commitment to the Trojans in April.