SoCal lineman close to deciding

One program that is closing well this season is San Diego State. Led by new head coach Chuck Long, the Aztecs are showing they could be a force to be reckoned with when given a full recruiting season. The next to pop for SDSU could be Rolling Hills (Calif.) Peninsula two way lineman Jimmie Carmack.

With their incredible location, top notch facilities and surrounding talent in their own backyard, we've always felt San Diego State was a sleeping giant of a program. The Aztecs are closing well and the new staff has shown to be very aggressive and even with a late start, are in a solid position to land one of the state's top lineman.

Carmack, 6-4, 280 pounds had an all-state season this past year and his stock has been climbing steadily since the end of the year. Recruited on both sides of the line, Carmack held offers from Hawaii and New Mexico State and now you can throw the Aztecs in to the mix as well.

"They just offered me on Sunday," Carmack said. "I was planning to go down there last Sunday for an unofficial visit but I didn't make it. They still called up and offered and then Coach (Toby) Neinas came over for a home visit on Tuesday to talk to me about the direction the program is going in.

"It was a really good visit. In the past, San Diego State always recruited a lot of Junior College players but Coach Neinas was saying they're going to start going more after high school players and they want to build the program that way. He talked a lot about what a great guy and what a great coach, Coach Long is and he said their goal is to make it a Bowl game next season.

"I was going to visit Hawaii this weekend but I canceled it and I'm going to San Diego State now. I haven't committed yet but I'm definitely leaning there right now. I just want to check out everything first since I haven't really seen the place before. I know it's a really nice area and I like the coaches a lot so if things go well on the visit, I definitely could make a commitment there."

Carmack said he's being recruited on either side of the ball by SDSU and it will be up to him to decide where he plays.

"I prefer defense but honestly, I just want to play," Carmack said. "It doesn't matter to me, offensive line or defensive tackle, whatever gets me on the field the fastest is what I want to do."