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Southern trip important for Atkinson

Southern Cal and Oregon are two of the high-profile programs standing out to George Atkinson III but the four-star athlete from Livermore (Calif.) Granada wants to visit some schools in the south before narrowing down his choices.
Atkinson and his brother, Josh, will visit Miami and Alabama this summer to see whether those two programs could be options. The Atkinsons have said numerous times that they're going through recruiting individually but certainly wouldn't mind playing together if the situation was right.
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There is also a possibility that Atkinson, who played only wide receiver at the recent Pete Carroll Win Forever Festival but could also move to running back or defensive back, could visit Notre Dame before his senior season starts.
"Definitely after we go down south I'll get to know more about where I'm going to be especially if I like the schools down south or whatever," Atkinson said.
"I don't think it's such a big thing (going that far away for college). I have family out there and my dad is from the south so I don't think it would be that big of a deal. It matters more if I like it or not down there."
Oregon and Southern Cal are definitely two of the favorites for Atkinson, who has also visited California and UCLA this off-season. He said in no way will the sanctions levied against the Trojans by the NCAA play a major role in his decision-making process.
"People make it so big but in recruiting I don't think it's a big thing especially for me because it will only be one year that I'll have to deal with the sanctions," Atkinson said.
The Ducks are in an interesting position because they are the leader for Josh Atkinson, a three-star cornerback who was also one of the top players at the Win Forever Festival.
Even though the Atkinson Bros. say they're going to do whatever is best for their own recruitment it cannot hurt that they both like Oregon and the opportunities there.
Rivals.com rates George Atkinson as the No. 15 athlete, the No. 102 prospect in the 2011 class and No. 11 in the California state rankings. His brother is ranked No. 43 at cornerback and No. 66 in the state.
"I like the (Oregon) coaching staff, it seems like a big family up there and it's a great environment," Atkinson said. "At SC, it's great history and the possibilities to play at the next level are big, too."
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