The latest w/ R250 DB Hamlin

Damar Hamlin was one of the highest rated players that visited Penn State over the weekend. The Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic star has been visiting a number of schools this offseason and has more planned.

"I've been up to Penn State a few times and I always get the same feeling," said the 6-foot-1, 179-pound Hamlin. "I've pretty much seen everything already. We did a tour and me and a couple of the other guys chilled in the player's lounge.

"We saw part of the practice before we went to a photo shoot," he said. "I saw some techniques they were using. The coaches were saying that this is my state and I need to stay in-state and that I was a key to their plan."

Hamlin really likes the direction Pittsburgh's program is headed.

"Things with Pitt are really good," Hamlin said. "I like coach Narduzzi a lot. I like the new staff a lot. They are saying the same things. There's no need to leave home and that I can get early playing time. I played against Jordan Whitehead a lot in little league and I know what type of athlete he is."

One of the most recent visits Hamlin took was to Notre Dame.

"It was a lot of fun. It was way better than I expected," he said. "We toured the campus, watched practice and I stayed over night with Nyles Morgan. We talked about basic stuff. He had a lot of big time offers too but he was saying the balance of football and education was why he chose Notre Dame. Some players go to college and don't even learn anything. That was big for me. Their defensive backs were suspect so the coaches said I can go up there and play. I think they only had three cornerbacks on scholarship."

For many years, Ohio State has done a good job in western Pennsylvania. Hamlin is a major Buckeye target.

"Every time I'm at Ohio State the intensity of everything is so high," said Hamlin. "I just like that enthusiasm. The coaches really love what they do. I was there in January. I like the history of the position at Ohio State. They have a lot of people that know what they are doing. You can see that they know how to develop players and that's a big thing for me. I was supposed to go to Ohio State this weekend. I'm not sure if that will happen. If I don't go to Ohio State I might go to West Virginia."

Hamlin also has another visit planned.

"I'm going to Clemson on April 11," he said. "When I was younger I was playing in this game in South Carolina. They had a lot of high school seniors that were going to college there to talk to us and one of them was Bashaud Breeland. He was just hanging out with us and being our mentor while we were there. He was really cool and that's how I started liking Clemson. They used to be my dream school."

There are a few more schools Hamlin is hoping to see this offseason.

"I want to hit some Florida schools this offseason," Hamlin said. "That's something I'll have to do during the summer. I'll see Florida, Florida State and Miami. I'd like to see Stanford, UCLA and some other schools down south."

So many rumors have been flying around about which school leads for Hamlin. He addressed those rumors and has an idea of when he wants to commit.

"I don't have a leader," he said. "I'll probably name a top group before the season. I want to take my official visits during the first five weeks of the season and commit after the fifth one."

Hamlin helped Central Catholic to the WPIAL finals last season.