Three stand out to 2011 DT Peat Jr.
Todd Peat Jr. has football in his blood.
After all, the Tempe (Ariz.) Corona Del Sol junior defensive tackle was raised by an NFL veteran, and his father is doing all he can to prepare his son for playing on the next level.
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"It helps a lot with people knowing him, and he has so much he can tell me and help me with," Peat Jr. said. "We probably watch 10 to 15 hours of film a week."
Todd Sr. played seven seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987 to 1993.
"I've tried to teach him what's most important, and that's working hard and being a good student-athlete," Peat said. "The biggest thing is being a student of the game, and I try to teach him the ins and outs of the game. We talk a lot of technique and fundamentals, and that's vitally important."
After seeing some playing time as a freshman, Peat Jr. enjoyed a breakout sophomore season that included 65 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and six sacks.
The 6-foot-3, 280-pound lineman picked up offers this summer from Arizona State and Wake Forest.
"Arizona State offered first," he said. "I like that it's close to home and that I probably have a good opportunity to play early there."
Peat Jr. camped at Wake and Clemson and also visited South Carolina, North Carolina, UCLA and USC.
Though he said he's hoping to land more than 15 offers before he begins to consider a decision, Peat Jr. did name his top three at this point in his recruiting process.
"It would be UCLA, ASU and Clemson right now," he said. "Clemson said they'll offer later on down the road and that they didn't want to do it right away.
Peat Jr. enjoyed his trip to Clemson and was impressed by the town's football-centric culture.
"It's huge down there," he said. "Plus, they have a great coaching staff and I like all the guys they've sent to the NFL. Going to play for somebody who can get me ready for the opportunity to go the next level is big."
One reason for Peat Jr.'s quick success is that his father has him working with a number of trainers to improve his game.
His personal trainer is Derek Kennard Jr., a former Nevada star defensive tackle and the cousin of former 2009 five-star defensive end Devon Kennard, who's now at USC.
Peat Jr. also works with Chuck Howard, who's trained Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco. Through those connections he was also able to work with Bengals defensive tackle Tank Johnson over the summer.
"I learned a lot from Tank and Derek that really helped me improve my game," Peat Jr. said. "They taught me a lot of stuff I hadn't learned, and Tank just had so much information. Playing with Devon was great, too. He's a great role model and somebody I want to play like."