Three-team race remains for Ingram

Four-star Hawthorne (Fla.) quarterback/athlete Cornelius Ingram says it remains a three-team race as the finish line is getting closer in sight.

“As of this moment, I’m still looking at Florida, Florida State and South Florida,” he said. “If I was choosing today, it would probably be Florida. You can’t go wrong with the home school, and they’ve been up there at the top of my list the whole time. But the other two have made it a really hard decision. I honestly don’t know right now, and I may not know until signing day.”

Ingram, a member of the Rivals100 Team and the No. 3 rated athlete in the nation, said some of the questions he gets presented on a daily basis have given him food for thought.

“People ask me, ‘Why are you looking at South Florida?’” he said. “They have surprised me. They have a real nice program right now, and they just keep getting better. They have a good coach, and a nice staff. They’re getting ready to move into the Big East, and that could mean even more big things for them in the future.

"They have a great opportunity for me. I look at a guy like Dante Culpepper where he went to Central Florida. He showed everybody that you don’t have to be at one of the other schools to be successful and get attention.

“Other people ask me, ‘Why would you go to Florida with Chris Leak there?’ But who’s to say he won’t leave early for the NFL or an injury won’t occur. I’d never want to see that happen, but it’s always a possibility. Every good team has to have a few quarterbacks ready to step in.

“With Florida State, everybody thought Xavier Lee committing there would knock me out of the picture, but it hasn’t. I’d love to play with him. Like I said, there’s nothing wrong with a school having two good quarterbacks. I guess they would have three with me and Xavier and Drew Weatherford. I see that as a good thing. I like to compete.”

Ingram (6-5, 215, 4.6) is also one of the nation’s top two-sport stars. He says he’s been given the approval to play both football and basketball at his three top schools.

“Florida’s looking real good, and Florida State has surprised me,” he said. “They’ve been playing pretty well. I’m looking forward to seeing how they do against Duke (on Thursday night). I’d like to see them beat those guys in Cameron.”

Coaches from the Gators and Seminoles have put the full-court press on – so to speak – during the week.

“Coach Bowden and some of his staff came to our school and then over to the house yesterday,” he said. “We had a real nice time with them. He’s a very personal guy and a great coach.

“Coach Zook called me tonight. He was just letting me know that he’d be coming to the school (on Wednesday) and then coming by our house.”

As a senior, Ingram threw for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 500 yards and 10 scores. He’s been averaging close to 26 points and 10 rebounds on the hardwood.