Top 5 uncommitted: West
National Signing Day is only weeks away and plenty of top-rated prospects in the
West are still uncommitted. Here is a look at the top five players from that
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region who have still not picked a school and where their recruitment stands at
this point.
Rank: No. 23 overall, No. 2 outside linebacker
Recruiting Wrap: Four of Houston's five official visits are
Arizona State and Oregon. The five-star linebacker will take his fifth
and final trip to USC the weekend of Jan. 16 and that could be the most crucial
one. Even though he's been to USC countless times and has a bunch of friends on
the team, Houston wants to make sure he talks with the coaches about how they
would use him and feels super comfortable there. It is believed the Trojans have
a major lead in his recruitment and that could very well be the case, especially
since a lot of the best Serra players go to USC, but it's not an absolute done
deal. That visit later this month could be key.
Favorite: USC
Dark Horse: Oregon
3
DE
Gardena (Calif.) Serra
Rank: No. 25 overall, No. 3 strong-side defensive end
Recruiting Wrap: Green has narrowed his list to a final four
with Arizona State, Miami, Oregon and USC making the cut. The five-star
defensive lineman visits USC (Jan. 16) and Arizona State (Jan. 23) before making
a decision that's expected slightly before National Signing Day. Green has
already visited Oregon and Miami and loved both visits. He and his family had a
great time in Eugene and the Ducks have long been a contender. With Miami, Green
enjoys his relationship with position coach Jethro Franklin and that's
a big pull for the Hurricanes. Arizona State is a little bit of a wild card but
Green is interested enough to go visit and he likes the coaching staff there as
well. USC (as stated above) has developed a strong pipeline at Serra and there
have been some whispers that Green could be leaning toward staying closer to
home.
Favorite: USC
Dark Horse: Miami
4
LB
Salt Lake City (Utah) Brighton
Rank: No. 50 overall, No. 5 outside linebacker
Recruiting Wrap: Masina has taken all of his
official visits and set an announcement for Jan. 23 at his high school, where
he'll choose between finalists Arizona State, UCLA and USC. There are varying
factors pulling him to each school. The 6-foot-3, 231-pound prospect was a
standout on both sides of the ball at Brighton, and the Sun Devils have
presented the idea of using him exclusively on offense as a tight end. The
Bruins hosted Masina first on Oct. 3, and position coach Jeff Ulbrich
has the recent success of linebackers Anthony Barr and
Eric Kendricks to pitch. USC, meanwhile, features Steve Sarkisian,
Peter Sirmon and Marques Tuiasosopo -- the coaches Masina has
had the longest relationship with dating back to their days at
Washington. The buzz following his Nov. 28 visit to Los Angeles had the
Trojans as beneficiaries, but the talk after his stellar week at U.S. Army
All-American Bowl suggests this is perhaps the tightest race in the West.
Favorite: USC
Dark Horses: UCLA and Arizona State
5
ATH
San Marcos (Calif.) Mission Hills
Rank: No. 94 overall, No. 5 athlete
Recruiting Wrap: Holiday could play
cornerback, safety or wide receiver in college and it was thought UCLA was the
clear frontrunner in his recruitment but he's going into January with a top four
of the Bruins, USC, Arizona State and Washington. The plan for Holiday is to
visit Arizona State the weekend of Jan. 16 and then tentatively official visits
are set for Washington and UCLA the following two weeks before National Signing
Day. Holiday said those final two trips are by no means finalized at this point.
Cornerback has been his specialty but the four-star also shined at wide
receiver this season. All schools remaining should give him a shot both ways and
then plug him in where necessary when he gets to campus.
Favorite: UCLA
Dark Horse: USC
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Adam Gorney
West Recruiting Analyst
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