Top ten for four-star QB

Last weekend was a busy weekend for four-star Kai Locksley. The Baltimore (Md.) Gilman School quarterback visited Oregon and also named a top ten.

Locksley says there is no order to his top ten. In alphabetical order the ten schools to make it the next round are Auburn, Baylor, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas and Virginia Tech. Below, Locksley goes in-depth on his visit to Oregon then breaks down the other schools in his top ten.

"The visit to Oregon went really well and I got a lot of my questions answered," 6-foot-4, 185-pound Locksley. "I was at Oregon from Thursday to Saturday. Going into the visit I heard a lot about them because it is a popular program. After I got a closer look at it, it was awesome. It's like a football heaven. Facility-wise they have everything a player could ever want. From a team standpoint, they're a lot closer and have a lot more fun than I expected. The head coach is also really close with the players. It was good to see how comfortable everybody was.

"The facilities were really amazing," he said. "They're really above everybody that I've seen so far. I got to see them practice. I liked the speed and consistency. They have a lot of coaches that have been there for a while and have that winning tradition that I like.

"The coaches think that I'm the next big time guy that can play the quarterback position," Locksley said. "After Marcus leaves they don't really have a great quarterback. They have a lot of good quarterbacks but they don't have that guy that can take over and fill Marcus' shoes. They think I can do that. They know I have a lot of potential and think they can really help me get there."

Locksley, the son of Maryland offensive cored intro Mike Locksley, explained why the other nine teams made his top ten.

Auburn: "I felt really comfortable with the coaches and I have a good relationship with coach Lashlee," he said. "We talk almost every week. They do everything that I want to do on offense and their offense isn't much different from what I do now. They've had guys like Cam Newton do well in their program and go on and do well in the NFL."

Baylor: "This is a more recent offer," said Locksley. "There is big time football anywhere you go in Texas. They're really competitive and their offense is one of the best in the country. Art Briles is a great coach from what I've heard. I've talked a little bit with him. They have produced guys that do that same thing that I want to do."

Florida State: "I had a great visit out to Florida State," he said. "I felt really comfortable down there. I could see myself being a Nole. They go about some things the same way I like to go about things. Coach Fisher is a great coach. I just talked to him for 30 minutes but I felt wanted and he stressed what he could do for me, what I could do for him and how much we could accomplish together."

Maryland: "It's the hometown team and I have a lot of support there," Locksley said. "I've trained with my father a few times. He's a great coach and has already helped me accomplish a lot. It would be awesome to play for him and work in that system.

"Right now my dad is just dad and my trainer," he said. "He is helping me get better and sharpening my skills. We haven't really talked too much about Maryland and the recruiting process. He just wants me to make that decision for myself. If I have any questions he'll answer them for me."

Miami: "The campus and location at Miami at perfect," said Locksley. "You can work out every day in Miami. I watched some of their film when I was there and saw a practice. They are highly competitive and have great talent across the board."

Ohio State: "Coach Urban Meyer is a guy who has had a lot of success and is probably one of the most successful coaches lately," he said. "He wins everywhere he goes and has produced great quarterbacks everywhere he has gone. Ohio State is big time football and they get great fan support. It's all about Ohio State football up there."

Ole Miss: "I talk to coach Werner a lot and he tells me that they have their guys in the facility all the time," Locksley said. "They're all familiar with everybody and they are all working to have success. They're a young team and I can see them doing big things in the future. Their past recruiting classes have been really good."

Texas: "I'm really close with coach Strong," he said. "I've known him since I was six years old when he was on the Florida staff with my dad. He's a player's coach and works with you. Texas is big time football. You have to win there and a lot is on your plate. That's some of the stuff I want. I want to be that next big guy that can do some of the stuff Vince Young did there."

Virginia Tech: "Their offensive coordinator is a guy that has worked with a lot of top guys and he's one of the best in the business," said Locksley. "In my meeting with him we talked about the school and some of the stuff that I can improve on that would help me take that leap from a good quarterback to a great overall quarterback. He's the type of guy that I would want to get me ready over the next four years for the NFL."

It sounds like Locksley will be racking up the frequent flier miles over the next few months.

"I haven't been to Texas, Ole Miss or Baylor," he said. "I think I'll get down to Ole Miss during the summer. I think I'm making the Texas and Baylor trip some time in May."

Locksley will also be visiting Maryland on May 15. More cuts to his list could happen in the next month or so.

"I think after these next visits I might narrow things down to five or six schools," Locksley said. "From there I'll visit those schools again so I can hang out with the players and see how it is with them. After that I should be able to narrow it down to three and announce my decision by my first game this year."

Gilman's first game next season is at Lakewood (Oh.) St. Edward's.