Two on top for Montgomery

Miramar (Fla.) safety Steven Montgomery took an official visit to Minnesota during the season. But after the Gophers parted ways with their head coach, the 5-foot-11, 186-pound defensive back took a backseat to the process and allowed a bit of time to help him sort things out. Now, entering the final stretch of his recruitment, things have become a bit more focused.

"Right now my top two are Maryland and West Virginia," Montgomery said. "Those are the main two visits that I know I am going to take. The other two are kind of wide open right now. I might take one to Western Michigan because they have been showing me a lot of love and attention. The other one, I don't know what I am going to do with that one."

Montgomery intends to have the dates for those visits determined by the end of this week.

He talked about why the Terrapins and Mountaineers are his top two schools at this time.

"It is because of the attention they have shown me throughout the year," Montgomery said. "I haven't committed yet so it has been a whole year of them recruiting me. Those are two schools that have really taken a lot of time and showed me that they want me."

Maryland assistant coach Don Brown has been Montgomery's primary recruiter for the Terps.

"We have been in contact with one another since January," Montgomery said. "He has just been talking with me and my family. He has been sending me letters all the time. We have built a good relationship. We have talked on the phone about how he would use me and stuff."

West Virginia's recruitment has been spearheaded by assistant coach Lonnie Galloway.

"Coach Galloway is a cool guy," Montgomery said. "Four players from my school have gone to West Virginia recently so it is kind of like a family-oriented thing. He is recruiting at my school a lot. He has told me it is a family up there. He told me if I came up there, I would fit right in."

Montgomery said a decision likely won't come until after he is able to take an official visit to both of his leaders.

Academically, he earned a 19 on the ACT and 910 on the SAT.