West mailbag: Texas, Nebraska, USC and more
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Rivals.com West recruiting analyst
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Adam Gorney addresses questions from readers in his weekly mailbag.
Visits are key
Now that Devon Allen has been offered by Texas is it a foregone
conclusion he ends up with the Longhorns?
- Marty from Austin, Texas
Devon Allen just told our Rob Cassidy that Stanford remains
his favorite but he's taking a visit to Texas in early October and you
know how that goes.
The four-star receiver from Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy Prep said the Cardinal lead
because he's been to the Stanford campus, is familiar with the place and has a
long-standing relationship with the coaching staff.
Over the next few weeks, Allen can develop that same standing with the Texas
coaches and once he gets on campus - he'll be there for the
West Virginia game - that could play a huge factor in his recruitment. Allen
also plans to visit Arkansas.
So as it stands now, Allen has Stanford in front followed by Texas and
Arkansas but the Longhorns could really make up a lot of ground in the
coming weeks. I think the longer his recruitment goes leading up to that October
visit to Austin the better the chances for the Longhorns in the end.
Trojan destiny
What are you hearing about Tahaan Goodman? Is he headed to the SEC?
- Tony from Los Angeles
I have now heard from at least three sources that Tahaan Goodman is
leaning heavily to USC and that the four-star safety from Rancho
Cucamonga, Calif., will end up with the Trojans.
How that will happen numbers-wise will probably be worked out in the coming
months but people are telling me that if USC can get Goodman in this class then
that's where he's headed.
Apparently, he has taken multiple visits to the school and has re-opened his
mind about being a star in the Trojans secondary which is just insanely loaded
with talent in this class. With Goodman and fellow safeties
Max Redfield and
Su'a Cravens, not many teams will have success
throwing the ball against USC.
I would not count out LSU and Goodman is planning to visit there and
it's not beyond the realm of possibility he surprises everyone and picks
somewhere else but all I've heard for a few weeks in regards to Goodman is he
wants to play at USC.
No package deal
Will the three Fresno (Calif.) Central East studs go to college together?
- Ted from Fresno, Calif.
My guess at this very moment is no, they will not play together in college but
really it is anyone's guess.
Last recruiting cycle, Tee Shepard and Deontay Greenberry
swore for months they were both going to Notre Dame together. Now
neither of them are there and Greenberry signed with Houston. Shepard
left soon after arriving in South Bend.
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Oklahoma does have a good shot keeping Hatari Byrd in the
class and L.J. Moore is supposed to visit Norman in late October so
that could play a role. Moore is also planning to see Cal and Notre
Dame and possibly some other places before making his decision.
The hold-up with getting the triumvirate could be Johnny Johnson since
all I've heard on him is that he plans to stay closer to home and play in the
Pac-12. Whether that's at Stanford or UCLA or someplace else
is still unknown. He's also supposed to visit Oklahoma but my gut feeling is
that he stays in California.
In the mix
Why is Johnny Stanton not a four-star? You're wrong about him.
- Jim from Omaha, Neb.
If Johnny Stanton continues to play like he did in Santa Margarita's
victory against Phoenix Brophy Prep - and there's no reason to think he won't
play that well or even better - then his ranking situation could be rectified
the next time around.
This is a little strange because I've seen Stanton in games last year and he
looks great although he's still not a polished passer. But when we saw him at
the Elite 11 he had a quirky throwing motion and pushed it really badly.
But then some analysts watched the Santa Margarita-Brophy Prep game last weekend
and Stanton looked just fine throwing the ball.
I know all about his assets, his running ability, his toughness, his
intelligence and how his team wins ball games. If he keeps that up then
Nebraska could be adding another four-star to its class.
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