West spotlight: Prospects that have already taken early visits
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September has been a busy time for top West Region prospects to start taking official visits with the early signing period only months away. Here is a look at five recruits who have already hit the road and where they stand after taking some early trips.
Destination: Oklahoma
Reason: Robertson planned his first official visit to Oklahoma for a reason. He wanted to see what the Sooners had to offer and he wanted to experience Norman before taking any other trips. LSU, Oregon and BYU are three other possible destinations for Robertson to take visits and USC would be the school if he decides to stay home but Oklahoma is an intriguing option. The four-star linebacker seemed to love the family atmosphere in Norman and he continues to develop a strong relationship with the coaching staff. It certainly cannot hurt that former Fresno five-star linebacker Caleb Kelly is performing so well at Oklahoma and that could help Robertson as he works toward a decision.
Destination: Nebraska
Reason: UCLA still seems like the front-runner for Addison, who has family connections to the school. He considered committing there this offseason and said he cried when the Bruins decided to offer him. A lot of top Serra prospects end up at USC as well although the Trojans haven’t been as high on Addison’s list. The four-star two-way standout visited Nebraska this past weekend and had an excellent trip, and will continue to develop relationships with Keith Williams and Donte Williams. That’s right. The Huskers envision using Addison at receiver and safety and he’s fantastic at both spots. He could easily become an early contributor at Nebraska and that could be a huge selling point moving forward if Addison decides to leave home.
Destination: Nebraska
Reason: If there is such a thing as a game-changing visit, Crocker’s trip to Nebraska would fit the definition. The four-star receiver always had a good amount of interest in the Huskers but when he visited Lincoln for the season opener against Arkansas State, Crocker absolutely fell in love and now Nebraska has to be considered one of the favorites. The Northern California receiver has a great relationship with the coaching staff and Crocker loves the attention Nebraska fans have paid to him in recent months. UCLA should absolutely not be counted out since Crocker has a great relationship with assistant coach Angus McClure and then Oregon and Oregon State are right there as well but Nebraska has definitely moved up his list.
Destination: Notre Dame
Reason: Cota will go to Oregon. That’s the thinking when it comes to the four-star receiver whose father, Ed, was a star for the Ducks. But Cota took a visit to Notre Dame in the last few weeks and seemed to love what was going on in South Bend and how he could contribute. With a top seven of USC, Cal, UCLA, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Notre Dame, the four-star’s recruitment is far from over. The Irish did everything possible both on the field and off to convince Cota it was the right place for him. Other visits are expected to happen as well. Oregon might still be difficult to beat – especially with the Ducks playing so well – but don’t count out others, either.
Destination: BYU
Reason: The four-star quarterback recently attended the BYU-Utah game and there’s absolutely no counting out the Cougars since McKee is LDS and will take a two-year mission after high school before enrolling in college. That will provide McKee and the school of his choice a lot of flexibility because it won’t limit those colleges from recruiting quarterbacks during the next two recruiting cycles. Throughout his recruitment, McKee has talked highly of BYU and that offense could clearly use all the help it could get. If the Cougars do land McKee, they’re getting one of the top quarterbacks in this class and stealing him from some high-profile programs. UCLA, Alabama, Washington, Stanford and Texas are some other schools that will receive visits coming up so there’s a lot of competition for McKee – and a long way to go in his recruitment.
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