West Spotlight: Top prospects staying busy as seasons wind down

The high school football season is wrapping up, which only means recruiting news will pick up even more. Here are the latest news and notes on top West prospects.

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Five-star Isaac Taylor-Stuart said in recent weeks that he had two official visits planned. And now there is a third. The San Diego (Calif.) Helix standout has already seen Texas A&M and he had a fantastic trip to College Station. Taylor-Stuart, the top defensive back in the West, hit it off with the coaching staff and he’s become friends with numerous Aggies commits, so that could be an important consideration moving forward. An Alabama trip will happen the weekend of Dec. 15, and the third visit planned is to Georgia the weekend before he goes to Tuscaloosa. The Bulldogs are an outlier in his recruitment at this point, but anything could still happen and a good trip to Athens could definitely change things. There is still a lot of chatter that USC will be difficult to beat, but the five-star cornerback is surely giving a lot of attention to these SEC schools.

USC has had tremendous success for years recruiting top Long Beach (Calif.) Poly prospects. Four-star tight end Camren McDonald, from Long Beach Poly, had been committed to the Trojans for a long while. So it came as a surprise when the 6-foot-4, 225-pound standout backed off his USC pledge earlier this week. According to sources, this could bode really well for Texas A&M, depending on what the coaching situation looks like in College Station over the coming months. McDonald also recently visited Nebraska and had a good time, but there are questions about the future of coach Mike Riley and his staff in Lincoln. Some other Pac-12 and SEC schools could also be involved. The four-star needs to be used as a split-out, pass-catching tight end and that’s why the Aggies seem so appealing. But McDonald’s recruitment could still have a long way to go.

Adrian Martinez was committed to Cal early in the recruiting process, but after Sonny Dykes was replaced by first-year coach Justin Wilcox the four-star quarterback reopened his recruitment. Now the Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West standout is in another interesting situation, since he’s been committed to Tennessee for months. The Vols fired Butch Jones over the weekend, and Martinez said he remains pledged to the Vols, but that he’s going to monitor developments out of Knoxville and the new coach will be a big part of his future considerations. Martinez took a surprise visit to Ohio State this past weekend, and while the Buckeyes haven’t offered yet there is definitely interest. Five-star Ohio State quarterback commit Emory Jones is serious about Alabama, as well, and Martinez could be a possible second option. It's safe to say there could be more movement here, but if the four-star likes the new Tennessee hire, then he should stick with the Vols.

Bryan Addison could be making his commitment soon. The four-star athlete from Gardena (Calif.) Serra is taking a visit to Washington this weekend, and while the Huskies are not in his top five they are being seriously considered. A few days later, Addison could be prepared to make his pledge. UCLA, Arizona State, Michigan, Nebraska and Arizona are his five favorites at this point, but things could get even more interesting if Washington blows him away this weekend. The Bruins are considered to be the front-runners, since Addison admitted he almost committed to UCLA this offseason and he has family connections there. But a tenuous situation with coach Jim Mora could make things interesting. Arizona State is considered the dark horse, since Addison’s brother goes there and he had a great visit.

Four-star defensive end Jeremiah Martin still has visits planned for Washington and Utah, while a fifth visit is still possible. The San Bernardino (Calif.) Cajon standout called Texas A&M and Oklahoma his favorites this past weekend, and that makes sense because he had outstanding visits to both schools in recent weeks. The defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid is also looking at USC and UCLA, but it seems like Martin is looking to leave the state. As to which one stands out most, it’s hard to tell - especially because the four-star is still planning to take some important Pac-12 trips.