WR Phillips staying open
Wide receiver Shakim Phillips is not being nonchalant about the recruiting process. He's just not putting that much focus into it at this point.
The Wayne (N.J.) De Paul Catholic wide receiver does not have a top five. No schools stand out to him. There are no colleges he definitely wants to see when taking his official visits, although he plans to take all five.
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Recruiting can overwhelm some prospects, the pressure can force others into bad decisions. But Phillips, a 6-foot-2, 191-pound recruit, is not letting those things happen to him.
"I'm really not, I'm into it, but I'm just sitting back because I still have a senior year to play," Phillips said. "I'm more focused on that than college right now."
Arizona, Boston College, UConn, Duke, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and Rutgers have all offered Phillips, who finished with 40 catches for 765 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 33 prospect in the 2010 class.
Other programs are coming on strong as well. Georgia, Tennessee, Oregon, Virginia, Florida and Michigan are also showing a lot of interest but Phillips isn't ready to tackle all that the recruiting process offers just yet.
"I'm still open," Phillips said. "I'm still taking everything in just because I don't know where I want to go so I have to start looking at some different schools.
"I just sit back and let everything come in. I'm not going to force myself into anything. I'm still mild about everything. I'm not even thinking about college. I have a whole other year. I'm still lifting now. I still have to take my SATs now. I'm not even listening to colleges yet."
As for a decision timetable, Phillips said he will wait until after his senior season to pick his college. Phillips wants to take his visits and although he has not determined which schools he favors a trip to Oregon might happen because he heard the football facilities are nice.
His summer plans are also undecided but he might go to some camps at colleges that have not offered him yet. Interest from top-level SEC schools has picked up so making a trip down south might not be totally out of the question.
In his junior season, Phillips also rushed for 289 yards and a score and returned 13 kicks for 339 yards and a touchdown. He caught 22 passes for 386 yards and four TDs in his sophomore year.