The Elite 11 Finals kicked off on Friday in Redondo. There wasn't much to evaluate, as quarterbacks threw at stationary wide receivers for the better part of two and a half hours. But there were a couple news and notes:
-I had four-star Jack Sears break down all of his recent unofficial visits for me, hoping he'd tip something. But he pretty much glowed about all of his recent trips (except for Cal, because Sonny Dykes wasn't there on the visit, so I don't think it has much of a chance here). He did especially rave about his budding relationship with Marques Tuiasosopo, however, and the fact that he visited UCLA one day, and then made the hour and a half drive again two days later to meet with head coach Jim Mora really tells me UCLA is firmly in the mix here. Sears also said he's planning on making one more final round of unofficial visits this month to UCLA, USC, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Duke and Ole Miss. Personally, I think you can read into this that UCLA, USC, Tennessee and Duke are probably his top four at the moment. The fact that he's already visited those four schools, and is planning to visit them all one more time before a final decision in early July, really screams that those are probably his finalists. He said he's looking to get out to both UCLA and USC at some point this week if his finals schedule allows it. Just from talking with him and hearing him talk to other people the last couple weeks, I'd put my money on UCLA vs. Tennessee here. But who knows, I could be way off.
-I spoke with Tate Martell about his top six and he's far more candid about this recruiting process than Sears. Martell's top six are USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Colorado, Cal and West Virginia. But reading in between the obvious lines he spelled out for me, here's what I gathered: West Virginia and Colorado are almost certainly five and six on this list he has. He likes the idea that he could be the guy who turns a whole school around, but other than that, I'm not sure there's much else he likes about the Buffs. With West Virginia, he likes the offense and the fact that he could play as a true freshman, but I just don't see it. I think Cal is probably No. 4 here (even though he swears it will always be in his top three), because while he loves Jake Spavital, he told me if Spav weren't there, he wouldn't even consider the Golden Bears. I think UCLA is probably No. 3 here, but from the way he didn't even really mention Tuiasosopo to me, I don't get the vibe the Bruins are really coming after him that hard. I think USC is probably No. 2 because that's kind of his childhood dream school. Ohio State, meanwhile, appears to be the clear frontrunner here. He loves it there, and sensing that Ohio State could be close to landing a few top-tier QBs, I actually got the vibe that he may commit to the Buckeyes sooner rather than later.
-I caught up with Tua Tagovailoa for a minute, and he told me Tuiasosopo is still keeping in contact and is still trying hard with him. Tagovailoa, though, said he's unsure if he's going to officially visit UCLA (which probably means he won't), so I think this one is a longshot for the Bruins. I actually think USC probably ends up with the Hawaiian prospect.
I'll have clips videos up of UCLA's big three targets, plus a couple stories, on the front page in the next few days.
-I had four-star Jack Sears break down all of his recent unofficial visits for me, hoping he'd tip something. But he pretty much glowed about all of his recent trips (except for Cal, because Sonny Dykes wasn't there on the visit, so I don't think it has much of a chance here). He did especially rave about his budding relationship with Marques Tuiasosopo, however, and the fact that he visited UCLA one day, and then made the hour and a half drive again two days later to meet with head coach Jim Mora really tells me UCLA is firmly in the mix here. Sears also said he's planning on making one more final round of unofficial visits this month to UCLA, USC, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Duke and Ole Miss. Personally, I think you can read into this that UCLA, USC, Tennessee and Duke are probably his top four at the moment. The fact that he's already visited those four schools, and is planning to visit them all one more time before a final decision in early July, really screams that those are probably his finalists. He said he's looking to get out to both UCLA and USC at some point this week if his finals schedule allows it. Just from talking with him and hearing him talk to other people the last couple weeks, I'd put my money on UCLA vs. Tennessee here. But who knows, I could be way off.
-I spoke with Tate Martell about his top six and he's far more candid about this recruiting process than Sears. Martell's top six are USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Colorado, Cal and West Virginia. But reading in between the obvious lines he spelled out for me, here's what I gathered: West Virginia and Colorado are almost certainly five and six on this list he has. He likes the idea that he could be the guy who turns a whole school around, but other than that, I'm not sure there's much else he likes about the Buffs. With West Virginia, he likes the offense and the fact that he could play as a true freshman, but I just don't see it. I think Cal is probably No. 4 here (even though he swears it will always be in his top three), because while he loves Jake Spavital, he told me if Spav weren't there, he wouldn't even consider the Golden Bears. I think UCLA is probably No. 3 here, but from the way he didn't even really mention Tuiasosopo to me, I don't get the vibe the Bruins are really coming after him that hard. I think USC is probably No. 2 because that's kind of his childhood dream school. Ohio State, meanwhile, appears to be the clear frontrunner here. He loves it there, and sensing that Ohio State could be close to landing a few top-tier QBs, I actually got the vibe that he may commit to the Buckeyes sooner rather than later.
-I caught up with Tua Tagovailoa for a minute, and he told me Tuiasosopo is still keeping in contact and is still trying hard with him. Tagovailoa, though, said he's unsure if he's going to officially visit UCLA (which probably means he won't), so I think this one is a longshot for the Bruins. I actually think USC probably ends up with the Hawaiian prospect.
I'll have clips videos up of UCLA's big three targets, plus a couple stories, on the front page in the next few days.
