Advertisement
football Edit

Notebook: adidas 7v7 West Coast Invitational

DOWNEY, Calif. – The rain held off for the most part Saturday at the adidas 7v7 West Coast Invitational as many of the top teams from the region competed for a spot in the upcoming Las Vegas tournament.

Here are the latest recruiting news and notes.

MORE: Herman's 2018 class at Texas looms large | LSU adds three Saturday commits

BIG ST. BROWN UPDATE

Advertisement

Five-star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said USC has moved way up in his recruitment especially after the Trojans played so well down the stretch this season and won the Rose Bowl.

Before that, the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout wasn’t so sure. Now, he is.

“USC is huge for me now,” St. Brown said. “Coming off a big season with the new quarterback, USC at first wasn’t really a top for me but now USC is really up there now.”

UCLA is still a major player but St. Brown needs to get to know new wide receivers coach Jimmie Dougherty after Eric Yarber, one of St. Brown’s favorites, left for the Los Angeles Rams.

A visit to Alabama is being strongly considered and St. Brown also wants to get to Ohio State this summer. Stanford is also a serious contender and Notre Dame is as well since he has brothers playing at both schools.

DANIELS HITTING THE ROAD

JT Daniels
JT Daniels (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

JT Daniels is planning a wide-ranging round of visits this offseason that could definitely influence his recruitment.

The standout 2019 quarterback from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei said he still has a lot of interest in Alabama even after Steve Sarkisian left for the Atlanta Falcons. A trip to Tuscaloosa is possible.

Daniels, who threw for 4,849 yards with 67 touchdowns and six interceptions in his sophomore season, also wants to see Florida, Florida State and Miami, swing through the Midwest to see Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame and then go to USC, UCLA, Stanford and Washington.

Daniels’ recruitment remains wide open but Notre Dame and Stanford should remain near the top of his list.

CROCKER HAS PAC-12 FAVORITE

Four-star receiver Isaah Crocker said Cal has always been his top school and it remains so to this day as the Golden Bears hold the edge for the Sacramento (Calif.) Inderkum standout.

“Cal is my favorite college,” Crocker said. “It’s been my favorite college since I’ve been born.”

USC and UCLA have also intrigued him early on and Crocker – one of the biggest standout surprises of the weekend – said he’s staying open to all other programs as well.

THOMPSON-ROBINSON TALKS PLANS

Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Dorian Thompson-Robinson plans to visit UCLA in early March and it could be another important trip to Westwood since the four-star quarterback has made it no secret the Bruins are a top team.

The Las Vegas Bishop Gorman standout also likes the hire of new offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch from Michigan and that could continue to push UCLA up his list.

“That’s big,” Thompson-Robinson said. “He’s telling me he wants to build a class around me and that’s what I really want.”

The four-star said he wants to commit somewhere between April and July and definitely get it done before his senior season.

Before that Thompson-Robinson would like to see Michigan, Miami, Florida State and possibly North Carolina. He said those schools along with LSU, Arizona, Colorado and others remain in the mix.

TULIAUPUPU LOOKING AT VISITS

Four-star linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu has already racked up offers from pretty much everywhere but he’s still looking for Clemson and the Florida programs – Florida, FSU and Miami – to get involved because he wants to give those schools a look.

As for upcoming visits, the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei recruit said he’s hoping to see Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama and Georgia before his senior season.

USC and UCLA are still very much involved and Tuliaupupu said he also talks a lot with Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan and Washington.

COOLEY HAS TOP TEAM

UCLA is the early front-runner for three-star athlete Devon Cooley and he likes a whole lot about the Bruins.

“What stands out is the campus, the facilities, the coaches, the academics there, if you graduate from UCLA you’re bound to get a job after,” Cooley said. “I’ve been inside the locker room, it’s great, the brotherhood over there.”

Only Colorado, Colorado State, Oregon and UCLA have offered so far but Cooley is a top-notch receiver who could become a national recruit. The Bruins could definitely be tough to beat though, for the Buena Park, Calif., standout.

HOLLAND HAS TOP LIST

UCLA, Arizona, Cal, Boise State and Utah are standing out most to three-star defensive back Jevon Holland but the Bruins definitely have his attention early on and one big reason is position coach Demetrice Martin.

Holland visited UCLA on Friday and the Bruins are the leader at this point.

“Coach (Martin) is a really cool guy and we had a really good conversation,” Holland said. “I just feel like at home. It’s really comfortable.”

2019 CB BACK FROM LSU

Max Williams
Max Williams (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Max Williams is a talented cornerback in the 2019 class and recently he visited LSU, a school he’s had interest in for a long time.

Baton Rouge didn’t disappoint.

“We went into the stadium and it was the biggest stadium I’ve ever seen,” Williams said.

The fact that LSU has produced so many NFL-level defensive backs is huge for Williams, who said he wants to visit again and that the Tigers will stay high on his list.

The Gardena (Calif.) Serra recruit plans to visit Nebraska for its spring game and would like to see Oklahoma and Washington soon. Williams said USC will also “always” stay toward the top as his recruitment continues.

FOUR-STAR WR LIKES WASHINGTON

Chase Williams is going back to Washington. It will be his fourth trip there, which is a great sign for the Huskies as the four-star’s recruitment continues.

The Corona (Calif.) Eleanor Roosevelt standout said he plans to visit Arizona soon, wants to get to Georgia and Oregon and he’s also going to check out USC and UCLA as well.

But Washington might have the upper hand.

“I just want to get another good feel,” Williams said. “I already have a good feel for the place in general. I’ll be going on their junior day so I’m looking forward to it.”

WILLIAMS STAYS BUSY

One of the more intriguing prospects at the adidas tournament was Devon Williams, a long and lanky 6-foot-4 recruit who plays quarterback in high school but will almost definitely move to another position in college.

Florida State is the newest school to offer and Williams is definitely interested in the Seminoles especially since he’s watched them closely in the last few seasons.

Nevada, Oregon, Oregon State, San Jose State and UCLA have also offered and Williams said he remains wide open to all program.

As for position, the three-star prospect said coaches are telling him he could either play wide receiver (where he looked good on Saturday), outside linebacker or safety.

Miami, Boise State and USC are showing the most interest.

Advertisement