Kynon's Korner: Next Richard Sherman Decides Friday, Alabama Commit Eyes Oregon
South Florida standout Tarvarus McFadden will make his verbal pledge on Halloween. It will be trick-or-treat for his top three of Florida State, Georgia and LSU.
The 6'3", 198-pound cover man is an athletic freak of nature. Tall cornerbacks usually don't have the hips or lateral quickness to stay with quicker wide receivers, but McFadden is the exception to the rule. He can play bump-and-run coverage or handle a zone area with ease because of his length and range. Because of his size, he often gets compared to Seattle Seahawks All-Pro Richard Sherman, and that is fine with McFadden. The Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage defender calls Sherman his favorite cornerback.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
We know Sherman's alma mater, Stanford, likely won't land the talented defensive back when he announces his decision Friday. Out of the three finalists, McFadden has only visited FSU and UGA this fall. He was in Athens, Georgia, for Georgia-Clemson in late August, and he recently attended the Seminoles-Fighting Irish contest at Florida State.
"When I went to Florida State, my family really liked it," McFadden told Bleacher Report. "I've been there before so it wasn't really anything new, but I enjoyed the game. Early on, I was watching how the team played together, but then I started watching my position to see if I have chance to play there. I looked up the depth chart before going up there and I see a chance to play early. The visit was a 10."
Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly and assistant coaches Bill Miller and Sal Sunseri are recruiting McFadden for the 'Noles. The 5-star prospect said the staff makes him feel like a priority and talks to his parents whenever possible.
As for Georgia, former American Heritage stars Sony Michel and Isaiah McKenzie signed with Georgia in the 2014 class and have made an early contributions for the 'Dawgs. Those connections appeal to McFadden and could help Georgia's case.
"I really enjoyed the Georgia visit. The game and atmosphere were great," added McFadden. "The depth chart is favorable there too. I like that Sony and Izzy are making an impact there."
Assistant coach Bryan McClendon and defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt are putting on the full-court press for McFadden. McClendon was the lead recruiter for Michel and McKenzie a year ago and has built a great reputation at Heritage over the last couple of seasons. McClendon's effort and Pruitt's prior experience with McFadden could pay off for Georgia come Friday.
"I knew Coach Pruitt when he was at Florida State, so we have a good bond," noted McFadden. "I like his defensive schemes and how he runs his defense. He's also a good person in general. It's not always about football when I talk to him. I like that."
Although McFadden will make a verbal commitment Friday, his recruitment may not be over. He told B/R he wants to see LSU, and he will try to set something up with Tigers assistant coach Corey Raymond at a later date.
Stay tuned.
Oregon Offer Could Shake Things Up for Alabama Pledge
Five-star Alabama commit Demetris Robertson is no lock to the Crimson Tide.
"I'm keeping tabs on Georgia, Auburn, Southern California, Florida State, Florida, Georgia Tech, UCLA, LSU, and Oregon," the 5-star athlete told Bleacher Report. "An Oregon offer would make things interesting in my recruitment."
When pressed more about the Ducks and his interest in the program, he replied, "I've been a big fan since I was in rec league. Their uniforms are sweet, but I like their style of play on offense. My goal is to visit them and see what they have going on."
If Oregon can get Robertson on campus similar to Florida State for a big game or in the offseason, it could help the Ducks' chances with the speedy wideout. We are going to monitor this situation more closely, as it sounds like the Tide still have some work to do in terms of keeping Robertson a part of the class of 2016.
Robertson has yet to see a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, so he doesn't know what to expect when he visits Tuscaloosa, Alabama, later this fall.
"To be honest, most stadiums look the same," Robertson told B/R. "I haven't been to an Alabama game yet to get a feel for the atmosphere. I might hit up the Iron Bowl and Georgia vs. Auburn."
Cal Impresses 4-Star Lavan Alston
Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure flanker Lavan Alston took an official visit to California two weeks ago and the trip went well, he told Bleacher Report. The 4-star split end has a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction trending to the Golden Bears.
"The best part of the visit was the game was best part itself," said Alston. "My host was wide receiver Bryce Treggs. He was real cool. The campus was really nice along with the area around the school. The atmosphere was crazy and I really enjoyed it."
Assistant head coach Rob Likens is recruiting Alston for Cal, and the athletic playmaker with 4.45 speed could be a nice addition for this year's class. The Golden Bears have a pair of 3-star wide receiver commitments, but Alston brings something different to the table with his linear speed and home run ability.
Alston appears to be headed to the Pac-12 at the next level. He said the schools recruiting him "the hardest" in no particular order are Oregon State, Cal, Utah, Arizona State and Washington.
He doesn't report any other official visit plans, but he will likely check out the aforementioned schools over the next few months.
WR Tre Nixon Loved Penn State Visit
Melbourne (Fla.) Viera wide receiver Tre Nixon made a return visit to Happy Valley for the Penn State-Ohio State clash with his mom and brother, Devin Nixon. The 3-star prospect visited State College, Pennsylvania, over the summer, but this trip was "amazing," according to Nixon.
"It was great to see all the fans screaming and shouting every time a big play happened," Nixon told Bleacher Report. "It gave me the chills. The atmosphere in the stadium was just ridiculous. My family enjoyed it too and it was just an all-around great visit. Then again, it was a good game. I know Ohio State puts up a lot of points. To hold them and put up a fight like that, it came down to the wire. The visit was a 10 out of 10."
Nixon said he paid attention to the receivers when they hit the field. "As soon as the offense came on the field, I locked on to them. I could definitely see that Coach [Josh] Gattis had those guys ready. They have sure-handed receivers that can catch the ball in traffic. I love the way they spread the ball around. Coach Gattis was explaining to me [that] he needs someone like me to go down the field and be a deep threat. I have a lot of respect for the coaches."
The 6'0", 160-pounder has been to Florida, Duke and USF this fall. He has plans to attend the Auburn-Georgia tilt on Nov. 15, and he is trying to circle more dates on his calendar.
Nixon was born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he grew up watching Oregon with his family. He wants to make a decision before the start of his senior season. The speedy pass-catcher said all the schools recruiting him are even right now, but Penn State and Ole Miss are doing their best to make him feel like a priority via social media.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand. Recruiting information and ratings courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.
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