4-Star OT Chuck Filiaga to Announce Top 3 'Very Soon'

ARLINGTON, Texas — There was a time when Aledo, Texas, 4-star offensive tackle Chuck Filiaga looked at his new high school and got major butterflies in his stomach.

As a move-in from California, Filiaga had heard the stories of Texas high school football, and his new school—one that had won six state titles, including five in the previous seven seasons—had more than its share of skins on the wall.

It was the jolt Filiaga, the nation's No. 15-ranked offensive tackle in an extremely loaded 2017 class of offensive linemen, needed as he prepares for next-level football. When Filiaga reminisces about his high school career in 20 years, he'll be proud to say he helped Aledo win a seventh state title after the Bearcats' performance in the Texas Class 5A Division II Championship.

And it all happened in front of nearly 26,000 fans at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys and one of the grandest stages in football of all levels.

"It's major over here," Filiaga said of Texas high school football. "Honestly, I was scared coming out to Texas. But I love competition, and Texas football definitely had a lot of great competition for me.

"[Coming to Texas] was all worth it. It was worth it, 110 percent."

The goal of winning a state championship was achieved on Friday. Filiaga is now focusing his attention on where he wants to play college football. He told Bleacher Report that he will reveal a top three this week, with Wednesday being the potential date for an announcement.

"I'll be releasing very soon," the 6'6", 335-pound bookend said. "I didn't release anything this [past] week because I was focused on state. I'm going to make a decision at the [U.S.] Army All-American Bowl."

Filiaga wouldn't hint at any of the three schools, but schools like Michigan, USC, TCU and Texas have been associated with his ultimate decision. He has taken official visits to Oregon (weekend of Sept. 10), Michigan (Sept. 30), Oklahoma (Oct. 28) and, most recently, Nebraska (Dec. 9). He still has one visit remaining but said he's uncertain about scheduling it.

The winning school will get an athlete who is driven to be considered an elite offensive tackle at the college level, someone who takes pride in protecting his quarterback's blind side.

He was a key member of an Aledo offense that, according to the Star-Telegram's Rick Mauch, not only scored in 63 of 64 quarters played this season but also did its part in recording the program's third-ever 16-0 finish.

Credit: Student Sports

Filiaga told reporters that he will make a final decision in time for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl based on a variety of factors, including academic support, the style of football and which coaching staff he feels can best prepare him to potentially play professionally.

For the next couple of days, however, he's going to further enjoy the aftereffects of winning a Texas state championship.

"My thoughts coming into the season were really preparing myself for [Aledo's] type of physicality and being mentally strong to play Aledo football," he said. “Now that we are state champs, it's all paid off with the great coaching staff we have."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of Scout.com. Follow Damon Sayles via Twitter @DamonSayles.