Arik Armstead: Which Teams Are Still in the Hunt & Who Lands the Nation's Top OL

It's all about recruiting now that the college football season is over with. The BCS National Championship is over, so now teams are preparing to better their future.

One of the top prospects that is still out there is offensive tackle Arik Armstead. The 6'8", 275-pound beast has great size, explosion and has great control of the defenders in front of him. Armstead looks and plays exactly like a great tackle is supposed to. Although, he wants to play on the defensive line when he gets to college.

While it seems like every school is still in the running, because he's keeping everything close to the vest, there are a few schools he may considering more than others.

Here are the teams we believe are still in the running and the school that will likely land the top offensive lineman.

California

One of the last schools Armstead visited was California. You can consider them very much in the running because he'd be close to home. Here are a few things he said about his trip to the university.

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I liked it, it went good and it was a good trip . I’d been there a lot before but being an official, I could spend more time with the coaches look at more things. I really got to know them a lot better, and got to hang out with the other recruits and the team.

 

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Notre Dame

After Armstead decommitted from USC, Notre Dame was the first school he made a visit to. Here are a few things he said about his visit to South Bend:

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On the Irish Walk, all the recruits walk behind the team, and people were yelling our names, telling us to come.

I think what stood out the most was the support they have with their fan base, and the coaches there too, it feels like it’s real tight knit.

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Others

The other three schools he is interested in are Oregon, Texas and Auburn. Armstead already made his official visit with the Ducks back in November and will likely make an official visit with either Auburn or Texas before making his final decision.

Here are a few things Armstead said about the Oregon Ducks and the way he feels about their defense:

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I know they run a 3-4 and a 4-3, so they say I'm versatile and can play multiple positions...I have no preference. Like I said, they run a 3-4, 4-3, so I'm sure they'll be moving me around.

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Prediction

While every school he's considering are great schools and have a lot to offer, it's tough seeing him go anywhere besides California. For one, it's close to home. He wouldn't have to leave his home state of California, considering he grew up in Elk Grove. 

It's also a school a lot of his friends have already committed to. If you haven't been paying attention to the recruiting lately, the Golden Bears are absolutely on the rise landing several top players. And quite a few of them are from the California area.

California has already landed several top players and are really surprising this offseason. If they're able to close the deal on this top recruit, it'd be safe to say that there is another team in the Pac-12 that teams should be worried about.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]