Naseir Upshur Releases Top 13: Which Schools Hold Edge for 4-Star?

One might think a football player with the nickname of "Pop" earned it delivering the vicious hit on the football field.

That's not so much the case for 4-star tight end Naseir Upshur, a North Philadelphia prospect with 40 offers. He said his nickname came from his mother, with a slight remix from his late uncle.

"My mom used to call me Poppy Seed, but my uncle didn't like it," Upshur said. "He called me Pop, and I just ran with it."

Watch Upshur's highlight film, and the nickname, when defining him as a bruiser on the football field, would make sense. The 6'3", 233-pounder is an aggressive athlete who, at the next level, can be either a punishing blocker or a flex option lined up wide to create passing mismatches against smaller defenders.

Upshur earned the 40 offers because of his versatility, but on Tuesday, the 4-star athlete announced via social media that he has trimmed his list to 13.

Those schools, in alphabetical order: Alabama, Arizona State, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Temple, USC and Wisconsin.

"Basically, [I] talked it over with my parents and friends, and they are the schools I am in contact with the most," Upshur said.

For those keeping score, Upshur's top 13 includes six Big Ten schools and two representatives each from the SEC, Pac-12 and ACC. Temple, a school he lives blocks away from, represents the American Athletic Conference and is the lone non-Power Five school to make the cut.

It's been a busy 2015 for Upshur, as he's made unofficial visits to Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland and Miami since the start of the new year. He was at Penn State's annual Blue-White scrimmage on Saturday.

In fact, of the 13 schools, only Florida State, Wisconsin and USC have yet to receive a visit from Upshur. He hopes to take in those three schools before the end of the summer.

So which school is the best fit? Let Upshur tell it—that answer may be too early to determine. He said he would like for his mother to visit all of the schools before he decides.

Upshur, however, also said that if he feels comfortable with a school before visiting all 13, he wouldn't be against shutting down his recruiting process prematurely. Currently, Miami leads the race in his 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions.

A place such as Miami would make sense for Upshur, as the Hurricanes have a rich tradition of producing versatile tight ends. Jimmy Graham, Kellen Winslow Jr. and Jeremy Shockey are three former Hurricanes who are well-known names around Miami and around the NFL.

Upshur was at Miami for a junior day in January. And while Penn State received the latest visit, schools such as Rutgers and Maryland have received multiple visits from Upshur during his recruiting process. Both schools have to like where they are in the race. 

A winning school will have a specific combination he's looking for.

"A great education and me being very comfortable where I am at," he said. "I'm the type of person that feels as though every [recruiting] class is not for me if I'm not comfortable.

"I also want to go somewhere where I have a good opportunity of playing. I'm not trying to redshirt anywhere, because at the end of the day, I'm trying to get to the next level."

Upshur added that he wants to be in a program that utilizes tight ends in the passing game. He caught 22 passes for 640 yards as a junior, but it was his reliability that made him such a favorite passing target. Of his 22 catches, 11 went for touchdowns.

Trimming his list down from 13 is his next step. He said he doesn't have a timetable set, but he's hoping to make strides with his process at a respectable pace.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles