4-Star QB Dillon Sterling-Cole Reveals How He Narrowed Down to a Top 5

Of the nation's top 30 pro-style quarterbacks in the 2016 recruiting class, 27 are verbally committed to a college. On Monday, Dillon Sterling-Cole inched closer to becoming commit No. 28.

The 4-star talent from Houston trimmed his list of favorites from eight schools to five, tweeting that Arizona State, Florida, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Houston made the cut:

Sterling-Cole, the nation's No. 9 pro-style quarterback, had his reasons for choosing his quintet of schools. Overall comfort is the primary reasoning.

"I just based it off my previous top eight, the relationships that I have built with the coaches and the areas in which the schools are located," Sterling-Cole said. "[I looked at] the programs as a whole and thought if I'd be able to flourish as a person and player at that university.

"More so, I just sat down with my parents and family members making sure that they're comfortable with my decision-making."

What made Sterling-Cole's list even more interesting is that he announced the schools in order of where they currently rank in his mind. Texas A&M currently is sitting in third place, perhaps an unexpected turn of events for Aggie fans, as Sterling-Cole is the son of former Texas A&M wide receiver Chris Cole.

Those rankings could change in the next couple of weeks, but for now, the Westfield High School standout is Arizona State's to lose.

"Arizona State is No. 1 right now because of the relationship I have built with [offensive coordinator] Coach [Mike] Norvell," Sterling-Cole said. "My family loved the unofficial visit when we went, and I feel comfortable with what they are doing."

The month of June included unofficial visits to UCLA (June 8), Arizona State (June 9) and Florida (June 16). Of Sterling-Cole's top five, Houston is the only school with a quarterback currently committed.

Wherever Sterling-Cole ends up, look for him to want to compete early and put up solid numbers. He threw for 2,325 yards and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions as a junior. As a sophomore, Sterling-Cole threw for 2,303 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven picks.

As an Elite 11 participant, Sterling-Cole was fun to watch during the semifinal round in Los Angels and the finals in Oregon. It wasn't long ago that he was an unknown target, but he worked his way up the recruiting charts, winning the Elite 11 Dallas regional in March and watching his stock skyrocket through the spring and summer.

Now, the world will wait for Sterling-Cole's next step. What will be his next announcement? A tweet of the top three? Perhaps a tweet announcing his verbal commit?

"Maybe just a top two," he said.

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.