B/R Recruiting Notebook: 4-Star QB Near a Decision; 4-Star RB Discusses Visits
The Opening Dallas regional featured more than 300 athletes at Coppell (Texas) High School, which meant Sunday was the perfect time to reach out to multiple athletes for recruiting updates.
Here's the latest on some of the nation's most recruited standouts.
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Big decision soon for QB Davis?
Notre Dame will hold a junior day on Saturday, and Cedar Hill, Texas, 4-star quarterback Avery Davis is expected to be in attendance.
Fans of the Irish are hoping the timing aligns well. Notre Dame is in need of a quarterback commitment for the 2017 class, and Davis currently has a top three of Notre Dame, Colorado and Utah.
While Davis refused to completely tip his hat, he gave a hint of when a commitment could happen.
"It's coming down soon," he said. "It's getting really serious."
Davis, the nation's No. 7 dual-threat quarterback, has 16 reported offers, including Houston, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Virginia and Oregon State, among others. Davis said he's built good relationships with coaches at all three of the schools atop his list.
The winning program—when he's ready to make the final decision—will be one he said will satisfy both his athletic and academic needs.
"With academics, you don't know how far football's going to take you," Davis said. "Football wise, I'm looking for great tradition and a great family. I want to have a coaching staff that's going to care for me and develop me as a quarterback and football player.
"Just knowing that all these schools want me to come to their school and play football, that's a blessing. But I want to be at a place that instills family. If you don't care for the guy you play next to, it's going to be really hard to win."
RB Benjamin talks road trips, re-emphasizes leader
Road tripping has been a fun, fully loaded experience for Wylie, Texas, 4-star running back Eno Benjamin. In a matter of days, Benjamin said he took in trips to Texas and Texas A&M and then made rounds in Big Ten country, visiting Michigan, Ohio State, Northwestern and Iowa.
He made it back just in time to compete in The Opening Dallas Regional.
"I've been on a bunch of trips, so my legs...it's been like sitting in a car, standing up here and there," Benjamin said. "But it's all going pretty good. It can get overwhelming at times, but that's just how it goes."
The trips helped Benjamin from a recruiting standpoint, as he said on Sunday he's "almost ready" to drop a top-10 list of schools. One of the schools expected to be on the list is Iowa, a program he's held in high regard for quite some time.
"Iowa's my top school," he said. "I also like Michigan. Looking at the Big 12, I like Oklahoma State as well. Baylor just jumped in the mix, so we'll see how that goes."
Benjamin continued: "I'm looking for a place where I can fit in and where they have the right role for me. I also want to be able to go in and see that brotherhood from the team, from the players as well as the coaches. I want to get a degree to where I will have a good opportunity to go to the next level at whatever I do."
Arizona State pledge Mondy ready for big spring
Wearing an Arizona State hoodie on Sunday, linebacker Loren Mondy made a bold statement.
Even after nearly three years, the Sun Devils are still his No. 1 school. And that remains fact even though he said he's keeping his recruiting door ajar as a courtesy to give schools an opportunity to deliver their pitches.
"My commitment is solid," said Mondy, a 3-star linebacker who committed to Arizona State before the start of his freshman year. "Right now, everything is going kind of slow, but a lot of schools are wanting to see my play during the spring."
Mondy, at 6'1" and 240 pounds, is switching from outside linebacker to inside linebacker, which he said many schools already are projecting him at the next level. He has eight offers, including Cal, Iowa State and Kansas. Mondy currently only has one in-state offer, from Texas State.
LSU unofficial visit postponed for CB Calloway
Dallas 4-star cornerback Chevin Calloway had plans of visiting LSU over the weekend. However, severe flooding throughout Louisiana forced Calloway to postpone his plans.
Calloway still plans on visiting LSU soon.
"I'm looking to reschedule; I've just got to get with the coaches there," Calloway said. "[Tight ends coach Steve Ensminger] told me to get with him whenever I get a chance so we can set up some dates."
LSU is a school to keep an eye on with Calloway, who is nearing 30 reported offers. He is a fan of LSU's history with producing quality defensive backs, as well as Ensminger, defensive backs coach Corey Raymond and head coach Les Miles.
"I don't really know too much else about the school, which is why I'm trying to get down there and talk to coaches and see how the environment is," Calloway said. "I want to see what they're all about. What I do know is they put a lot of DBs in the league. I just want to get there and get a better interest in them."
Calloway additionally said Oklahoma is a school showing him a lot of love. He was on campus last week visiting his friend and former high school teammate A.D. Miller, a receiver for the Sooners. Schools like Baylor, Ole Miss, Ohio State and UCLA also are contenders for Calloway.
Texas A&M visit coming for 2018 OT Simpson
There will be one very happy school when 6'7", 330-pound tackle Darrell Simpson makes his decision.
The 2018 lineman from Justin, Texas, said he's keeping all of his options open and is looking forward to Texas A&M's Friday Night Lights football scrimmage on April 1.
Simpson, who said he's most comfortable playing right tackle, has Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU, SMU and a few other programs high on his list. He recently took an unofficial visit to TCU and said he had a great conversation with head coach Gary Patterson.
Simpson doesn't have plans on making an immediate decision, but he's keeping his eyes open for the perfect fit.
"I want a good team that likes to bond together and work hard," Simpson said. "Bonding and staying together, that's important."
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.
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