October 22, 2008

Mike Farrell
Rivals.com Football Recruiting

Newsome, a 6-foot-3, 217-pounder, took an unofficial visit to Penn State this past weekend and said he will take an official visit to Happy Valley as well as officials to Boston College, Virginia Tech and possibly Tennessee. A recruit on a visit with Newsome this past weekend who wishes to remain anonymous said he is certain Newsome will end up at Penn State. In addition, a source close to Hargrave says Penn State clearly is the team to beat.

Newsome's official visit to Penn State tentatively is set for Dec. 5. He has an official set for Boston College on Nov. 8. Hargrave plays in Knoxville, Tenn., on Nov. 13, so Newsome could use that opportunity to see the Vols. A visit to Virginia Tech likely will come in late November.

If Newsome does end up at Penn State, it certainly will help the Nittany Lions when it comes to much-needed wide receivers. Newsome is friendly with former Michigan commitment Bryce McNeal, and landing Newsome would be a big deal to standout wide receiver Justin Brown from Delaware.

Speaking of Penn State, numerous prospects who didn't have interest in the Nittany Lions suddenly are interested after the team's awesome start. While Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard defensive end Jason Ankrah always has loved Penn State, teammate Travis Hawkins - a cornerback - once again is showing a lot of interest. Rutgers commitment Gerald Hodges, a linebacker, took a visit to Penn State last weekend. Some say Hodges is sticking with Rutgers, while others insist he's going to switch to Penn State. Fellow New Jersey prospect Joshua Evans, being recruited as an athlete, has more interest in Penn State now, although he remains a Florida lean.

Georgia tight end commitment Arthur Lynch (formerly Arthur Fontaine) from Dartmouth (Mass.) High still is being pursued by Penn State, Maryland and Virginia, but it's considered unlikely he'll switch his commitment. There also have been rumors about Michigan commitment Anthony LaLota having second thoughts and considering Penn State, but those don't appear to be true at this point.

HEASTIE SETTING VISITS

I mentioned last week in "Whispers" that Chesapeake (Va.) Great Bridge wide receiver Logan Heastie was calling around to other schools to set up visits despite being a West Virginia commitment. Sources now say Heastie has three officials scheduled and is hoping to set up a fourth.

Heastie, a 6-2, 192-pounder, will unofficially visit North Carolina this weekend and plans official visits to Penn State the weekend of Nov. 14 and to North Carolina State the weekend of Nov. 28. He also is considering an official visit to Boston College for the weekend of Nov. 7.

If Heastie likes what he sees this weekend, he could take an official visit to Chapel Hill following the season.

A little more than a week ago, Hampton (Va.) Phoebus quarterback Tajh Boyd de-committed from West Virginia and opened up his recruitment. While Boyd and Heastie are good friends and committed to West Virginia together, it looks unlikely they will end up at the same school now. Boyd is interested in, among others, Tennessee, Boston College, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Oregon and Virginia, and he plans to take his official visits after his season is over.

Boyd was supposed to take an unofficial visit to Virginia this past weekend but didn't make it. Instead, he watched a bunch of games on TV to see what offenses caught his attention. Boyd will take an official visit to Tennessee this weekend when the Vols play host to Alabama. He has been contacted by Florida State, Louisville and USF recently and had previous interest from Boston College, Oregon, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Penn State and others.

West Virginia is expected to get an official visit from Miramar (Fla.) High quarterback Eugene Smith on the weekend of Nov. 7. Smith also is interested in Alabama (official visit set for Oct. 31), Florida State and USF. Clemson reportedly has faded since the firing of Tommy Bowden, and Michigan seems done at quarterback. WVU might have an edge in that Miramar coach Damon Cogdell played at West Virginia when WVU assistant Doc Holliday was in his first stint at the school. Holliday is recruiting Smith for the Mountaineers.

ETC.

• Most people expect Tampa Plant tight end Orson Charles to head to Miami or follow Plant quarterback Aaron Murray to Georgia. But don't count out Florida State, because Seminoles tight ends coach James Coley is making a strong push. Look for FSU to be one of his finalists along with Miami and Georgia.

• A few Minnesota fans were upset when I mentioned a few weeks ago in "Whispers" that committed running back Eric Stephens, from Mansfield (Texas) Timberview, might de-commit and that Texas Tech was a big-time threat to sign him. Following Stephens' official visit to Lubbock the weekend of Oct. 10, sources close to Stephens say he is likely to end up at Texas Tech because distance from home is a factor.

• Illinois looks to have a sizeable lead for Chicago Morgan Park defensive end Craig Drummond, who will announce his college choice Nov. 2, his birthday. That will be the day after he takes his official visit to Wisconsin, his other finalist, to watch the Badgers take on the Illini. Drummond was at Illinois this past weekend for an official visit and narrowed his list to Illinois and Wisconsin shortly thereafter. It would be a stunner if the Badgers get him.

• Another top player ready to make a decision is Gastonia (N.C.) Ashbrook wide receiver Jheranie Boyd, who wants to announce Nov. 7. Boyd took an official visit to Illinois this past weekend and will be at Missouri this weekend. He also has taken official visits to Oklahoma and NC State. Florida and Clemson are out of the picture. The Gators wanted him to delay his decision and visit in December, and Clemson fired coach Tommy Bowden. So who leads? Heading into his Missouri visit, this appears to be a race between Oklahoma and North Carolina. Boyd has been to UNC a couple of times for games and is holding his fifth official visit. Oklahoma made quite an impression on Boyd, but distance could do the Sooners in with this prospect.

• Everyone thought Phoenix Desert Vista defensive end Devon Kennard was headed to either USC or Arizona State, and those two programs still seem like the most likely destinations. But following his season-ending injury a few weeks back, sources said Kennard has been taking calls from more schools and is considering more options. The injury has made Kennard look much more closely at the non-football factors in his decision. Many think the injury could "favor" Arizona State, where he would be closer to home.

• North Carolina has moved into the race for Baltimore Dunbar running back Tavon Austin. West Virginia still leads over Penn State, but Austin will take an unofficial visit to Chapel Hill this weekend to check things out.

• It looks as if Michigan is out of it with Minneapolis Breck wide receiver Bryce McNeal. The Wolverines' staff reportedly is moving on and will focus efforts on Florida State commitment Willie Haulstead. Haulstead, from Titusville (Fla.) High, will be taking an official visit to Ann Arbor this weekend.

• Miami Dade Christian linebacker Daniel Mack is expected to decide on his college choice in early November, following his official visit to Wake Forest during the weekend of Oct. 31. The finalists are Wake, Boston College and Liberty.

• Plano (Texas) High running back Rex Burkhead was at the Texas-Missouri game this past weekend. Burkhead has had an incredible senior season and has attracted attention from Texas coaches. He already has taken an official visit to Nebraska and was expected to take an official visit to Stanford and decide between the two. But a Texas offer could change everything ? and one could be forthcoming. Burkhead (5-11/190) likely would be offered as an athlete by the Longhorns. Distance could be a factor, so an offer from Mack Brown would solve any issue there as well.