West
Gardena (Calif.) Serra has a strong group of players coming up in the next few classes. One player getting a lot of interest is defensive back Anthony Carpenter, who recently landed his second Pac-10 offer.

Carpenter (6-1, 180 pounds) is a talented defensive back prospect with the size and speed to play just about anywhere in the secondary. He earned all-league honors last season after totaling 74 tackles and one interception. He was one of the standouts at the SoCal NIKE camp in April.

Washington State was the first school to come in with an offer, and now another northwest school has followed suit.

"Oregon State offered on Tuesday," Serra coach Chuck Kimbell said. "I think Arizona State and Nevada could offer soon as well, from what the coaches there have told me."

Stanford, UCLA, Utah State, Wyoming and Oregon are other schools showing interest in Carpenter. The athlete is currently carrying a 3.1 GPA and scored a 1406 on the SAT.

Mid-Atlantic
Charlotte (N.C.) West defensive tackle Curtis Porter may very well see his recruiting stock rise in the coming months. According to Joseph Johnson who handles his recruiting, the 6-foot-2, 334-pounder is garnering his share of interest and many of the colleges are on the verge of offering.

"He has no offers yet," Johnson said. "Give it a month, and once these teams meet him in person they'll offer him. He's a character kid. Coach Fulmer at Tennessee went crazy about him and Duke is very interested, too. They are holding an offer just waiting on his test scores.

"The one thing about him is that nobody has seen his tape. Virginia's coaches are talking, Notre Dame is interested, Virginia Tech and North Carolina are looking, too. They all want to see his tape. He's going to camp this summer with Jheranie Boyd. I'm telling you, he'll have a few offers."

What makes Porter stick out?

"He is unbelievably freakish strong," Johnson said. "He plays with a chip on his shoulder and will knock you out. … He had a lot of pancake blocks. He was just throwing guys that are bigger than him.

Porter carries a 3.1 GPA, so academics won't hold him back from any schools. Once that first offer rolls in, look for many others to follow.

East
Milford (Pa.) Delaware Valley offensive tackle Chris Conklin has already taken a couple of visits this spring. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder is making plans for the summer in hopes of landing some scholarships.

"I've been to Pittsburgh, Penn State and Buffalo," he said. "I'm getting interest from Connecticut, Maryland, Boston College and Syracuse. I'm mostly getting letters from colleges."

Conklin discussed his visits a bit.

"Pittsburgh and Penn State were really good," he said. "I was impressed with Pittsburgh's facilities that they share with the Steelers. That was pretty cool. Pittsburgh had longer practices.

"Penn State … I had been there before. It was real nice."

Is there an early favorite for the Keystone State prospect?

"Pittsburgh is probably my No. 1 pick," he said. "It's because of the facilities. I like them a lot better. If you get injured, they are in one of the best medical areas in the country."

In general, what does Conklin want in a college?

"I want a good education in case something happens, that is my No. 1 priority," he stated. "I want a good football staff and I'd like to stay close. If I can't, it's not a big deal. I'll deal with it."

Conklin earned first team all-league as a junior last season.

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