RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

By Mike Farrell

updated 5:05 p.m. ET Oct. 1, 2008

Columbus (Ga.) Carver linebacker Jarvis Jones has named his top seven schools. However, there is much more to Jones’ recruiting situation than is public.

First off, it looks like a sure bet that Jones will leave the state of Georgia despite the continued efforts of the Georgia coaching staff to keep him “home.” Georgia has put on a full-court press from the start (they sent seven coaches to his spring game), but he has other teams on his mind.

Sources say the teams to beat for Jones (6 feet 3, 226 pounds) are Florida and LSU, with USC and Texas having outside shots. Jones has set an official visit to Texas and will take an official to USC, but it’s going to be hard to pull him away from the SEC. Jones wanted to attend at least two and possibly three Florida home games this season, but it doesn’t look as if it’s going to happen because he plays some of his games on Saturdays (he missed Florida-Miami because he had a game and will miss Florida-LSU for the same reason). And while most sources say the Gators are the best bet, some think it’s LSU.

The wild card here is USC. Jones has been infatuated with the Trojans for a long time, and a visit to Los Angeles can change things quickly (look at Joe McKnight and Patrick Turner, among others), but distance is always a factor. One thing for sure is that the battle for Jones will continue for quite some time.

Two-sport star?
Basketball might become a factor for Memphis (Tenn.) Harding Academy wide receiver Marlon Brown, especially if Florida has anything to say about it.

Word is the Gators wanted Brown to take his official visit to Gainesville later rather than sooner because the football coaches want to work with the basketball coaches to lure the two-sport star to Florida. Brown will take his official visit to Florida the weekend of Nov. 14. The football team plays host to South Carolina on the 15th and the basketball plays host to Bradley on the 16th.

Urban Meyer and basketball coach Billy Donovan are interested in Brown, and it’s harder to find a better 1-2 punch in the country when it comes to football and basketball recruiting.

Word has it that Tennessee is fading for Brown and that Florida, LSU and Georgia are the current major players. But there’s a long way to go before he makes a decision.

Notes
•Perry (Ga.) High offensive lineman Johnnie Farms is a good pickup for South Carolina. He is the Gamecocks’ sixth four-star commitment for the 2009 recruiting class. It appears as if Farms’ first choice was Alabama, but ’Bama has four offensive line commitments and looks to be holding a spot for Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy standout Bobby Massie.

•Miami American defensive end Olivier Vernon is a soft Miami commitment, but he’s going to check out other schools. The biggest threat seems to be Florida State. Vernon plans to attend FSU’s game at Miami this weekend and will take an official visit to Tallahassee on Nov. 8. South Florida and Alabama are other schools of interest, but this could end up being a Miami-FSU battle. Miami will get the last shot at Vernon, because he is taking his official visit to UM after the season.

•Clemson’s 3-2 start has led to numerous rumors about Tommy Bowden’s job status and to some angst among Clemson recruiting targets and commitments. Rivals250 athlete Stephon Gilmore, from Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe,  is tight with current Clemson commitment DeVonte Holloman, who also plays at South Pointe. However, it looks more and more like the two will be playing on different college teams. Sources say Gilmore is a heavy SEC lean, with Alabama having the edge heading into his official visit this weekend. Tennessee and South Carolina also have a shot. Gilmore was going to announce his decision in January, but has pushed up his timetable and the visit to Alabama could be his last. Holloman now is involved with LSU, perhaps the one team that could sway him from Clemson. Holloman has an official visit set for Baton Rouge for the weekend of Oct. 24.

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