Wide receiver Terrence Austin (5-11, 175, 4.55) from Long Beach Poly (Calif.) has helped lead the Jackrabbits to a 7-2 record. He's caught 37 balls for 750 yards and five scores. Austin's teammate and best friend is wide receiver Travon Patterson who is a rumored commit to USC in some circles (denied by Patterson, who said he doesn't even have an offer yet).
"Me and Travon are very close," said Austin. "We've been best friends since we were like four years old and we talk a lot. I know he really likes USC and that they've offered him. They are high on his list but as far as I know he hasn't made a commitment to anyone. I haven't talked to him since Friday (Nov. 4), so unless he did it this weekend, it's probably not true."
While Patterson is interested in the Trojans, Austin is looking at the Bruins. In fact, he favors UCLA and Notre Dame solidly over Oregon, California, Miami and Arizona State. All favorites have offered except Cal. Austin has about 11 total scholarship offers. "UCLA and Notre Dame are recruiting me the hardest. They write me a lot of handwritten letters," said Austin.
"I really like coach Karl Dorrell. He's a real good person and I like that he seems to take time to get to know his players as people and not just athletes," said Austin. "I watched the Arizona game on TV yesterday and was really surprised. They made a lot of mental mistakes, but it's hard to go undefeated in the Pac-10. Even though UCLA lost, I still liked that they played with heart and never gave up. They are still 8-1 and are a great team. I'm really impressed with how much better both UCLA and Notre Dame are compared to last season."
Austin visited the Irish on Oct. 15, the weekend of the USC game. "I loved it! There was nothing I didn't like. It was a cool place to be and the USC game was phenomenal. Every time Notre Dame scored, the student section would pick me up and lift me in the air. That was the best game I've ever seen," said Austin. "I also really like the coaches because I could tell they were treating me like a regular person and not like a recruit. I didn't feel like I was some football athlete they were trying to impress."
His next official visit is to Oregon on Nov. 19. "They are really good and even without Kellen Clemens (quarterback) they still pulled off a big win. They are looking really sharp and I love their four-receiver spread offense. They have a lot of weapons and use them all."
Austin is also scheduled to visit Miami on Nov. 26. "My deadline is to make a decision in January. I'd love to take all five visits, but that depends on our season. If we make it to the championships it may delay things a bit."
He reports a 2.8 GPA and a 1200 SAT and 19 ACT.