Kenny Rowe (6-3, 225, 4.7), from Poly High in Long Beach (Calif.), took his first official visit to Arizona on Sept. 30, but says he's no longer considering the Wildcats.
He tripped to California on Oct. 7 and came away very impressed. "It's a great school," Rowe said. "I like the fans and got along well with the coaches. They are all really cool. My recruiting coach (defensive line coach Ken Delgado) says that I'd be a perfect fit for their defense."
Despite being the school that is the farthest away, Rowe says that Mississippi is the one that has been recruiting him the hardest. "I've been getting the most calls and letters from them," Rowe said. "They are consistent."
He took his official visit to Oxford (Miss.) on Dec. 8. "That's probably the nicest campus I've seen," Rowe said. "I liked how all the buildings were made out of bricks and stuff. It was really nice."
The following weekend (Dec. 15), he headed a few hours north to Fresno State. On Jan. 12, Rowe will be taking his final official visit to Oregon. "They have the best facilities," Rowe said. "Everybody talks about how good they are. They are all new and they put a lot of money into the program.
"I'm being recruited by (linebackers coach) Don Pellum and he's really down-to-earth," Rowe said. "They didn’t have a very good season and he said they were really disappointed, but that they had a couple key injuries and that they are looking to come back strong next year."
Rowe will not be taking an official visit to USC, but his home in Long Beach is only a quick 20-minute drive away from the Trojans. "I was really surprised they lost to UCLA," Rowe said. "Hopefully, they'll be able to come back against Michigan."
Rowe says he's going to announce his decision on Signing Day. "It'll just happen," Rowe said. "I'll check out their rosters, their depth charts, and compare all the trips."
Long Beach Poly finished the season with an 11-2 record, with Rowe going for 101 tackles and 17 sacks.
He reports a 2.6 core GPA and a 790 SAT. Rowe says he's fully qualified and is not planning to retake the SAT.