Jerome Tiller, the 6-foot-3, 185 pound quarterback from Lee High School in San Antonio, Texas, said he favors Texas A&M (offer), Stanford, Purdue (offer), Minnesota (offer) and Rice - in no particular order.
“Education and graduation percentage are really important to me,” said Tiller, a Scout.com three-star recruit who claims a 3.5 core GPA. “Coaches, style of play and depth are also things I’m looking at. Of course, I want a strong program, but I want to get a solid education that will benefit me in life if I don’t go to the NFL.
“A&M was my first offer,” he said. “They offered me in January. I’ve been down there a couple of times. I really like the coaches and the facilities. The campus is amazing. I talk to Coach (Mark) Tommerdahl (tight ends/special teams coordinator) a lot. He’s a great guy.
“I like A&M because their style of play is similar to what I’m playing right now in high school. They run a spread offense which I really like. The only problem is their depth. They have six QBs. I’d come in as number seven. I’d prefer to play early and have a shorter roster.
“Minnesota is recruiting me the hardest,” said Tiller, who finished his junior season with 1300 passing yards and 10 touchdowns and 450 rushing yards for 12 touchdowns. He benchs 275 pounds, squats 410 and power cleans 240.
“Coach (Tim) Brewster is just a great coach. He’s a really no-nonsense kind of guy. He recruited Vince Young when he was at Texas. He just knows what he likes in QBs. It’s an honor that he wants me. I got their offer three weeks ago.
“Plus they’re low in depth at QB," Tiller said. "Coach Brewster says I would have a great opportunity to play if I went there. I’m going to go take an official there this summer. They have a good graduation rate too.
“I like Purdue a lot,” he said. “They offered me sometime in February. The head coach (Joe Tiller) has the same last name as me. That’s kind of cool. There was a connection right away.
“They are really laid-back, which I like," Tiller said. "Coach Tiller said that he doesn’t want to rush me. He wants me to take my time and think about things. I like his style of recruiting. There’s no pressure or pushing. I’m thinking about taking an official (visit) there too.”
Tiller says Stanford, Rice and Northwestern have all stepped-up their recruiting efforts for Scout.com's No. 94 prospect in the Southwest, especially the Cardinal.
“I’m interested in Stanford,” he said. “I have a feeling an offer is coming soon. They’ve been talking to my coach (Jimmy Ramos) a lot lately. They told him that they’re interested in offering, but they need my transcripts first. I think they’re waiting on my ACT results too, which I’m taking on May 8.
“If I get the offer, I definitely want to take an official out there. You can’t get any better academically than Stanford. There is so much tradition and prestige there.
“They are in a good conference too,” Tiller added. “The Pac-10 is a QB's conference. They like to throw the ball out there and so do I.
“I like Rice too,” said Tiller, who claims a 4.47 forty. “The depth is good there and they also have a high graduation rate . They are number two behind Stanford for academics.
“I just talked to Coach (Blake) Miller (running game coordinator/offensive line) the other day. He said they’re not going to offer until Coach (Tom) Herman (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks) comes down to see me. I think he’s coming in a couple of weeks.
Tiller says he’s looking to commit sometime in September or October. “I want to have a decision no later than mid-season. By then I should have all my offers, hopefully.
“My strength is that I’m a dual-threat,” he said. “I can throw and run. I have good field vision and I can make plays under pressure.
“I want to work on my pocket presence. Sometimes I get a little antsy in the pocket.”