Milton Knox, the 5-foot-7.5, 196-pound running back from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys (Calif.), says his recruiting is heating up with Notre Dame, California, Florida and USC, though none have offered yet. The Scout.com four-star prospect, who is ranked No. 32 in the West, already has a recently developed connection with Notre Dame.
“Notre Dame is recruiting me real hard,” Knox said. “Dayne Crist (Irish quarterback commitment) and I were on the same Pop Warner team, so he’s been telling them a lot about me. He told me they really need running backs and that they are really interested in me because I’m a good athlete.
“I’ve been talking to them a lot,” he added. “Coach (Brian) Polian (head special teams/defensive backs) wanted me to come out for one of their spring practices but I wasn’t able to. He told me they really liked my film and that I was just what they’re looking for.
“If I got an offer from them, I’d have to seriously think about it. I wouldn’t commit without taking an official visit, since I’ve never seen the school before. I’d really like to play with Dayne again, so they are definitely high on my list.”
Knox said Cal visited his school today (May 14) and USC’s Pete Carroll will be there on Tuesday. “Coach (Dan) Ferrigno (wide receivers) came up to school today. I’d didn’t get a chance to talk to him because I was in class, but he told my coach (Ed Croson) that they were really interested in me.
“He said they aren’t really recruiting hard right now because they are busy with spring practices,” Knox said. “But they are going to start up again at they end of May. I’m planning on taking an unofficial up to Cal soon, I’m just not sure when. They are high on my list.
“Pete Carroll is going to be at my school tomorrow,” Knox said. “They are coming to look at a couple of us. I’ve been talking to Coach (Steve) Sarkisian (offensive coordinator) a lot. I’m not sure if I’ll see an offer tomorrow or not.
“They are so deep at running back that I really don’t have them high on my list. It would be great to get an offer though - at least just to have on my resume. But you never know what USC is going to do.”
Florida has also stepped up their recruiting thanks to the recent hiring of Taft High School head coach Troy Starr according to Knox. “He’s been telling them a lot about me. Taft is our rival school, but I’ve known him since I was little. I used to be his ball boy. I’ve started getting a lot of stuff from them lately.
“I’m still really interested in Florida State too,” he said. “Everyone’s still pretty even. I don’t have any leaders right now. I’m interested in all of them, but I’m waiting for offers first.”
Knox reports a 3.1 core GPA and is awaiting May SAT results.