Low Key

"It (USC trip) was really nice," said Sabino, Scout.com's No. 5 middle linebacker. "I love the weather and the people were great. Everyone was so nice. Also, the game was great. I loved the Coliseum. I've never been to a stadium like that before and it was packed and full of energy and tradition." His player host was sophomore wide receiver Damian Williams. "Other than the game, we..."

Etienne Sabino, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound four-star linebacker from Krop High School in Miami, Fla., took his first official visit this weekend (Sept. 1) to USC.

"It was really nice," said Sabino, Scout.com's No. 5 middle linebacker. "I love the weather and the people were great. Everyone was so nice. Also, the game was great. I loved the Coliseum. I've never been to a stadium like that before and it was packed and full of energy and tradition."

His player host was sophomore wide receiver Damian Williams. "Other than the game, we didn't really have time to go out much. We toured the campus and stuff, but I didn't really get to see a lot of Los Angeles.

"The thing that surprised me the most about the visit was how much fun the coaches and players seem to have together. The coaches are really funny and always cracking jokes and keeping it low key. They have a great relationship with the players and they just love to hang out and goof around together. But when it comes to football they are very serious and I love how they are all about competition. They tell you straight up that you need to earn it. If you want to play, you need to compete and the best players will play."

The only other official visit that Sabino has set up is to Ohio State on Nov. 3. "I love the tradition at Ohio State and coach Jim Tressel is great," he said. "He's very smart and is kind of like a father figure. He really knows his players and is all about talking about life and being a well rounded person."

The other schools that Sabino says he's now thinking seriously about officially seeing are North Carolina, Georgia Tech, LSU and Tennessee. "I like Miami and Florida a lot too, but I'm not going to take an official visit there," he said. "I'll definitely go to a bunch of their games though."

He's already planning to attend the Florida/Tennessee game on Sept. 15.

"I think that LSU is a great program and Louisiana is a cool place," he said. "Football is very big there and they have great fan support. I'm just curious to see what it's like and that's why I want to visit them."

One school that Sabino used to list as a possible visit is Notre Dame. "I just didn't think it was the place for me," he said. "I realized that I couldn't see myself there."

Sabino says he plans to make a decision before December. "I'd like to decide by the end of November," he said. "I hope to have all of my visits done by then and I want to find a coach that will help me develop and has my best interest in mind and will help my future."

While in California, Sabino said he had about seven voicemails from various coaches. "I know I missed calls from Georgia Tech, Miami, Florida, LSU…there were a bunch."

Krop opened their season last Thursday (Aug. 30) with a 14-6 victory over Hialeah. Sabino has six tackles.

He reports a 3.0 core GPA and an 1180 SAT (expected early grad).