Vaughn Telemaque, the 6-foot-2, 187-pound three-star safety from Poly High School in Long Beach, Calif., says he favors seven schools, but that three stand out.
Telemaque, ranked as the No. 16 safety in the country by Scout.com, still favors Michigan slightly over USC and North Carolina and those three lead solidly over Oregon, Ole Miss, Rutgers and Boise State. All of his favorites have offered.
He already took an official visit to North Carolina on Oct. 6. "Everything was great," he said of his visit. "I loved the food! All throughout the trip we ate the best food. We had steak, lobster, even at the hotel they had really good cookies for us to snack on at night. It was great."
But Telemaque admits it wasn't all about eating. "I really liked being on the field and seeing how the crowd gets involved," he said. "The crowd is great and it gets very intense. Also the weather was perfect that weekend. The whole area is really beautiful, but it's a little more country than California.
"It's a great football atmosphere and all the coaches were very welcoming and friendly. They showed me a great time. They've got a good thing going with coach Butch Davis and the history he brings."
Although it isn't official yet, Telemaque says he'd like to visit Michigan for the Ohio State game on Nov. 17. "I figured Michigan would come back," he said regarding the Wolverines two losses to start he season. "They had a few tough games early, but they are always a national championship contender and are now playing like one. They have a great team and I think they'll be able to beat a lot of teams this year. They'll finish the year with a bang. I'm really looking forward to the Ohio State game."
Another big rivalry game that Telemaque plans to attend is the USC/UCLA debacle on Dec. 1 at the Coliseum. "USC has a great school and is a great program," he said. "They've got playmakers, they just need to figure out how to use them all. I think they'll get better because they have a ton of talent. They are still a great team."
Telemaque says the school that is recruiting him the hardest is Oregon. He says he'll visit the Ducks on Nov. 3 when they take on Arizona State. "I talk with the Oregon coaches every week," he said. "I have a great relationship with coach Don Pellum. He's a smooth and classy guy. I like talking with him.
"I'm also really good friends with (freshman defensive end for the Ducks) Kenny Rowe," he said. "He says it's a great place to be and is having a lot of fun there. He loves it and can't wait for me to come up on my visit."
Telemaque has helped lead Long Beach Poly to a 5-1 start. He has 33 tackles and four interceptions.
He reports a 2.7 core GPA, and an 810 SAT/18 ACT. He plans to retake the SAT, but hasn't set a date yet.