Jermaine Kearse, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound four-star wide receiver from Lakes High School in Lakewood, Wash., now denies a favorite. The Huskies were leading slightly a month ago. Kearse is only saying he has five favorites - and four official visits.
Kearse's first trip is to Oregon this weekend (Oct. 27) for the USC game. "I think it'll be a good game," Kearse said. "It'll be very intense. Oregon has a great offense and they run the spread and pass the ball a lot. It's a great program for a wide receiver. I really like (wide receiver) coach Robin Pflugrad. He's a great person and I like talking with him."
Following the Duck visit, Kearse heads south to California on Nov. 3 (for the Washington State game). "I think Cal will come back strong," he said about the Bears consecutive losses. "They've been playing pretty sluggish lately, but that's not like them. They are a winning team and I think they are still one of the best teams in the Pac-10."
After his trip to Berkeley, Kearse heads to Oregon State on Nov. 10 when the Beavers play Washington. "They have a pretty good team and I think they are still young, so they'll be getting even better."
On Dec. 7, Kearse will be visiting childhood favorite Washington. "Coach Tyrone Willingham and (wide receiver coach) Charlie Baggett are recruiting me and I have a great relationship with them," he said. "They are recruiting me the most right now and I feel like they are more like friends to me than coaches. It's really comfortable talking to them and they say that I would make a real big impact on their team and could play early."
Although he hasn't scheduled an official visit to Arizona State yet, he said he'd like to also visit the Sun Devils. "I don't really know much about them and that's why I want to take my trip," he said. "I know they've been having a great season, but I haven't seen any of their games yet. I really want to check out their offense and see how they use their receivers."
Kearse, ranked as the No. 26 receiver in the country by Scout.com, says he won't be making a decision any time soon. "I don't plan on committing early," he said. "I want to take all my visits and really have time to compare everyone and think about all the schools. I'll probably wait close to Signing Day to commit.
"I'm looking for a school with great facilities and a style of football where I can fit in," he said. "I want to be comfortable and I think taking my visits will really help me with my decision. I don't care about staying close or the type of environment I'm in as long as I feel at home."
Kearse has caught 35 balls for over 500 yards and five touchdowns. Lakes High School is off to a perfect 8-0 start.
He reports a 3.2 core GPA and took the SAT in June, but still claims he doesn't know his exact score. "It just wasn't very good. I'm gonna take it again." No retake set.