Darius Parish, the 6-foot-4, 325-pound three-star defensive tackle from North High School in Wichita, Kan., has narrowed his choices down to Kansas and Wisconsin and has visited both earlier this month.
Parish tripped to Kansas on Dec. 14 and Wisconsin on Dec. 7. "Both are even right now," Parish said. "They are great schools and programs and each has a lot going for them.
"Wisconsin probably has a bit more history and tradition than Kansas," he said. "They've sent a lot of guys to the pros and seem to be a top team every year. They have had a lot of success in producing great players.
"But Kansas has a young team and is starting to build a great program," he said. "They have a lot of guys coming back and they should be pretty strong next year too. They really had an amazing year and nobody really gave them a chance. I think they'll be a top team for a while."
Parish, Scout.com's No. 58 defensive tackle, was previously committed to Nebraska before head coach Bill Callahan was fired. He's not longer considering the Huskers. "I think it's too late for them," he admitted. "They didn't contact me at all after what happened with the coaches or anything and I've pretty much moved on. I'm pretty set with Wisconsin and Kansas."
In fact, Parish plans to make a final decision very soon. "I'll probably commit within the next few days," he said. "I still haven't made up my mind for sure, but I'd like to commit by Christmas. I'll call the coaches and let them know first, but I'd like to set something up at my school too. I'll probably have a press conference or something late next week."
Parish admits that the only other school that has been showing him attention recently has been Minnesota, but the Gophers haven't offered.
"I plan to look at everything," he said about his criteria for a decision. "I want a good education and a good ball club. I want to play for a program that I'm comfortable in and feel like I can succeed at."
He reports a 3.7 core GPA and a 19 ACT.