Chris Freeman, the 6-foot-9, 320 pound offensive tackle from Trotwood-Madison, Ohio, has nine scholarship offers and continues to deny a favorite.
"I don't have any favorites right now," Freeman said. "I won't have a top five until the summer. My main thing is going to be my relationship with the coaches, especially the o-line coach. I also want to play for a school that has good football tradition and has good fan support. I'd rather play for a football school where they care about those things."
Although he denies a favorite, Freeman says he likes Ohio State (no offer), Michigan, Florida, Miami, LSU, Oklahoma (no offer) and Texas (no offer). He also has offers from Michigan, Florida, Miami, LSU, Penn State, Nebraska, Kentucky, North Carolina State and Texas Tech.
"I grew up following Ohio State and they are only about one hour away, but I don't care about distance," he said. "They told me to be patient and that they will be offering me. I love the tradition there and the coaches and fan support. Coach Jim Tressel is cool and easy to talk to. When you meet him you feel like you've known him for years."
Freeman will be attending the Ohio State spring game on April 19.
Another school that Freeman says he's always liked is Buckeye rival, Michigan. "I like everything about them too," he said. "It's a lot like Ohio State actually. They have great football tradition and fan support. The new coaches seem really cool too and they seem to be great things. The practices there are really up tempo now and they work out real hard. They really get after it.
"I was just there last weekend and I loved how it really seemed like everyone was happy to be there," he said. "Everywhere around campus, the people seem to love Michigan football."
The Buckeyes and Wolverines are the only two schools that Freeman has already had a chance to visit. "I’m also going to visit Florida, Miami, Oklahoma and Texas this summer," he said. "I wanted to visit Florida this week, but I'm not sure that's gonna happen.
"All I know about Florida is what I've seen on TV," he said. "They won the national championship a few years ago and I like the coaches too. I talk to the offensive line coach (John Hevesy). He's really trying to get me to come down there to visit them. He's cool and told me that I should just try to look at everybody and not let other people affect my decision. He's been really helpful and I don't feel like he's just pressuring me."
LSU is another school that has offered Freeman that he knows relatively little about. "They are the national champs and it's one of those programs that always wins," he said. "Coach Les Miles seems like a great coach and he told me that it takes a lot of hard work to play at LSU and I like that."
Although neither the Sooners nor Longhorns have offered, he says their tradition and fan support are what interest him. "From what I've seen online, Texas seems to have great facilities," he said. "Oklahoma is a great program and they've both been recruiting me a lot."
His first scholarship offer was from Nebraska, but Freeman admits he isn't sure how much he's considering the Huskers. "Coach Bo Pelini offered me and he did well at LSU as their defensive coordinator, so at least their defense will probably be good."
Freeman plans to attend the Under Armour / Scout.com camp in Cincinnati on May 17.
He is also being recruited to play basketball (power forward/center), but will only play football in college.
Freeman says he can bench 315 pounds and runs the forty in 5.15. "I'm quick off the ball and have good footwork," he said. "I go hard every play and I've got a nasty streak too.
"I want to work on my technique and I'm in the weight room a lot," he said. "I'm also doing a lot of agility drills."
Freeman reports a 2.7 core GPA and is taking the SAT in June.