Demarco Cobbs, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound four-star wide receiver from Central High School in Tulsa, Okla., has around 30 offers and while continuing to deny a leader, he does name a top seven.
Cobbs, ranked as Scout.com’s No. 3 wide receiver and No. 32 on this year’s initial Scout.com Top 100, said he favors USC, Oklahoma, Texas, LSU, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. All of his favorites have offered.
“The Trojans are always putting out NFL players,” he said of USC. “I love their pro-style offense and how they really get you ready for the league.”
Cobbs also likes USC’s winning record. “Since Pete Carroll took over I think they’ve only lost like nine games,” Cobbs said. “That’s pretty incredible. You know you’re going to win if you go there.”
Cobbs was actually born in Los Angeles, although he grew up in Oklahoma. “I used to go back to California a lot though,” he said. “My aunt graduated from USC and is a judge in Los Angeles and I have family there.”
Cobbs plans on attending the USC Rising Stars camp this summer and he’ll also be camping at LSU and Florida.
The Tigers are one of the few schools that Cobbs has already visited. “LSU has a great winning tradition,” he said. “I like that they are always in the running for a national championship. That’s not easy to do in the SEC.
“I also like the coaches there,” Cobbs said. “They are high energy and really smart.”
Cobbs says he followed LSU and Texas as a youngster. “I loved Texas,” he said. “I grew up a fan and I don’t even know why. As soon as I saw them play, I was hooked.
“I really like the receivers that Texas has been putting out,” he said. “They produce some good players and are another big-time winning team.”
Another “big-time winning team” that Cobbs lists as a favorite is local power Oklahoma. “They are only one hour away but that’s not why I’m considering them,” he said. “I’m not choosing a school based on the location. I’ll go anywhere.
“Oklahoma is a championship caliber team,” Cobbs said. “They are always in the top five and I love their style of offense. They throw the ball a lot. Their offense last season really caught my attention.
“I like how they ran more plays than any other team,” he said. “That means you can really get the ball a lot there.”
Tennessee is another program that Cobbs hopes to check out. “I’ve been paying close attention to them,” he said. “They’ve brought in a great coaching staff and a lot of the guys are from USC and the NFL.
“Having those kind of coaches really gives their players an advantage because they know what it takes to get to the next level,” he said. “I’m interested to see how they do next season.”
Another school with NFL pedigree is Alabama. “They are a really good team,” Cobbs said. “They did great last year and after they beat Clemson I knew they’d be a force to be reckoned with.
“Coach Nick Saban helped put them together and now they are winning,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they started strong next season and finished the job.”
Finally, the team that beat the Tide in the SEC championship game last season – Florida – is also on Cobbs short list. “Florida is a force,” he said. “They’ve got tons of speed and so many skills players it’s crazy. I think Percy Harvin is a big loss, but I think they’ll be fine.
“I think Tim Tebow will win the Heisman again,” he said.
Cobbs says he doesn’t plan on making an early decision. “I want to wait it out,” he said. “I want to see as many schools as I can and be 100 percent sure it’s the best fit for me.
“I’m trying to get to know the coaches as much as I can,” he said. “I really need to feel like I can trust them and get along with them. My position coach is going to be especially important in my decision.
“It’s going to be the next three or four years of my life,” he said. “So I want to make sure I make the right decision.”
Another thing that Cobbs says he likes in a program is tradition and winning. “Teams that win regularly catch my eye,” he said. “That helps.
“I’ll also be talking to a lot of players at these schools and trying to see what their experiences have been like,” he said.
Cobbs played quarterback last season and finished his junior year with over 1,000 yards passing for 20 touchdowns. He also rushed for around 1,000 yards for another 10 scores. Further demonstrating his athleticism, Cobbs also ran back two punts for touchdowns, two interceptions for touchdowns and one kick return for a score.
“I have good speed,” Cobbs said. “I’m also pretty big already so that’s a good advantage. I’m strong and very physical. I have great vision and see the whole field very well.
“But I still want to get better and keep improving,” he said. “I’m very competitive and work very hard. I could probably use better foot speed too.”
He benches 305-pounds, squats 400 and has a 32-inch vertical jump.
Cobbs also runs track (10.62 100m/21.9 200m).
He plans on majoring in criminal justice and reports a 2.8 core GPA but hasn’t taken the SAT or ACT yet.