Defensive lineman
Aziz Shittu (Atwater, Calif./Buhach Colony) plans to take all of his official visits and his first trip is set up for late September.No one is having more fun with the recruiting process than Shittu. The Stanford decommit loves to play the game and has a different leader and a different set of favorites just about every time you talk with him. Most believe the standout tackle will be playing somewhere in-state but his first official visit will be to Big 12 country."I'm setting up a visit with Texas A&M for (Sept. 23)," Shittu said. "I like them a lot, they're recruiting me very hard and Texas football is big time in that state. I have a good relationship with the coaches and I think I'll have a really good time out there."My other top schools haven't changed. I still like Cal, Stanford and USC and I'm looking at a few others. I like UCLA, their campus is pretty sick but I just want to watch them play this year and see if they improve on the field. I like Washington and Oregon too and a few others and I'm just going to play out the process and see how everything turns out."
Harper close to setting first visitIf you're looking for a player to really explode this season, watch out for wideout
Chris Harper (Encino, Calif./Crespi), who could emerge as one of the state's best receivers and his recruitment should take off.Harper currently has scholarship offers from SMU, Georgia Tech, Colorado and most recently UTEP. The similarities between Harper and former Celt receiver and current UCLA freshman Devin Lucien are well documented. Lucien was a late bloomer, flew well below the radar all last summer and then after a big senior season, saw his stock soar and offers flood in from all over the country.The Celts coaches feel Harper is an even better prospect than Lucien, just as polished with the same hands, but more explosive and tougher physically. Harper was out at the Elite 11 catching passes and every one of the college counselors in attendance was commenting that the receiver could play on their team right now."I really hope things take off for me like they did for Devin," Harper said. "That's my goal right now and I'm just really excited for our season to get going. I haven't set up any visits yet but I'm hoping to set one with Colorado when we have our bye, which is the weekend of Nov. 5."I don't want to set up too many visits right now because I kind of want to play the season out and see what other schools might offer during the season. If things go well, I think I'll have a few more options and that's what I'm working for."Harper will have his work cut out for him this weekend when the Celts open their season against Compton (Calif.) Dominguez. The Dons have one of the top secondarys in the region led by cornerbacks
Brandon Beaver and
Alphonso Marsh.