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Phoenix Desert Vista's Devon Kennard, the No.1-ranked defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com, told Channel 3 Sunday night that his five finalists are Southern California, Arizona State, California, UCLA and Texas.
It was listed that way, but Kennard said there was no specific order.
Here's what he said about the five:
On USC: "Big-time program. It's a place where I have an opportunity to play early, play with Arizona native Everson Griffin and learn some things from him before he goes off to the next level."
On ASU: "I can stay in town and represent my home town, do my thing here."
On Cal: "They want me to play a new position, linebacker/defensive end. So far I'm interested in it. I feel I'm an athletic person. I can get into my stance, do more dropping, and exploit offensive linemen with my pass rush."
On Texas: "The Texas program is like USC. It's a big-time program. The facilities are amazing."
On UCLA: "There are a few friends on the team. They also want me to play linebacker/defensive end. (New coach Rick Neuheisel) will turn around the program."
Kennard, who is 6-foot-3, 257 pounds, and has a 4.0 grade-point average, added that, "I'll have a tough decision to make."
Kennard told me earlier in the week that he won't keep away others outside the five and that he'll keep an open mind throughout the recruiting process.
The real deal
Another highly-regarded prospect in attendance was defensive end Devon Kennard (Phoenix/Desert Vista). The Arizona native easily proved why he is one of the premier defensive linemen in the country. During one-on-one drills, he looked sharp getting off the ball quickly. He gave a talented offensive line group fits by using quickness and his hands. His savvy as a pass-rusher stood out on film to us and his performance helped confirm he is one of the elite pass-rushers in this class; he combines ability with technique.
June 30, 2008 - 12:57PM
Desert Vista defensive end Devon Kennard, a top prospect nationally in the Class of 2009, has narrowed his list of potential colleges to five schools.
Among the top five, in no particular order, Kennard said, are USC, Arizona State, Cal, UCLA and Texas.
"All five schools are good opportunities, they're good environments with good education and they're not far," Kennard said Monday.
Kennard first made the announcement on 3TV's "The Sports Show" Sunday night.
"The main reason why I did it is because I wanted to be honest with all the colleges and with myself," Kennard said. "I have a pretty sure idea of the schools I'm interested in.
"I just wanted to be up front and honest, so I can concentrate on my school and my training."
Kennard said a partial factor was that all five schools were in the western part of the country.
"When I thought about making my decision ... I didn't want to be somewhere far when I didn't have to," Kennard said.
Kennard is the top-ranked defensive end in the country according to the recruiting service Rivals.com. He finished last season with 24.5 sacks, best in the state.
There had been upwards of 20 schools pursuing him.
DV's Kennard rates highest
ArizonaVarsity.com has told me that by lunchtime Wednesday Phoenix Desert Vista senior defensive end Devon Kennard will be the highest ever rated prep football player in Arizona history by Rivals100.
Rivals.com currently ranks the 6-foot-3, 258-pounder as the No.5 overall prospect in the country. The new rankings will have Kennard higher. He can't get any higher than his current ranking of No.1 at his position.
Tickets are going fast for Arizona State's Sept.20 game at Sun Devil Stadium against preseason No.1 Georgia, and you can probably figure on Kennard, along with Scottsdale Saguaro senior defensive lineman Corey Adams and Scottsdale Chaparral senior defensive end Craig Roh -- the top three football prospects in Arizona -- to be at the game.
alpo;1250238; said:
notfadeaway;1251047; said:I know him personally...and I can tell you there is nothing to this,....he won't be a buckeye...but thats all thats been determined as of yet
As far as an update on Kennard's injured right knee, Hinds wouldn't speculate. There is a MRI scheduled for Monday with the results likely unknown until Tuesday.
Hinds said he isn't second-guessing on using Kennard before the highly prized athlete has secured a scholarship.
"The scholarships (offers) are going to be there," Hinds said. "We had an agreement about using him on offense. He wants the ball and loves running over people. It's the icing on the cake for him after all that he does on defense for us."
The results of Desert Vista senior Devon Kennard's MRI showed a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, Thunder coach Dan Hinds confirmed Tuesday.
Kennard, the No. 2 recruit in the nation and top defensive player according to Rivals.com, will miss the rest of the football season.
The 6-foot-3, 257-pound defensive end/running back was injured Friday night in the late stages of Desert Vista's 21-20 victory over Chandler.
He said the results showed that the ligament was torn all the way and that it will require surgery. He added he was seeking a second opinion Tuesday.
?You have to be able to deal with adversity,? Kennard said. ?I plan on being an athlete for a lot more years. I'm going to get through this. There are going to be rough days but I'm going to cheer on this team, help them be successful. I'm going to get ready for college. I hope to be a big impact player my freshman year.?
Kennard's five finalists ? Arizona State, Southern California, Texas, California and UCLA -- have all assured him that they still want him.
?They're still very committed,? he said. ?If they let go and lose interest, that's OK with me. I'll just use this as a tool to see which schools are really going to be there for me. The schools that really believe in me and have faith in me at the next level will be.?
He said this setback will only fuel his fire. He also said it could hasten his decision to commit to a college before the season ends. cont....
Scoopfan;1386764; said:Hey reagdog, this crazy statistics site that projects the ultimate destinations of recruits at a 75% clip has ASU as the favorite with Kennard!
6Devon Kennard
Arizona State
32.4%
Southern Cal
26.0%
Texas
17.4%
California
16.5%
Florida
2.3%
UCLA
2.2%
Oregon
1.6%
North Carolina
0.9%
Miami (FL)
0.8%
College Football Recruiting Prediction Model