There are always prospects this time of the year that have light offer lists, but that will end up having a nice selection of schools to chose from by the time signing day rolls around. Here’s a look at five sleepers across the country that we feel could emerge during the coming months.



Fatu is a big-time fullback prospect.

Ejay Fatu, FB, Spring (Texas) Klein Oak


Not often times is a fullback listed as underrated, but that is the case with Fatu. While the bruising 5-foot-10, 240-pound back plays tailback for his high school team to the tune of more than 1,000 yards rushing as a junior, it’s his versatility and physical gifts (he runs a 4.65 40) that make him one of the top fullback prospects in the country. He is blessed with terrific feet for his size, tremendous balance and soft hands to go along with the physical toughness and mentality needed to be a top-notch fullback. His ability to not only catch the ball, but quickly spin and work up the field sets him apart as a threat out of the backfield. His foot quickness, balance and agility provide his with that ability. Arizona State was the first to verbally offer Fatu, in the spring of 2010, and has since been followed by Utah, Michigan and Nevada. He continues to receive interest from programs in the Big 10, Big 12, and many more with an offer list that is expected to grow throughout the May evaluation period. 



Ernest Hawkins, LB, Baltimore (Md.) Dunbar

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Hawkins plays both ways for his high school team, but once he gets the intricacies of playing linebacker down, you can expect him to flourish at the position. He’s got good size and can change directions very well and run. His film backs up what we’ve seen in person this spring. Maryland and a host of other programs are showing interest.

Dwayne Hoilett, DE, Vero Beach (Fla.)

Hoilett is a tall, wiry jumbo athlete that has impressed us with his athleticism and first step in multiple combine settings this spring. He’s the type of prospect that colleges can bulk up and in 2-3 years, he’s an excellent pass rushing defensive end or he can stand up in a 3-4 as an outside linebacker.

Joey O’Connor, OG/C, Windsor (Colo.)

We saw O’Connor in person on Tuesday at his school and he definitely looks the part of a Division I interior line prospect. The 6-foot-4, 280-pounder played ice hockey for 11 years, which helped him with his toughness (he is flat-out nasty on film) and athleticism. Colorado, Colorado State, Utah, Penn State and South Carolina all are showing interest and he probably will have double digit offers before all is said and done.

Texas was in to see offensive tackle Andrus Peat, the No. 4 overall prospect in the country.

Anthony Standifer, CB, Crete (Ill.) Crete-Monee

A big, athletic cornerback with good ball skills, Standifer recently picked up his first BCS scholarship offer, from Michigan, and several more offers are likely on the way. As a junior, Standifer had 44 tackles, nine interceptions and one forced fumble.

Schools flocking to see five-star Peat



Five-star offensive tackle Andrus Peat (Tempe, Ariz./Corona Del Sol) will have Texas at the school today with Florida State and Nebraska scheduled to be in next week. The 6-foot-6, 275-pound athletic tackle prospect attended the Florida State spring game last weekend and has verbal offers from the majority of top programs in the country.

Three quick thoughts

-Rusty Mansell of 247Sports reports that four-star linebacker Dillon Lee (Buford, Ga.) is ready to decide. We feel like right now, it’s Alabama, but he admits Florida State is making a big push. Will this be another Tide-Seminoles recruiting battle? Alabama-Georgia was the hot Southern recruiting rivalry in the 2011 class. Has Florida State taken the place of the Bulldogs here? 



-One college assistant coach who shook the hand of Class of 2013 defensive end Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) said that the 6-foot-5, 265-pounder has an extremely firm grip. “I thought he was going to break my hand,” he said. “He’s a man.” Nkemdiche is definitely in the mix for five-star status for 2013 and could be the top overall prospect for the next cycle. Alabama is the early favorite, but he will have offers from every school in the country.

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If five-star quarterback Zeke Pike does indeed announce for Auburn today, that would give the Tigers three straight recruiting classes landing one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the country. In the 2010 class- they landed Heisman Trophy winner Cameron Newton, a five-star junior college prospect and in 2011, they landed Kiehl Frazier (Springdale, Ark./Shiloh Christian). The bottom line here is that offensive coordinator Gus Malzhan’s system is attractive to top quarterbacks.

Texas quick hitters

-Nebraska was at Manvel (Texas) High on Monday to make their presence known to defensive end Taiwan Johnson (Manvel, Texas). The 6-foot-3, 230-pound end with closing burst and natural power upon contact has a verbal offer from the Cornhuskers along with Boise State, Arkansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Purdue, Missouri, Arizona State, Washington State and Rice. He is also receiving interest from Texas A&M and Baylor among others and attended their spring games.

-Outside linebacker prospect Glynn Cheeks (Manvel, Texas) picked up a verbal offer from Air Force on Tuesday, his first offer. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound high school defensive end is receiving interest from around the Southwest Region.

-Texas Tech, Texas and Texas A&M are three schools that have made stop at Tatum (Texas) High this week. 2012 athlete Jalen Overstreet, 6-foot-3, 207-pounds, is the main reason for the school visit. The high school quarterback currently has verbal offers from Missouri, Texas Tech and Baylor. Overstreet said on Tuesday night that Baylor is also expected to stop by the school this week.

-Oklahoma State was at The Colony (Texas) High today to take a look at 2012 receiver and return man Gerald Thomas. The Cowboys left a camp invite for Thomas and are interested in the 5-foot-10, 170-pound quick, sure handed playmaker. He has verbal offers from Boise State, Kansas, Arizona State and New Mexico State with Boise State in the lead.

Nuts and Bolts

-Jason Sapp of BlueandGold tells us that Florida receiver Justin Ferguson, a Notre Dame lean, has set an announcement date.

-Offensive tackle Josh Thomas (Shreveport, La./Evangel) is quickly becoming one of the most heavily recruited 2013 prospects in Louisiana. LSU, Texas, Florida State and Alabama are showing interest in the 6-foot-7, 326-pound Thomas. Texas made a visit to Evangel on Tuesday to take a look at the massive prospect.



-Michael Bruntz of HuskersIllustrated breaks down Nebraska’s greatest recruiting needs in the 2012 class.

-Luke Stampini of SoFlaFootball unveils a second Division I offensive line prospect at Boyton Beach (Fla.), Decarreus Mason.

-Tennessee was by Bamberg-Erhardt High in South Carolina earlier this week to check on four-star defensive end Martin Aiken and defensive tackle David Deleon. The Vols are heavily in the mix for both.



-Justin Hopkins of 247Sports reports that Oregon is in the top three for Arizona defensive end Kisima Jagne.



-It’s going to be interesting to see what Arizona State wide receiver commit Kenny Lawler (Upland, Calif.) does now that he has an offer from UCLA. We felt when we saw him a couple of months ago that the Bruins would be major players if they offered. Lawler has maintained he’s a “soft commit” to the Sun Devils.

-James Hale of OUInsider reports that Oklahoma is on the verge of offering four-star receiver Derrick Woods of California. We love Woods on film.

National Recruiting Analysts Gerry Hamilton and Steve Wiltfong contributed to this report