Headin' to Norman
Evangel Christian (La.) quarterback Brent Rawls made his decision this past week, and he didn't make the announcement at a big news conference at the school. Instead, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound senior made his destination public at church on Sunday morning, and he opted to head to the University of Oklahoma.

Rawls - who may be the most talented in a long line of Evangel signal-callers that includes Josh Booty (LSU), Philip Deas and Brock Berlin (Florida) - chose Oklahoma over Florida State and Purdue.

"It came down to the chance to be so close to home," said Rawls, who followed in the tradition of Booty and Berlin by announcing his decision at church. "It's only five hours from here. The system is so much like ours at Evangel, the coaching staff was just so friendly and the players got along. It was like a family atmosphere."

Rawls, who will start for the West squad in the National High School Football All-Star Game Dec. 30 on Fox Sports Net, agonized over the decision for the past month and went back and forth several times between the trio of schools.

"I called our offensive coordinator, who is also our pastor, and he spent two hours with our family," said Rawls. "He helped narrow down the decision, and then I had to pick one. It was such a close run between the three, but I believe Oklahoma is the best place for me."

Not Your Ordinary Joe
Cretin-Derham Hall (Minn.) quarterback Joe Mauer returned from an official visit to the University of Minnesota last weekend and added another school, LSU, to his list. The three-sport star is looking for a program that will allow him to play both football and baseball in college.

"I've visited University of Minnesota, and Arizona is next on the schedule," said Mauer. "I'm also going to visit Florida State and the University of Miami. LSU has come on pretty strong lately because they have a pretty good baseball and football team. I'm excited about the fact that the baseball team just won the national championship, and the football team has been good."

Mauer, in addition to being one of the top QBs in the nation, is also a catcher and hit .559 with 15 RBI on the under-17 USA baseball team last spring. He is expected to be taken in the first round of the amateur baseball draft and could bypass college altogether even if he signs with a school.

"I'd like to take my next two visits and then come to a decision after that," said Mauer. "I'd probably be able to come to a decision after my trip to Florida State, which is scheduled for January 29th. I'll announce sometime after that."

Back Down to Two
Cardinal O'Hara High (Pa.) running back Kevin Jones is up for a High School Heisman, and he spent last weekend with the player most consider the favorite for the college Heisman Trophy in 2001 - Virginia Tech's Michael Vick.

Jones, one of the nation's top running backs and the best player yet to commit to a school, took his official visit to Blacksburg, Va., over the weekend. Indications are that Vick & Co. said all the right things, because Jones told SchoolSports.com he has narrowed his list down to two schools: Virginia Tech and Penn State.

"It's pretty much between those two," said Jones, who previously had been considering Notre Dame, Florida State and Tennessee.

Jones, who will visit Penn State on the weekend of Jan. 12, will give himself a week after the visit to Happy Valley to make a decision. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Jones will play in the National High School Football All-Star Game in Dallas on Dec. 30 and is one of three finalists for the High School Heisman in the Northeast region.

Male-ing It In
Louisville Male High (Ky.) wide receiver Montrell Jones is backing off a little from his commitment to the University of Kentucky.

Jones, who owns Kentucky state records in career receptions (266) and touchdown receptions (59), is worried about some of the recent changes made at UK, specifically the resignation of recruiting coordinator Claude Bassett. Defensive coordinator Mike Major also resigned late in the season.

"(Bassett) really helped me out and made me want to choose Kentucky," said Jones, who originally committed to Kentucky in June. "I have to admit that seeing all those changes kind of makes me a little nervous."

Jones, who made 72 receptions for 967 yards and 14 touchdowns in helping Male win the 4A state title this season, plans to visit Florida, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee and Purdue sometime after the New Year. He also says he has not ruled out attending Kentucky.

Sooner Resurgence
The Oklahoma Sooners have taken advantage of their resurgence with a strong recruiting class. After landing one of the top QBs in Rawls, they also got an elite running back when McKinney High's (Texas) Donta Hickson committed to OU on Monday.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Hickson chose the Sooners over Texas Tech, LSU, Texas A&M and Arkansas. He rushed for 2,243 yards and scored 28 touchdowns this past season, including a school-record 415-yard effort against The Colony High on Oct. 6.

Done Deals
Montclair High (N.J.) running back Rikki Cook has decided to stay in state and play at Rutgers. Cook chose the Scarlet Knights over Virginia. ...

Holy Angels (Minn.) wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr., who caught 72 passes for 1,220 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, committed to the University of Pittsburgh. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Fitzgerald opted for the Panthers over Minnesota. ...

Tyrone Roberson, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back from Pattonville High (Mo.), has orally committed to attend Illinois. He gained 1,569 yards and scored 28 TDs this past season. ...

Kirkwood High (Mo.) defensive back Johnnie Watkins, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the second week of the season, has given an oral commitment to Kansas. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Watkins chose the Jayhawks over Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. ...

Lewisville High (Texas) defensive lineman Brett Rayl pledged to Oklahoma. ...

Irving High (Texas) offensive lineman Victor Mercado committed to Tulsa over SMU, Texas A&M and LSU. ...

Mammoth offensive lineman William Winston (6-foot-7, 350) of Houston Madison High (Texas) will attend Texas next year. He chose the Longhorns over Texas A&M, UCLA, Oklahoma and Miami. ...

Texas City High (Texas) defensive back Warren Wilson committed to Kentucky. ...

Central Catholic High (Fla.) quarterback Jay Davis (6-foot-3, 205) committed to N.C. State. ...

Edgewood High (N.J.) defensive back/wide receiver Dennis Davis pledged to Georgia Tech. The 6-foot, 175-pound Davis, who scored 24 touchdowns this season, chose Tech over Michigan State and Wisconsin. ...

Baltimore Western Tech (Md.) defensive back Domonique Foxworth is headed to the University of Maryland. The 6-foot, 175-pound Foxworth, who set a school record with 14 career interceptions, opted for the Terps over Pittsburgh and Purdue. ...

Deer Valley High (Calif.) QB Chris Hurd, who threw for 1,700 yards and 24 TDs this season, orally committed to Washington State.

Finalizing Plans
Christian Brothers High (La.) wide receiver Michael Clayton has trimmed his list to FSU and LSU. ...

Now that FSU has lost out on quarterbacks Brodie Croyle and Brent Rawls, look for the 'Noles to secure one of the following: Bradenton Southeast High's (Fla.) Adrian McPherson, North Clayton High's (Ga.) D.J. Shockley or Brentwood High's (Tenn.) Matt Henshaw.

FSU will probably also land a few of the nation's top defensive backs, including Atlanta Douglass High's (Ga.) Ahmad Carroll. Lake City Columbia High (Fla.) 6-foot, 210-pound safety Jerome Carter also has FSU as his leader, as does South Dade Homestead High's (Fla.) Antrel Rolle.