FSU, Clemson, Alabama, Miami and Texas all remain in the hunt to land the blue-chip talent.
247sports.com
anybody know what ivins is sayin'? without linking the article of course.
Jaleel Skinner might be busy preparing for his first game at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, but that hasn't prevented the nation's No. 1-ranked tight end in the class of 2022 from thinking a little bit about his recruitment. Earlier this week, Skinner announced that he plans to make a commitment on October 9. It turns out, that's when he will be back in his home state of South Carolina.
"I'm doing it the day after my birthday because I'm going to be able to be around my family and some of my friends," Skinner told 247Sports on Thursday. "It's a big decision for me and I have just want everyone that I care about to be there."
Skinner recently put FSU, Alabama, Miami, Texas and Clemson in his "final five." Those five schools all remain very much in the hunt to land his signature.
"They are all running even right now," Skinner said. "All of them have recruited me really hard. I feel like I can fit in at all five of those schools and I feel like I can come in and make an impact early at all five of those schools."
Skinner took official visits in June to Alabama, Miami and Texas. He also spent time at Florida on an official visit, but claims to no longer be considering the Gators. With only one official visit left to use, Skinner confirmed that he will take it to FSU the weekend of Sept. 5 when the Seminoles host Notre Dame.
Clemson might appear be the odd man out, at least when it comes to the official visits, but Skinner made it seem like there's a chance he will see Dabo Swinney's Tigers play in-person at some point this fall.
"Our schedule at IMG is kind of crazy, so I don't know what I'm going to be able to do," Skinner explained. "I'm was hoping to get to the Clemson-Georgia game, but that's the same weekend as FSU-Notre Dame, so hopefully I will be able to get there when I go home during our bye weeks because that's only like 50 minutes from my house."
Skinner isn't sure at the moment which Clemson game he's targeting for an unofficial visit, but the Tigers' Oct. 2 bout with Boston College would make the most sense seeing as how IMG Academy is off that weekend.
"Clemson is just always going to be great," Skinner said when asked what has the Tigers in the mix. "Coach Swinney is always going to have something brewing there and I just like how they have always been on me."
While it sounds like Skinner is intrigued by all the winning at Clemson, he speaks just as highly of FSU.
"That's my dream school," Skinner said. "I'm expecting them to showcase all of those young wide receivers they have this season and show people what FSU can really be and what Coach [Mike] Norvell is building."
Most schools view Skinner as a flex tight end that can stretch the field at the next level, but Norvell and the Seminoles see Skinner as more of a jumbo wide receiver, and that seems to helping FSU's chances of eventually signing the elite talent.
"They aren't recruiting me as a tight end. They are recruiting me as a wide receiver," Skinner explained. "I mean, I feel like I can play both in college, but if I had a pick, I would probably be a wide receiver."
FSU might want to split Skinner out wide, but Miami is busy trying to convince Skinner the the could be the next big-time tight end for the Hurricanes.
"I'm talking with them everyday. Me and Coach [Stephen] Field have been building a great relationship. At first, we started off a little rocky with some things, but ever since then, we kind of have smoothed things out and things have been great," Skinner said.
Texas views Skinner as more of a tight end, as well.
"I know a lot of kids committed there and I really like Coach [Steve] Sarkisian's coaching style," Skinner said. "I like how Coach [Jeff] Banks uses his tight ends. When I was there, he was showing me a lot of film about how he's building up his guys and he was saying how I could come in and play immediately."
As for Alabama?
"The thing that stands out about them is that they got a somewhat new coaching staff with Bill O'Brien and [Drew Svoboda] there. Those guys are promising me big things. I'm really waiting to see the impact Jahleel Billingsley has this year and how much they use him," Skinner said.
And the Crimson Tide won't be the only school that Skinner plans to keep a close eye on over the next few months as he revealed that on-field results could play a role in his decision.
"I'm waiting till October because I want to sit down and see how things play out a little bit this season with these new coaching staffs and all these different players," Skinner said.
Skinner is listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. He started his prep career off at Greer (S.C.) where he got snaps at wide receiver, tight end and cornerback. The 247Sports' Crystal Ball currently reads 85 percent in favor of FSU with Clemson holding the other 15 percent of forecasts from recruiting experts.
