LOS ANGELES – Brody Knowles has a top three and a decision date of June 22.
“I’ve already taken my OVs there and I was going to take one to Colorado but I figured the other three schools were the better fits for me,” Knowles said.
“All three of those OVs were great. I had a great time with my family and so it was a good eye-opener.”
Was the TCU long-sleeve T-shirt he wore to the OT7 finals a giveaway of his upcoming commitment?
The Horned Frogs are definitely a major contender for the three-star receiver from Southlake (Texas) Southlake Carroll. His relationship with position coach Malcolm Kelly is undoubtedly a major consideration in his recruitment.
“Coach (Sonny) Dykes is a great dude and my relationship with coach Kelly is really good,” Knowles said. “He’s put numerous receivers in the league every year. He puts a lot of taller, big-bodied receivers in the league and he was also a big-body receiver so I could totally see myself developing and fitting in really well.
“That’s a big draw because that’s a big part of my game – deep threat, down the field jump balls – and coach Kelly was the same way so that’s a good fit.”
Of the three, TCU and Arkansas seem to have a distinct edge over Illinois heading into decision day.
Knowles admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect from the Razorbacks on that visit but when he got to Fayetteville, he was blown away. His trust in first-year coach Ryan Silverfield and position coach Larry Smith is only growing.
“It’s the SEC with all that hype,” Knowles said. “Going into that OV, I didn’t know what to expect but it blew me out of the water a little bit.
“Coach Smith is a great dude, he had a great presentation for me and my family. They could totally see me coming into the offense, fitting in and hopefully getting on the field early. Coach Silverfield is a great dude. The program is trending in the right direction for sure.”
Illinois is also hanging in there and is still very much in the picture. His connection to coach Bret Bielema, position coach Justin Stepp and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. is strong as Knowles just really likes the guys in Champaign as well.
“Coach B is one of the best dudes I know,” Knowles said. “He’s awesome. Coach Stepp has been recruiting me for about three years. We have a really good relationship and talk pretty much every day. He’s also got a good track record of putting receivers in the NFL and that’s really the biggest thing for me – development and going to the NFL.
“The OC, coach Lunney, is a great dude, too. He came to the house for a home visit and got to chop it up with him for a while and it was good.”