'08 CO LB Jon Major (Colorado Verbal)

[MikeIsGood]

Well they picked a good guy to host him. I don't suppose Ryan told him, "Hey man, to be honest, I wish I had picked Madison," did he?

[Bernini]

We assigned Tolzien to host Phillips. He doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of ever starting at UW, thus he can't have the best attitude about the program. All the contributors have to focus on the game. Hopefully we're saving Toon and Oglesby to host players who were already undecided. It sounds like they'll be soldiers for the program.

Reynolds......he might have experienced the same fate at Wisconsin. Although Hodgey looked very beatable in the opener. Supposedly their visitor worked if he's down to the Sooners of Buffs. Of course the Badgers haven't had their opportunity to impress yet.

[GoRU]

The Denver Post - No. 1 on recruiters' speed dials

Like many teenagers, a cellphone fits so snugly in the hand of Jon Major that you could think it's as permanently attached and essential as his thumb.

The difference? When the phone of this 6-foot-4, 230-pound kid rings, it's likely to be Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops or Dan Hawkins of Colorado on the horn, asking if Major can come out and play.

"Deciding where to play college football can be tense. I've got calls every night," says Major, a blue-chip linebacker and the "it" prospect every big-time football program wants from the state of Colorado this year. "But this is every player's dream.

"So you have to be humbled by it. Because most kids would do anything to be in my shoes."

While the scoreboard counts on Saturdays, during the rest of the week college football has increasingly become a game of phone tag.
Major is it.

As one of the top 50 prep prospects in the country, the 17-year-old linebacker has been so doggedly wooed and pursued that more than 50 college teams offered Major a full-ride scholarship before he played the first game of his final season at Ponderosa High School.

Secret No. 1 of surviving the recruiting process without your heart being pulled in every direction of the college football map?

"You can always turn your cellphone off," says Ken Major, father of the Ponderosa star.

On Sept. 1, Colorado's most popular kid received 20 calls from college recruiters before 8 a.m.

You gaze as Major stampedes from sideline to sideline in the No. 31 he wears for the Mustangs on a Friday night when Ponderosa wins 19-12, and it's not impossible to envision this man-child someday growing up to be Brian Urlacher, currently the NFL's scariest linebacker.

Major talent? Major has it.

This is the player Hawkins needs to restore intimidation in the CU defense. In the lingo of the cellphone era, the Buffaloes are definitely in Major's fave five. But so are national football powers Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Michigan and Tennessee.

"There's definitely a little bias for the teams I grew up cheering. Which teams? Colorado, 'cause it's here, but also USC, because I'm originally from Southern California," Jon Major says.

Although he will be wearing street clothes, Major might be as important as any player at Folsom Field when Colorado entertains Florida State next weekend.

"When you get down to those last four or five schools, then it becomes more of an art. It's what's in your heart. There's so many things you can look at, from academics to the football program to the city you're going to live in. And it can overwhelm you. So you do have to go with your gut," says Ken Major, who chose to play football at Rice in 1982, when the recruiting process was not so full of loud whispers and nasty backstabbing.

All this attention, with grown men who earn salaries in excess of $1 million begging for the attention of an oversized teenager, seems to invite unhealthy adolescent behavior. If the head of any football wunderkind is not screwed on straight, the recruiting assault can be enough to puff up the ego until it explodes.

"The best thing Jon has done is really take control of the process. He's known from Day One what he wants in a college. It's allowed him to cut schools early, so he can focus on the ones he's really interested in," says his father.

The testosterone level of Ponderosa's ballyhooed linebacker is "high when he sees a receiver coming across the middle. But Jon has always been able to dial down when he gets off the field. And that really helps him in recruiting," Ken Major says.

[wadc45]

Big weekend ahead for Buffs : Top Stories : Boulder Daily Camera

Scott, who is rated as the No. 1 running back recruit in the nation and is the nephew of CU receiver Josh Smith, has rescheduled his visit for later in the season. Hawkins will focus his attention this weekend on prospects such as Ponderosa High School linebacker Jon Major, and Ryan Deehan, a tight end from Poway, Calif. Both are four-star recruits in the eyes of most recruiting analysts.

[wadc45]

Scout $

9/18

Recruiting diary entry...gives his Colorado visit a 10. Visiting Wisconsin this weekend.

[Heavystarch]

Does anyone reasonably believe that he will end up at Colorado? I see it at about a .1% chance

[wadc45]

Scout $

9/20

By Chris Pool...talks about his upcoming visit to Madison, which he has been to before. His coach talks about his season and what positions he is being recruited to play.

[Heavystarch]

Scout.com: Kemp Enjoys Visit; Turns Recruiter

By Chris Pool (Free)

States that Kemp loved his visit. Also talked to Jon Major, Jake Stoller, and Anthony Mains on his visit, during which Major said he is down to UW or OU.

Looks like we are a Katoa verbal to OU away from landing Major. I hope this is true

[ahagen87]

i was wondering if anyone knows where Majors 4th visit is for that he just set up...im not sure if its for wisconsin again (we can only hope) or for another school...i would really appreciate it if someone could let me know

[Bernini]

The visit he set up was with Oregon.

[Bernini]

Rivals $

Major loved his visit to Wisconsin, especially the atmosphere of the Iowa game, and thinks UW is a class school. He is very interested in the Badgers.

My impression from the article is Wisconsin has as good of a shot as any to win Jon's services. He touched on pretty much every aspect of the visit and school, while seeming very excited about the prospect of being in that environment. The fact that it was his second visit, coming from Colorado, is fairly telling, IMO. This could be an awesome finish to this class because we are improving our standing with many top recruits.

[wadc45]

Top inside linebacker Jon Major establishes his final four

Under Armour All-American Jon Major told ESPN's Billy Tucker that he's only considering four programs, "Colorado, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Oregon are my final four schools," said Major. "I have officially visited all of them except Oregon, but I may try to visit there the first week of December. I could be deciding as soon as my season ends."

Ponderosa is currently 5-3 and qualified for the state playoffs. Major has already racked up 110 tackles on the season.

[Bernini]

Originally Posted by Heavystarch

Does anyone reasonably believe that he will end up at Colorado? I see it at about a .1% chance

I could see it happening at this point. The Buffs seem to be gaining some momentum with the shocker over Oklahoma and former 3 game winning streak. They've been competitive most of the year and are above .500. Received a commitment from a 4-star running back recently. Are in the top 2 for star LB and former UW prospect Lynn Katoa. If he wants to play division 1 football, instead of intramurals, Colorado will always be an option. Never underestimate the in state school.

Wisconsin and Colorado are the only two schools who have now been mentioned since the beginning, after Major dropped Michigan from his list according to his most recent update. Oklahoma has been hanging around for a long time as well. It's between us, them, and CU realistically.

[TheFresher]

somebody should tell him that he can start next year.. if he doesn't already realize that

[osugrad21]

Rivals $

Jon will make his decision on Saturday with a lowkey email. He will decide between Colorado, Michigan, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Wisconsin.