Football: Southern California is a hotbed of superb safeties

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Just because high-profile defensive backs such as UCLA-bound Alex Mascarenas and the USC-bound tandem of Byron Moore and Chris Metcalf are now off the board, having already made decisions about their respective futures, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Southland cupboard is bare.

In fact, the region is loaded with talent. There are a few quality safeties still on the market.

But things might not remain that way for much longer, not if Division I programs have anything to say about it. Scouts from all over the country headed west this summer with hopes of landing the next big recruit. Here is a quick update on some of the top uncommitted players:

• Dijon Washington: From this note, it appears as if Oregon State has emerged as the early front-runner to land the 6-foot-2, heavy-hitting senior from Leuzinger. Seemingly every other Pac-10 Conference team has been in contact with him, so things will be interesting moving forward.

• Lester White: At 6-foot-2 and 200-plus pounds, this senior from Riverside North has a college-ready frame. Suppose that’s why he currently has nine scholarships on the table. Arizona State, Nebraska and Washington State are at the top of the list. Watch out for plenty of others to make a late run at him.

• Nat Berhe: The 5-foot-11 senior from Colton received offers from UTEP and Idaho recently, according to these quotes, to increase his total of potential suitors to five. Minnesota, New Mexico and San Diego State were the first schools to jump on the bandwagon and plans for official visits are underway.

-- Sean Ceglinsky