It’s Time to Sign : National Football Powers Checking the Dotted Line for Signatures of Top Gridders From Dazzling Valley Crop

After months of countless telephone calls and letters from college recruiters, prep All-American running back J. J. Flannigan of Pomona High School says the recruiting process is getting a bit wearing.

One night this week, Flannigan estimated that he received nearly 40 phone calls, not to mention a visit to his home by University of Hawaii recruiters.

Flannigan finally decided that enough is enough, and said he will announce his choice of college Monday, more than a week before the Feb. 12 date when high school seniors can sign national letters of intent.

“I’m anxious to make a decision,” said Flannigan, a 6-0, 190-pound senior. “It was fun at first but now it’s getting very hectic. It will be a big relief when it’s over. I’m sure my parents will be relieved, too.”

Many Want McGwire

Dan McGwire, a 6-8, 220-pound All-American quarterback from Claremont High who also is the subject of a heated recruiting battle, has indicated that he may make his choice of colleges by next week.

Flannigan and McGwire are perhaps the two most heavily recruited players in an outstanding group of San Gabriel Valley seniors. One scout calls it one of the best crops in recent years.

As the signing date approaches, players are completing their five allotted recruiting trips to colleges and coaches are making their final pitches to prospects.

Three NCAA Division I colleges that could be the biggest beneficiaries of the bonanza are Colorado, UC Berkeley and Arizona. They are listed among the leading contenders by numerous valley prospects.

A late entry in the valley recruiting derby is Pittsburgh, which had been mentioned among the final choices of three Claremont players--McGwire, wide receiver Travis Watkins and place-kicker Steve Bayer. This resulted largely from the effort of new Pittsburgh Coach Mike Gottfried, who is said to have strong contacts in Southern California.

However, McGwire said Monday that he is no longer interested in Pittsburgh.

According to recruiters, as many as 25 players from the valley could wind up with NCAA Division I schools.

Here is where some of the top prospects are leaning:

McGwire (Claremont, quarterback): With Pittsburgh out of the running, the list has boiled down to three schools from the Big 10 Conference--Purdue, Iowa and Illinois--and McGwire said that all have the type of offense that suits him. “I’ve decided that the Big 10 is for me and I’m looking forward to going there. All pass the ball and that’s the kind of program I want to play for.” McGwire passed often and accurately in leading Claremont to the CIF Eastern Conference title the last two years. He threw for 3,167 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior and finished with 6,554 yards passing in three years as a starter for the Wolfpack.

Flannigan (Pomona, running back): Don’t be surprised if Flannigan also winds up playing in the Big 10; Michigan is considered one of the strongest among his final five contenders. Besides the Wolverines, Flannigan is considering Colorado, USC, UC Berkeley and Hawaii. He will make his final recruiting trip to Hawaii this weekend. The school that signs Flannigan will get one of the best breakaway runners in the nation. As a senior, he rushed for 1,530 yards and 18 touchdowns in only 165 carries, for an average of 9.2 yards. He also set a meet record recently by covering the 60-meter dash in 6.41 seconds at the Sunkist Invitational Indoor Track Meet. Flannigan is a solid student with a 3.4 grade-point average.

Watkins (Claremont, wide receiver): McGwire’s favorite passing target, Watkins may have been overlooked by recruiters at the start of the season. That is not true anymore, not after the 6-1, 175-pounder caught 103 passes and scored 24 touchdowns (including 3 as a rusher) last season. A three-year starter for the Wolfpack, Watkins has impressed scouts with his leaping ability, and he runs excellent pass patterns. He has narrowed his choices to Purdue, Stanford and Pittsburgh, where he made his final recruiting trip over the weekend. Purdue has been mentioned as a front-runner in the race for both McGwire and Watkins.

John Hardy (Muir, defensive back): Muir Coach Jim Brownfield doesn’t hesitate to call Hardy the best safety in the state--even better than Long Beach Poly’s All-American Mark Carrier. Scouts may not agree entirely but do rank him among the best. Hardy, a 6-1, 170-pound speedster who is noted as a fierce hitter, has narrowed his list to UCLA, UC Berkeley, Purdue and Colorado. If Hardy settles on Colorado, he will join a list of former Muir players to play for the Big 8 school that includes quarterback Mark Hatcher and running back Ron Brown.

Steve Gilmour (Temple City, lineman): Colorado, which had its best team of the decade last year, also is in the running for Gilmour, one of the top linemen in the valley last season. Gilmour, 6-7 and 220 pounds, also is considering USC and UC Berkeley. USC may have the edge, considering that Gilmour has been a longtime fan of the Trojans. But Gilmour’s father, Al, said that may not make a difference in his son’s choice. “He couldn’t go wrong with any of those schools academically,” he said. Gilmour, who was also heavily recruited by Ivy League schools Princeton and Dartmouth, has a 3.8 grade-point average.

Will Harris (Los Altos, tight end): There is not a lot of suspense about where Harris will go. Harris, 6-3 and 210 pounds, has been offered a scholarship by the University of Arizona and that suits him fine. His coach at Los Altos, Dwayne DeSpain, said Arizona has been the front-runner for Harris all along. “He has some friends that are going there and he wants to go there,” DeSpain said. Harris, a solid blocker who blossomed into an excellent pass catcher last season, caught 35 passes for 427 yards as a senior.

Ryan McReynolds (Rowland, lineman): McReynolds figures to stay in the West for college. The front-runners for the 6-7, 245-pounder are Pacific 10 schools Arizona and UC Berkeley, according to Rowland Coach Harry Robinson. Two others in the running are also from the Pac 10: UCLA and Arizona State. McReynolds earned the Times San Gabriel Valley lineman of the year award.

Ronald English (Ganesha, defensive back) and Donald English (receiver): Considering that these two standouts are identical twins and have narrowed their list of contenders to the same five schools, don’t expect the brothers to go separate ways. Said Donald, “It’s not the most important thing, but it’s kind of important for us to go to the same school.” Their finalists include UC Berkeley, Brigham Young, Colorado, Arizona and San Diego State. The twins may be the sleepers of the 1985 recruiting derby in the valley. Neither produced spectacular statistics as a senior but both are considered outstanding all-around athletes. Both start for Ganesha’s No. 1-ranked CIF 3-A basketball team and have solid 3.4 grade-point averages.

Larry Vladic (Diamond Bar, defensive back): Like the English brothers, Vladic is a good student and outstanding athlete. Besides being an excellent football player, he may be one of the better baseball players in the valley. That could give Stanford an edge in the battle for Vladic, who can play defensive back, linebacker and wide receiver. Vladic (6-3, 190) also is considering Illinois, Rice and Oregon State. Oregon State is in the running for several Diamond Bar players and has former Brahmas star Rich Gonzales as its starting quarterback. Cream of the Crop

Player School Pos Ht Wt Ronald English Ganesha DB 6-3 185 Donald English Ganesha RB-WR 6-3 185 J.J. Flannigan Pomona RB 6-0 190 Steve Gilmour Temple City OL 6-7 220 John Hardy Muir DB 6-0 170 Will Harris Los Altos TE 6-3 210 Dan McGwire Claremont QB 6-8 220 Ryan McReynolds Rowland OL 6-7 245 Larry Vladic Diamond Bar DB 6-3 190 Travis Watkins Claremont WR 6-1 175 Other Top Recruits Adrian Alcazar Los Altos DB 5-11 170 Steve Bayer Claremont PK 6-0 175 Eugene Brown Nogales LB 6-2 215 Rick Carter Bishop Amat QB 6-1 180 Geoff Cook Duarte TE 6-4 205 David Foster Ganesha LB 6-1 205 Lamar Gray Pomona LB 6-2 220 Jim Jastrab Los Altos FB 6-0 223 Dennis Karjala Nogales LB 6-3 225 Dean Lambo Claremont FB 6-1 235 Darryl Lewis Nogales RB 5-9 165 Jeff Obert Charter Oak FB 6-2 230 Troy Porter Diamond Bar DB 5-11 170 Mark Smith Los Altos QB 6-2 180 Kraig Washington Diamond Bar RB 5-9 185

Player Leading Contenders Ronald English Cal, BYU, Colo., Ariz., S.D. State Donald English Cal, BYU, Colo., Ariz., S.D. State J.J. Flannigan Michigan, USC, Cal, Hawaii, Colo. Steve Gilmour Colorado., Cal, USC John Hardy UCLA, Cal, Purdue, Colorado Will Harris Arizona Dan McGwire Purdue, Illinois, Iowa Ryan McReynolds Arizona, Cal Larry Vladic Stanford, Ill., Ore. St., Rice Travis Watkins Pitt., Purdue, Stanford Other Top Recruits Adrian Alcazar Navy Steve Bayer Pitt., Air Force, Army, S.D., L.B. Eugene Brown Colorado St., CS Fullerton Rick Carter Kansas St., Long Beach St. Geoff Cook Arizona, L.B. St., Santa Clara David Foster UNLV, San Diego St., Colorado Lamar Gray Colo., Wash. St., UNLV, L.B. St. Jim Jastrab Ariz., Hawaii, Colo. St., Utah St. Dennis Karjala Stanford, Army Dean Lambo Ore., Kan. St., CS Full., No. Ariz. Darryl Lewis Hawaii, Arizona, Colo. St. Jeff Obert CS Full., Colo., S.D. St., Boise St. Troy Porter Utah St., Weber St. Mark Smith UNLV, Colorado St., Utah St. Kraig Washington Colorado, Ore. St.