Most College Prospects Undecided on Schools, But Some Decide Early : Football: Los Altos back Roger Boden is headed for Stanford. Bishop Amat end Jason Green will be a Bruin.

It is less than two weeks from The Big Day of Feb. 14--the first day that high school football prospects can sign national letters of intent with NCAA colleges--and the operative word is indecision .

There are several noteworthy exceptions.

Running back Roger Boden of Los Altos in Hacienda Heights announced last week that he has made a verbal commitment to attend Stanford, and tight ends Jason Green of Bishop Amat in La Puente and Elic Mahone of Muir in Pasadena decided this week that they would commit to UCLA and USC, respectively.

But for the most part, valley prospects are undecided.

Two of the most coveted recruits in the valley, wide receiver Jeremy Smith of Bishop Amat and defensive tackle Norberto Garrido from Workman of Industry, agree the decision has been anything but easy.

The 6-foot-7 and 280-pound Garrido “probably won’t make a decision until the signing date.”

“I’m just taking my time,” the 6-0 and 185 Smith said. “I don’t want to have any regrets or say, ‘Maybe I should have gone there.’ I don’t want to change my mind.”

But both have trimmed their original list of schools considerably. Both want to continue their careers in California and say they will decide between USC and UC Berkeley.

Smith, a prep All-American who caught 46 passes for 638 yards and nine touchdowns last season and 126 passes for 1,638 yards and 18 touchdowns in his varsity career, said he was initially considering additional visits to Miami, Colorado and Washington but had second thoughts.

“I thought about coming home and the distance. I know if I went to any of those schools I wouldn’t be able to come home often.”

Garrido, an All-Far West selection by Super Prep magazine who had 12 quarterback sacks and recovered a fumble for a touchdown last season, visited Colorado before deciding that he wants to stay closer to home.

“It felt great there,” he said. “I liked it a lot. It was even snowing and I still liked it. But it was mainly the distance that I didn’t like.”

Garrido says he is probably leaning toward USC. “I liked the unity I saw there,” he said. “It’s like a family. USC has more of an advantage because of the coaching, the tradition and the exposure you get there. . . . You can’t say the same thing about Cal because they’re not in bowl games every year. But that doesn’t mean I won’t go there.”

USC would also appear to be in the lead for Smith, especially considering that his cousin--former Bishop Amat star Stephon Pace--is a defensive back for the Trojans.

“A lot of people think that because of the tradition of USC and because my cousin goes there I should go there,” he said. “But I also liked my visit to Cal.”

Boden, the first valley player to make a commitment last week, is “very happy” that he has made his decision. “It’s like a dream come true for me.”

Before settling on Stanford, Boden visited the Air Force Academy and planned trips to UC Berkeley, Hawaii and Princeton, “but when Stanford offered me a scholarship I canceled all the others.”

The speedy 5-11, 175-pound running back, who rushed for 1,602 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 30 passes for 303 yards and one touchdown as a senior, said Stanford was his first choice all along.

“I wanted to stay in California and close to where I grew up,” he said. “I like the mountains and the beaches and this is where I wanted to be. They’re (Stanford) becoming a good program and I felt I could come in and make an impact there, and once I saw the campus I felt it was a place where I could fit in.”

Smith and Garrido agree that it will be a huge relief when they make their decisions. But neither is in a hurry to decide.

Here is where other prospects are leaning:

* Jason Green (Bishop Amat, tight end)--Until last weekend Green, 6-4, 215, was officially on the undecided list. But after a recruiting visit to UCLA, he committed to the Bruins on Monday. With his 4.6-second speed in the 40-yard dash and exceptional leaping ability, Green has the skills to play wide receiver, although he was recruited by UCLA as a tight end. A preseason prep All-American, Green also visited UC Berkeley and Arizona. Green--the first Bishop Amat star to go with UCLA in recent years--caught 63 passes for 941 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career.

* J. J. O’Laughlin (Glendora, quarterback)--Considered one of the premier drop-back passers on the West Coast, O’Laughlin’s decision is up in the air. His final three choices, though, all have good passing attacks: Illinois, Houston and UC Berkeley. He has visited Illinois and has trips planned to the other two schools, although getting away has been difficult because he is also a star on the Glendora basketball team. A prep All-American in football, O’Laughlin, 6-3, 200, passed for 1,706 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 284 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

* Elic Mahone (Muir, tight end)--His nickname is “Big Lic” and he is one of the marquee players on this year’s recruiting list. The prep All-American did not have impressive statistics as a senior, catching only 12 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns for the run-oriented Mustangs. However, Mahone, 6-5, 215, with brilliant 4.45 speed in the 40, still interests major colleges. “He’s the fastest guy on our team,” Coach John Tyree says. “I’ve never seen anything like that.” Mahone was recruited by major colleges such as Notre Dame and Colorado before selecting USC this week.

* Curtis Robinson (Pomona, running back-quarterback)--One of the most versatile players in the San Gabriel Valley, Robinson, 6-3, 190, gives recruiters numerous options. With 4.5 speed in the 40, the all-state selection has being recruited as a running back, quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. Finalists in the recruiting derby are Colorado, Oregon and Washington State. His coach, Kenny Robinson, thinks he resembles quarterback Randall Cunningham of the Philadelphia Eagles: “He’s got that kind of ability.”

* Sam Williford (Muir, running back-defensive back)--In many respects, Williford is in the Robinson mold. He has size at 6-2 and 190, can play running back or defensive back and has the speed to return kicks. Washington and Oregon were also in the running for his services but Williford decided this week that he would attend San Diego State. The offensive leader for a Muir team that tied for the Southern Section Division II title, he rushed for 680 yards in 112 carries and caught 27 passes for 472 yards as a senior.

Cream of the Crop

Player School Pos Ht Wt Roger Boden Los Altos RB 5-11 175 Norberto Garrido Workman DT 6-7 280 Jason Green Bishop Amat TE 6-4 215 J.J. O’Laughlin Glendora QB 6-3 200 Elic Mahone Muir TE 6-5 215 Jeremy Smith Bishop Amat WR 6-0 185 Sam Williford Muir RB-DB 6-1 190 Curtis Robinson Pomona RB-QB 6-3 190 Other Top Recruits Dustyn Benedict Muir DB 5-10 175 Bryan Carr Los Altos LB 6-2 215 Mike Collins Los Altos OL-DL 6-4 230 Stephan Crutchfield Muir DB 5-10 175 Andre Devizen Muir RB 5-11 180 Marcus Green Northview RB 6-0 190 Paul Joiner Muir LB 6-2 217 Mudie Mushonga Muir DL-LB 6-3 232 Keven Shanahan San Marino DB 6-0 185 Malcolm Thomas Wilson DB 5-11 175 Marshawn Thompson Bassett RB 6-1 195 Chris West Glendora DT 6-3 220 Dwayne Jones La Puente LB-RB 6-2 217

Player Leading Contenders Roger Boden Stanford* Norberto Garrido USC, Cal Jason Green UCLA* J.J. O’Laughlin Illinois, Houston, Cal Elic Mahone USC* Jeremy Smith Cal, USC Sam Williford San Diego State* Curtis Robinson Colorado, Oregon, Wash. St. Other Top Recruits Dustyn Benedict Oregon State, UNLV, Navy Bryan Carr Hawaii, Cal Mike Collins UNLV, Colo. St., San Diego State Stephan Crutchfield Brigham Young* Andre Devizen CS Fullerton, LB State Marcus Green CS Fullerton, USC, Cal, Fresno St. Paul Joiner Cal, UNLV Mudie Mushonga Hawaii, Colo. St., Texas A & M, UNLV Keven Shanahan Harvard, Princeton, Yale Malcolm Thomas Ariz. St., Cal, Fresno St., LB St. Marshawn Thompson Fresno St., CS Fullerton Chris West Rice, San Diego State, Fresno St. Dwayne Jones San Diego State, Oregon.

* (verbal commitment)