Pearsall’s Defensive Skills Drawing Attention

Grant Pearsall doesn’t have great speed. He can’t jump very high. And by most college football standards, at 6 feet 1 and 190 pounds, he isn’t very big.

So, exactly why is Pearsall, a first-team Times Orange County selection from Villa Park High, one of the most heavily recruited defensive backs in Southern California? And why were head coaches Terry Donahue (UCLA), John Robinson (USC) and Rich Brooks (Oregon) in his living room at various times last week?

First, let him try to explain.

“College coaches tell me they need someone who’s like a quarterback on the field, someone who can call the defensive signals,” says Pearsall, who excelled as a tailback for the Spartans last season and also split time between strong and free safety.

“It’s not always size and speed that count the most.”

Despite rushing for 1,232 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and scoring 19 touchdowns as a senior at Villa Park, Pearsall leaves little doubt which platoon he prefers.

“Defense has always been my favorite,” he says. “You get to be a little more wild, a little crazy.

“Probably my favorite thing about the game is to come up and make the big hit.”

College scouts and recruiters have noticed.

“He’s aggressive, tough and does a lot of things well,” says Dick Lascola, head of the Fallbrook, Calif.-based Scouting Evaluation Assn., which provides videotape and scouting reports on high school and community college football players for nearly 100 colleges across the country. “He really makes things happen out there.”

Said a Pac-10 defensive coordinator: “Grant Pearsall is a terrific player. You need guys like him on your team.”

For Pearsall, tackling a ballcarrier in the open field was easy compared to picking a college. With the Feb. 2 signing date for football players fast approaching, he has narrowed his original list to four schools: UCLA, USC, Arizona State and Oregon. His final recruiting visit was to USC over the weekend.

Pearsall is agonizing over several factors. His oldest brother, Jay, has a year left at Arizona State (another brother, Brian, plays football at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo); his girlfriend, Kayli Whitley, attends Oregon. And, although he feels no pressure, Pearsall admits that his parents, Jim and Linda, would prefer that he stay closer to home.

“I’ve been making lists, comparing the good points and bad points of each of the schools,” says Pearsall, who hopes to make his final decision this week.

Notes

USC and UCLA seem on the verge of excellent football recruiting classes. The Trojans could end up signing as many as nine community college players, highly unusual for a top program, in a large class numbering between 20 and 25. The latest of four community college players to enroll in time for the spring semester was defensive end Israel Ifeanyi (6-4, 230) of Orange Coast, a native of Nigeria. In addition, USC has unwritten commitments from offensive linemen Richard Beatie (6-6, 290) of Glendale and Heath Baughman (6-7, 290) of Bakersfield, and cornerback Mario Bradley (6-2, 180) of Cerritos. The Trojans are still recruiting running back-defensive back Leonard Green (6-foot, 180) of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut and defensive lineman Anthony Sanford (6-6, 270) of Pasadena. Green, who attended high school in Silver Spring, Md., took a trip to USC over the weekend and is trying to decide between the Trojans and Maryland. Another weekend visitor to USC was Valencia fullback-linebacker Chris Draft (6-1, 205), who has narrowed his choices to Stanford, UCLA and USC. High school standouts who committed to USC recently were: tight end Rome Douglas (6-7, 250) of Claremont, wide receiver Larry Parker (6-2, 180) of Bakersfield, linebacker Willie Perryman (6-4, 215) of Burbank, tackle Ken Bowen (6-7, 315) of Orlando, Fla., cornerback Prentice Hill (5-8, 170) of Dallas Carter, and defensive back Brian Kelly (6-1, 190) of Aurora, Colo. In spite of his commitment, Parker, perhaps the top wide receiver prospect on the West Coast, visited Notre Dame over the weekend. The Trojans also might sign running back Marlin Carey (5-10, 185) of San Diego Mt. Carmel, though he has not qualified academically. Having lost its top quarterback prospect, Scott Covington (6-3, 175) of Dana Hills, who committed to Miami, USC is now recruiting Brad Otten (6-6, 215), who showed promise last season as a freshman at Weber State but has decided to transfer. Otten, from Tumwater, Wash., is also considering Washington State and Fresno State. He would be eligible to play immediately as a sophomore, thanks to a rule recently passed regarding transfers from Division I-AA schools to Division I-A.

UCLA has received recent commitments from cornerback-wide receiver Javelin Guidry (5-10, 165) of Cerritos Gahr, brother of UCLA freshman defensive back Paul Guidry; standout wide receivers Jim McElroy (5-11, 165) of Washington High and Tod McBride (6-2, 180) of Walnut, and offensive lineman Terry Williams (6-6, 260) of El Dorado. The Bruins expect to sign community college linebacker Tim Waddleton (6-3, 215) of Hutchinson, Kan., who was at UCLA over the weekend. Waddleton also visited Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas and Pittsburgh. Two other weekend visitors to Westwood were linebacker Brandon Williams (6-4, 240) of Buffalo and fullback Jarvis Watson (5-11, 215) of Downey Warren. Williams will decide between UCLA and Wisconsin; Watson will likely sign with the Bruins if he is accepted academically. In addition, UCLA is considered the favorite to sign highly regarded tight end Sheldon Jackson (6-4, 220) of Damien LaVerne. Jackson visited Nebraska over the weekend. The Bruins are also competing with the Cornhuskers and Miami for defensive lineman Jason McCullough (6-5, 250), a native of Allentown, Pa., who attends a prep school in Potomac, Md. . . . Add UCLA: Contrary to a published report, the Bruins are not recruiting community college quarterback Tony Banks (6-5, 210) of San Diego Mesa.

However, two other San Diego prospects are high on UCLA’s priority list: defensive lineman Darrell Russell (6-5, 290), of St. Augustine High) and linebacker Terrell Cade (6-3, 220) of Lincoln. Russell, arguably the West Coast’s top prospect, is expected to choose from among UCLA, USC and Cal. Cade’s short list includes UCLA, Cal, Washington State, Colorado and Oklahoma.

Hoop report: Jelani Gardner, the 6-6 All-American point guard from Bellflower St. John Bosco, took a recruiting trip to Minnesota over the weekend. He has one more official visit scheduled, to Syracuse, where he’ll watch the Orangemen play Kentucky Feb. 12 in the Carrier Dome. Last Friday night, California Coach Todd Bozeman and Arizona State assistant George McQuarn were at St. John Bosco to see Gardner score 16 points as the Braves beat La Canada St. Francis, 52-46. Gardner, as unselfish as he is talented, attended the UCLA-Arizona game at Pauley Pavilion last week, and said his top three college choices were Arkansas, UCLA and Arizona State. The spring signing period for basketball players begins April 13.

Add UCLA-Arizona: Among high school standouts on hand to watch the Bruins’ 74-66 victory over the Wildcats were freshmen forwards Schea Cotton (Mater Dei) and twins Jarron and Jason Collins (Studio City Harvard-Westlake), and sophomore guard Olujimi Mann (Santa Ana Valley).