It is never an easy choice when every choice is a great one.
That was what lay in front of Jesuit defensive back Kendrick Torain. The 2018 3-star recruit is one of the top 100 cornerbacks in the nation. Torain is also one of the Top 20 players (19th) in our Spectrum Sports rankings for the 2017 high school football season here in Tampa Bay.
Torain was down to four schools: USF, UCLA, Georgia and Tennessee.
When it came to what made USF attractive, the answer was simple: It was the hometown team.
“USF showed me a lot of love, being a local kid,” said Torain. “I have a good relationship with (DB Coach) Blue Adams and he did a great job of showing me how I would be used in the Bulls defense.
“(Head Coach) Charlie Strong and (Running backs coach) Shaun King have also been great throughout this process. That is a big reason for them being in this final four.”
Torain also had his eyes set on the SEC thanks to a pair of schools: Georgia and Tennessee.
“With Georgia, (head coach) Kirby Smart is a defensive coach and he really recruited me well,” said Torain. “I am a long DB and that was something Georgia really liked about me.
“Tennessee is a great fit for anyone in Tampa because of the ties and the job they’ve done recruiting the area,” commented Torain. “(Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends coach) Larry Scott did a great job recruiting me. He and (Head Coach) Butch Jones worked hard on my recruitment.”
But in the end, it was “4’s Up” and “8 Clap” for Kendrick Torain.
“One of the big reasons for choosing UCLA is my good friend (Hillsborough High DB Ken Montgomery) is also going there,” said Torain. “We are going to be really solid in the secondary with us two guys in there for UCLA.
“Los Angeles is a beautiful place and I look forward to visiting this fall and to getting to work. UCLA has made it a priority to recruit our area and Florida. It’s awesome.”