Shaq Thompson, a highly regarded safety from Grant High in Sacramento, tweeted late Monday night that he will sign with the University of Washington.
“Just committed to the UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON #HUSKYNATION,” Thompson tweeted.
Many scouting services list Thompson as a top-five prospect for this recruiting class at any position, and he’s regarded as the best safety prospect. Rivals.com has him as the top-rated safety, the No. 1 prospect from California and the No. 4 prospect overall.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Thompson originally committed to California, where his brother, Syd’Quan, was a star cornerback.
But when Washington hired assistant coach Tosh Lupoi away from Cal two weeks ago, Shaq Thompson said he would reconsider his commitment.
Thompson narrowed his choices to UW, Cal, Oregon and UCLA.
RUTGERS TABS FLOOD
Kyle Flood, the interim coach at Rutgers, agreed Monday to permanently replace Greg Schiano as football coach after hours of discussions with Mario Cristobal of Florida International ended with him declining the job, according to two people briefed on the matter.
Flood’s acceptance of the job pending the completion of a contract capped a whirlwind day in which Cristobal appeared to have emerged as the leading candidate. Rutgers is expected to announce Flood’s hiring this afternoon.
Schiano left last week to become the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.
Cristobal was considered the favorite because he possessed characteristics that athletic director Tim Pernetti valued: head-coaching experience, a familiarity with the university and strong recruiting ties in both New Jersey and South Florida.
BCS PLAYOFFS?
NCAA president Mark Emmert reiterated his support Monday for a two-round, four-team BCS championship playoff.
Emmert said there are ongoing discussions about what he described as a Final Four model, a scenario which would’ve matched LSU against Stanford and Alabama versus Oklahoma State this season with the winners advancing to the title game. Alabama defeated LSU, 21-0, to avenge its lone loss and win the championship.
EXTRA POINTS
Iowa is refusing to release records showing how it responded to a woman’s sexual assault claim against running back Marcus Coker ... Ohio State has announced Bill Sheridan will be a defensive assistant. … Penn State added special assistant Jim Bernhardt and director of strength and conditioning Craig Fitzgerald to the staff.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.