There was a time earlier this year when offensive lineman Stacey Wilkins was focused on a small handful of schools and he was considering making an early commitment. Now, with new schools entering the picture at a frantic pace, Wilkins has decided to slow things down a bit and take several visits.
Next weekend, the Camden (AR) Fairview product will visit Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The consecutive weekends following those trips, he’ll be at Arkansas, Oklahoma and Alabama. Wilkins said he’s no longer planning to commit in May, as he had previously planned.
“I pushed it back. I’m waiting to see what else comes in, be able to get the groove of the other schools that have offered that I haven’t visited yet,” Wilkins said.
The 6-6, 267-pound Wilkins visited Texas for a junior day in February and said he hopes to return soon.
“Hopefully I’ll get there for an official, sometime soon this spring,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins doesn’t have a firm list of favorites because he’s still waiting to see what other opportunities might arise. Texas is a school that should figure heavily into the mix, and Wilkins said the Longhorns are still drawing strong consideration.
“They’re still up there. They have a lot to offer and a really good program as far as academics and all those things,” Wilkins said. “So they’re still up there.
“Coach (Herb) Hand, he’s a great offensive line coach with what he did at Auburn. As far as watching film, he’s good, he knows what he’s doing. So it would be good to play under him, and coach (Tom) Herman, he’s doing a lot up there right now.
Texas A&M offered Wilkins last week and he said he’d also like to get down to College Station at some point this spring to see what the Aggies have to offer and meet offensive line coach Jim Turner.
“Coach Turner, he’s produced a lot of offensive linemen in the NFL, first round and second round,” Wilkins said. “He’s been there for a while, so I want to be able to see what he’s about. And coach (Jimbo) Fisher, he’s obviously a good coach too.”
A four-star prospect, Wilkins participated in Sunday’s Rivals 3-Stripe Camp in Dallas, where he was one of the day’s top performers. Wilkins currently holds close to 20 offers from the likes of Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Southern Cal, Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Florida.
