Recruiting Central: D'Angelo has no regrets he chose 'Nova

Some might argue that Nico D'Angelo committed too early.

And with just cause.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder, who will be a senior at Holy Spirit, was starting to attract more Football Bowl Subdivision attention.

The offensive lineman had offers from Tulane and Buffalo, while Rutgers, Temple, and Central Florida were expressing interest.

But . . .

"Big-time football, all the bells and whistles, are not really important to me," said D'Angelo, who orally committed to Football Championship Subdivision program Villanova on June 27. "What I want is a good education and good football.

"At Villanova, I can get both."

His love for the Wildcats program is another reason he chose Villanova.

"My dad [Franco] went to 'Nova," said D'Angelo, who attended his first Wildcats game in the sixth grade. "My mom [Renee] went there. So it just felt right."

He has made only 12 career starts in high school. But his strength and speed makes up for his lack of experience. D'Angelo covers the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds and bench-presses 365 pounds.

Britt likes Villanova. Villanova could lure one of the nation's top players in the Class of 2013. Nate Britt, who will be a junior at Gonzaga (D.C.) in the fall, has basketball scholarship offers from Villanova, Georgetown, Virginia, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, and Rutgers.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pounder recently told the NBE Basketball Report recruiting service he had a special interest in two of those schools.

"I always rooted for Georgetown and Villanova," Britt said in an article on the NBE website.

Britt is regarded as the nation's top point guard in his class by Scout.com. The recruiting website lists him as the 16th-best overall prospect in his class.

He's ranked 23d by ESPNU and 33d by Rivals.com.

Pollard to become an Owl? Temple, East Carolina, Rutgers, and Boston College all have chances to recruit West Deptford two-way lineman Jamil Pollard, according to Eagles coach Clyde Folsom.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pounder, who will be a senior in the fall, originally gave an oral commitment to play football for Penn State in April. But Folsom told The Inquirer the Nittany Lions backed out of the scholarship offer because Pollard has yet to qualify academically.

Rivals.com lists the four-star recruit as New Jersey's sixth-best prospect in the Class of 2012.

Area's elite underclassmen. Chester's Rondae Jefferson, Robert Vaux's Rysheed Jordan, and Imhotep Charter's Brandon Austin are ranked among the nation's top 100 basketball prospects in the Class of 2013 by Scout.com.

Jefferson, a 6-7 guard-forward, is regarded as the 25th-best prospect. Jordan, a 6-3 combo guard, is 55th. Austin, a 6-6 combo guard, is 76th.

Jefferson is also ranked 19th by Rivals.com and 42d by ESPNU.

One of Maryland's best. Tavon Young, a Temple football commit, is regarded as Maryland's fifth-best cornerback in the Class of 2012 by MDhigh.com. Young will be a senior at Potomac (Md.) High this fall.

Georgia wing mentions Owls. Quinton Stephens, a 6-8 swingman from Decatur, Ga., lists Temple as one of the schools recruiting him.

Stephens, who will be a junior in the fall, also told ESPN that Kentucky, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Florida, South Carolina, and Maryland are recruiting him.

Extremely versatile, he can play positions from shooting guard through power forward.