Five schools in touch with 2019 Rivals100 DL Antonio Alfano the most
It has ben a tumultuous offseason for 2019 Rivals100 defensive lineman Antonio Alfano. The Rahway, N.J. star transferred from Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic and is now back with many of the guys he played youth football with. Alfano has to sit out the first four games of the season due to transfer rules in the state so he has had a little time to figure some things out on the recruiting trail.
IN HIS OWN WORDS...
“I’m going to Penn State this weekend,” Alfano said. “I'm not sure of my other visits. I might try to make it back to Penn State for the Michigan game. I know I'll be taking my officials in spring. I could be taking one to Oregon if the relationship gets stronger with the coaches. Miami could get one too. I'm going to make my top 10 in January I could commit some time spring of next year.
“Miami has a great coaching staff and they’re always reaching out to me and my dad,” he said. “I wanted to visit there in the summer but it didn't work out. I’m still in contact with those guys a lot.
“USC, UCLA, Oregon, Ohio State, and Penn State are in contact with me the most,” said Alfano. “I visited Penn State several times already. They’re always looking out for what's best for me. They give me advice and I get texts from coach Franklin all the time. It's really a home feel there but I'm still trying to get used to the recruiting process. I am a junior but I am still trying to warm up to that school. Everyone kid wants to go play for a top 25 school but my main goal is to find a place that can be home for me for the next four years of my life. That's really what I'm looking.
“Ohio State is one of mine and my dad's favorites along with Penn State,” he said. “It's closer to home that some of these other schools. Coach Schiano is a New Jersey guy and he, my dad, and me have hour-long conversations about lots of things. It feels like they're really invested in me because I talk to a lot of people there. When I go to these schools and the players introduce themselves to my dad he tells me about who they are. We are like, 'Oh that's Saquon Barkley,' or 'Oh that’s Sam Hubbard.' You kind of get goosebumps seeing these guys on TV and then you’re standing right next to them.
“I see great promise that Oregon,” Alfano said. “I am thinking about taking one of my official visits there. I really want to build a relationship with the head coach and see what they offer. It is a little far away and I'm not sure how comfortable my dad will be with me going that far yet.
“Brian Cushing went to USC and he went to my former school Bergen Catholic,” he said. “He talked to me a little bit about USC and he compared the to UCLA like this. He said, ‘If you are trying to decide between USC and UCLA, UCLA is like the Hollywood with bright lights but at USC you’re like a rock star. It’s a little rough around the edges and the area isn’t the best but once you get on campus really feels tight-knit and everybody's very close.’ I do like California and those are two schools I'm very interested in.
“Last year USC beat Penn State in the Rose Bowl and they have a great quarterback right now,” said Alfano. “They're very hot right now. They've had plenty of defensive players come out of there and go to the NFL. Talking to the defensive line coach he said he could develop me into whatever I want to play.
“UCLA is a very good school and it was my grandfather's favorite college,” he said. “I’ve grown up listening to my grandfather talk about UCLA and the games they’ve played. That's almost a household team for me. Being able to play for them would be pretty cool because I know my family likes them.
“I'm getting a lot of attention from Alabama,” Alfano said. “They’re the most out of the SEC schools. I'm also hearing from LSU and Florida State. Those are the southern schools that are really coming at me hard.”
RIVALS’ REACTION
Penn State fans have to love how much they’re getting Alfano on campus. The Nittany Lions are clearly in great position with him and should considered one of the leaders to land his commitment. The same thing goes for Ohio State. Those two schools are pretty clearly leading the pack and it will remain that way at least until Alfano takes more visits to see what else is out there.
