Four favorites for McCoy

Fresno (Calif.) Bullard receiver Anthony McCoy is quickly becoming one of the hottest names on the West Coast.

At 6-foot-4, 240-pounds, McCoy was a dominant pass catcher pulling in 54 receptions for 850 yards as a junior. While his size suggests a future at tight end, McCoy is garnering plenty of attention as a wide out from several big name programs.

"Things really started picking up for me toward the end of the school year and the beginning of summer," said McCoy. "I started getting more phone calls and a lot of coaches coming in to watch me practice."

Those evaluations led to scholarship offers from Cal, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Washington State and Fresno State. Some of those schools are included in his current top four, but some are not.

"Yeah, I have four favorite schools right now," said McCoy. "I've got SC, Cal, Oklahoma and Fresno State."

McCoy went on to explain why each of those schools stand out from the rest.

"Fresno State is a school I grew up watching," said McCoy. "I've visited Cal and met some of the coaches there. I like their program and I like that they want me to play receiver. I like Oklahoma because they're a great passing team and they run a spread offense with four and five receivers.

"With USC, after the camp they told me I have a great shot at playing receiver instead of tight end. I also like how they practice and how intense they play. They don't walk through drills, they hustle everywhere they go. I like how the coaches teach you too. All of that talking trash and yelling gets you ready."

While USC has yet to offer McCoy a scholarship, the Central Valley star is still very interested in the Trojans. After a trip down to USC's Junior Day, McCoy was back on campus to take part in the Trojans' Rising Senior Camp.

"The camp was good for me because I got to meet the whole coaching staff," said McCoy. "I had a nice one-on-one talk with coach (Pete) Carroll and Rocky (Seto). They talked to me about what would be happening if I went there – where I'd be playing and how they would use me. It was a good experience and I met a lot of the current players like Bush, Jarrett and Matt Leinart."

But McCoy attended the camp for more than hand shakes and conversation.

"I went down there to learn and to prove something," said McCoy. "I wanted to prove that I can play receiver and that I'm not a tight end. I think I proved that in one-on-ones and in 7-on-7."

McCoy currently has two programs recruiting him as a tight end.

"Nebraska and Oklahoma are recruiting me as a tight end, Washington State hasn't told me where they're recruiting me, and Fresno State wants me at receiver," said McCoy. "My preference is to play receiver."

While McCoy notes that USC is recruiting him as a receiver, other factors influencing his college decision also coincide with what the Trojans have to offer.

"Yeah, and USC kind of fits the bill," said McCoy. "I've got family there, it's not too far away and I like the academic programs there. That's what I'm looking for, and USC pretty much hits the spot."

Although McCoy likes USC's academic reputation, he admits the Trojans' reluctancy to offer him a scholarship has a lot to do with his performance in the classroom.

"They've been keeping up on my academics," said McCoy. "That's the main reason they haven't offered me yet. I need to be academically eligible so I can qualify for the scholarship. They call me and ask about my grades, my SAT scores, whether I need to take some online classes ... stuff like that."

However, the question remains whether McCoy will continue to hold USC in good graces without a scholarship offer.

"I'm going to wait until the end of my first semester as a senior," said McCoy. "If they haven't offered me by then, I'll probably start looking somewhere else."

USCFootball.com will keep in touch with Anthony McCoy to see if that happens.