Harvin starts with a spark

Percy Harvin wasted no time in showing why he is ranked as the number one player in the nation.

The 6-foot-1, 188-pound wide receiver from Virginia Beach hauled in six passes for 124 yards in a scrimmage against Hampton. The highlight of the night came when Harvin nabbed a third down screen pass near the sideline and juked two Hampton defenders before reversing field to take the play 55 yards for a touchdown.

While the crowd may have been most impressed with Harvin's moves, Landstown coach Chris Beatty says that Harvin has qualities that are even more impressive.

"Percy is so unselfish," Beatty said. "The way our offense is designed is to spread the ball around to multiple receivers. Percy knows he's going to get his touches though, so he doesn't mind being a decoy when that's what we need him to be."

In addition to starting his senior year with a big performance on the gridiron, Harvin has also mixed things up in his recruitment. While Beatty said that Harvin maintains a solid top four of Florida State, Florida, Miami, and USC, he also said that Harvin has scheduled another official visit and will use all five visits.

"He's going to Florida State on November 5th, I believe," Beatty said. "Then he's going to schedule one last visit, probably to LSU or Tennessee."

Rumors have been swirling every which way about Harvin, but Beatty insists that Harvin is not leaning to any school at this point. Beatty also mentioned that a previous report, which quoted Harvin as saying the only way he would not end up at Florida State would be if Bobby Bowden retired, may have been taken out of context.

"I don't even know how true that report was when it was printed," Beatty said. "People take parts of conversations out of context or misquote things. I don't know if it was an accurate statement from the beginning.

I think Florida State was his front-runner in the beginning, but I think that the guarantee about Bobby Bowden was exaggerated."

Harvin and Beatty have both said that Harvin's relationship with the coaching staff, specifically the wide receivers coach, will play a large part in his final decision. Beatty said that USC running backs coach Todd McNair has caught Harvin's attention.

"He really likes Coach McNair," Beatty said. "He just seems so real. You can tell that he grew up in a similar situation as a lot of these kids."

Other than McNair, Harvin was also impressed by the coaching staff of another one of his favorite schools.

"He told me he was really impressed with Florida's staff when we went down there," Beatty said.

The sheer amount of media attention Harvin has received can be somewhat daunting for the young man, Beatty said. But as his recruitment has progressed, Harvin has opened up slightly.

"The whole recruiting process is still distracting to him, but he's getting accustomed to it," Beatty said. "The more he deals with the media, the more comfortable he becomes. But it's still a little overwhelming."

Harvin is still planning on making a decision before signing day, according to Beatty.

"His decision will most likely come sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas."

USCFootball.com will stay in touch with Landstown head coach Chris Beatty and Percy Harvin as he prepares for his official visit to USC.