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West Mesquite defensive back Kameron Miles verbally committed to Tennessee on Monday, picking the Vols over Stanford, Penn State and Arkansas.

Miles explained to ESPN Recruiting's Damon Sayles that Mark Barron's play at Alabama steered him toward Tennessee. Read about Miles' decision here (Insider).

CEDAR HILL, Texas -- A friendly reminder to those trying to frustrate Fort Worth (Texas) Southwest's Robbie Rhodes with trash talk: Don't.

While you might think your verbal jabs are working, all you are really doing is hyping up one of the fastest and most explosive receivers in Texas. And you'll end up eating your words real soon.

"People talk trash but they are just making it harder on their defense," Rhodes said. "God bless them."

Dallas Skyline sophomore linebacker Cameron Hampton was the latest to figure that out during pool play of the Dallas Under Armour Sevens on Saturday.

Hampton, one of the state's top sophomores, engaged in a little friendly banter with Rhodes throughout the 30-minute game. Rhodes barked back a few times but made his biggest statement with three touchdowns in Southwest's victory.

Read the full story here.

Dallas Woodrow Wilson big man Zach Coleman officially selected Missouri as his destination for the fall of 2013.

The 6-foot-8 senior said the Tigers' move to the SEC played a big role in his decision.

"I like the style of play," Coleman said via text Monday. "I have a great relationship with the staff, and they are making the move to the SEC. A player like myself would thrive in that conference."

Coleman's coach, Patrick Washington, said Missouri recruited Coleman very well, making what can be a stressful process kind of fun.

"I think he enjoyed having those guys recruit him," Washington said. "They showed him how he would fit into what they were trying to do, especially with them going into the SEC. It should be a great situation for him."

To Washington, Coleman's commitment proved the power forward's dedication to his school work even more than his success on the hardwood.

Coleman averaged 14 points and 13 rebounds during his junior season, helping the Wildcats win the 12-4A championship en route to a regional quarterfinal appearance.

HornsNation's Max Olson did a Q&A with Plano West DE Bryce Cottrell, who switched his commitment from Oregon after being offered by Texas. He'll be a freshman for the Longhorns in the fall.

Here's an excerpt:

HornsNation: How did you end up a Longhorn?

Bryce Cottrell: Well, I've always wanted to play for the Longhorns since I was a little kid. My mom and my grandma and all them were Texas Longhorns, so it was kind of meant to be. I remember getting a phone call from Mack Brown a week and a half before signing day and they told me they were offering a scholarship. It was one of the happiest days of my life. That's a dream come true.

Read the entire interview here.

Southlake Carroll quarterback Kenny Hill told ESPN Recruiting Nation's Damon Sayles Saturday that he has committed to Texas A&M, after announcing the selection on twitter.

"Offically committed to Texas A&M!!! #AggSwagg," Hill said on his twitter handle, @Kennyhill13.

Hill led Carroll to the 5A Division I state title last December and was a finalist in the Elite 11 competition that took place at Cowboys Stadium last month, which was won by Skyline's Devante Kincade.

Hill turned down offers from nine other schools, including Missouri, Ole Miss, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech.

Here is Sayles story on Hill's decision (insider only).

It's a big day in the football recruiting world, with the initial ESPN 150 for the Class of 2013 being released.

Texas is well represented on the list of the nation's top recruits, but the Lone Star state's numbers have slipped from last year. There are 19 Texans on the new list, down from 24 on the final ESPN 150 for 2012.

This year's list has eight players from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The final 2012 list had 12 DFW recruits, led by Denton Ryan's Mario Edwards Jr. at No. 1 and Aledo's Johnathan Gray at No. 2.

The top-rated area recruit among next year's seniors is speedy Cedar Hill athlete LaQuvionte Gonzalez, who already has committed to Texas A&M. Gonzalez lined up at running back, receiver, defensive back, punt returner and kick returner last season for coach Joey McGuire.

Right behind Gonzalez at No. 53 is another speedster, DeSoto's Dontre Wilson. The running back, being recruited as an athlete, has a dozen BCS offers but remains uncommitted.

Here are the area players on the list:

50. LaQuvionte Gonzalez, Cedar Hill, Athlete, Texas A&M
53. Dontre Wilson, DeSoto, Athlete, uncommitted
78. Jake Raulerson, Celina, OT, Texas
85. Justin Manning, Dallas Kimball, DT, uncommitted
87. Kent Perkins, Lake Hollands, OT, Texas
101. Joas Aguilar, Birdville, OG, Texas A&M
133. A'Shawn Robinson, Fort Worth Arlington Heights, DT, Texas
138. Mike Mitchell, Plano Prestonwood Christian, OLB, uncommitted

Find the full list here. Loganville (Ga.) Grayson defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, who is uncommitted, is No. 1.

As unrest surrounds the University of Arkansas football team following the firing of head coach Bobby Petrino, a local recruit has spent the last day trying to unify the 2012 signing class.

Allen running back and four-star recruit Jonathan Williams spent most of Wednesday calling fellow recruits to make sure they were still on board to play in Fayetteville next fall.

“I just really wanted to talk to all the other commits and try to calm them down because the reason we all committed to Arkansas is because how great their school is. Their football program is great, but the academics are great and the campus is great, too. I just tried to talk to those guys and make sure they stayed a part of the Arkansas football team.”

The majority of the signees he spoke with felt the same as he does -- what Arkansas has to offer as a school outweighs the scandal surrounding the football program. Williams said none of the recruits he spoke with said they were reconsidering their college selection.

Williams initially heard of the scandal from friends attending Arkansas and players currently on the football team, but said he didn’t hear of Petrino’s firing until it was in the news.

“I wasn’t thinking much of it, but when it got the media attention that it got -- that’s when I started feeling nervous. I was just shocked,” Williams said of Petrino’s firing.

In the end, Williams said it was the assistant coaches who did most of the recruiting and created more of a connection with the incoming class than Petrino did. While Petrino was a factor in Williams' decision to pick Arkansas, all the school has to offer is really what made Williams decommit from Missouri last season and choose the Razorbacks.

Moving forward, if Williams could pick a new head coach for his future team, he said he would bring back former offensive coordinator and current UAB head coach Garrick McGee, who left Fayetteville before last season to take the helm for the Blazers.

“He was one of the guys who helped recruit me, and he would keep the coaching staff that is up there because that’s the staff he worked with,” Williams said. “That would be a good possibility in my eyes at least.”

ESPNU 150 watch list defensive end Jay Arnold chose Texas A&M for his college career Monday, making him A&M's 14th recruit of the class of 2013, according to ESPN Recruiting Nation Midlands recruiting coordinator Damon Sayles.

The 6-foot 4, 255-pound end from Rockwall-Heath joined the the 2013 edition of the Aggie Swag Movement over offers from Baylor, Northwestern, Tulsa, SMU and Ole Miss.

Here is Sayles' account of Arnold's selection (Insider only).

Sayles also took a look at the talent surrounding standout Southlake Carroll quarterback Kenny Hill as the Dragons look to defend the 5A state title next fall, featuring Tanner Jacobson, Cam Manning, Ray Crockett and A.J. Ezzard.

Here is the Insider-only look at those returning Dragons.

SOUTHLAKE, Texas -- Every now and then, Southlake Carroll quarterback Kenny Hill will take a look at the state championship ring in his room. It's kind of hard not to stare at it and it serves as a constant reminder of the hard work and multiple sacrifices Hill's had to endure -- the kind of work that has made him a definite player to watch as his recruiting process heats up.

There are Super Bowl rings that take a step back from what Hill and the other Carroll players and coaches received. The face features 40 diamonds around and a part of the school's "SC" logo -- which resembles the USC athletics logo. Around the border are eight emeralds, which represent the school's eight championships. Carroll and Celina are the only Texas public high schools with eight titles in their school histories.

"When I first got [the ring], I was like, 'Man, we actually did it,'" Hill said. "Now when I look at it, I say, 'A second one would be even better.'"

Read the full story here.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo talks about taking part in the Elite 11 camp for high school quarterbacks last weekend at Cowboys Stadium.

IRVING, Texas -- The excitement of the Nike Football Training Camp had the wind taken out of its sails momentarily when ESPNU 150 Watch List wide receiver Ra'Shaad Samples went down with a lower left leg injury Sunday at the Cowboys' training facility.

Samples, one of the nation's most highly touted receivers, sustained the injury at the end of a play against a camp defender. The severity of the injury is still unknown, but Samples was carted off and greeted by the cheers of receivers, defensive backs and onlookers.

"It looks like it's a severe ankle injury," said Reginald Samples, Ra'Shaad's father and the coach of the Skyline football team. "We'll know more on Monday or Tuesday. Everything is shut down for now, so we didn't get a chance for a full evaluation.

"He's got a plastic cast on for now. He's wearing a little wrap and some cloth on it. We will go in Monday and see what the doctors say."

Prior to the injury, Samples was having the kind of camp worthy enough to be considered the MVP of the receivers. He is currently balancing 33 offers from schools such as Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Cal, USC and Washington.

UPDATE: Samples is out 3-4 months with a fractured fibula. Read more here. (Insider)

Read more about the Nike camp here.

Jake Oliver loves to block. In fact, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver says one of his biggest thrills each Friday night is getting a chance to knock a defender on his back.

Oliver also loves to catch passes. And the Jesuit (Dallas) junior catches a lot of passes.

This past season, he earned a spot on the ESPNHS Underclass All-American team after hauling in 108 passes for 1,637 yards and 24 touchdowns, numbers that most high school receivers would be happy to have in a career. Oliver has snagged 215 passes during his three years with the Rangers.

Oliver has learned a lot about being a wide receiver from his father, Gary, a former standout wideout at Texas A&M who later served as offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State and led Bishop Lynch (Dallas) to two state titles.

The ESPNU 150 Watch List receiver also had plenty of support from his dad and the rest of his family during the recruiting process. Though Oliver’s father and mother both attended A&M and his brother is a student at Oklahoma, he says none them tried to sway him toward their respective schools.

Instead, they let him handle recruiting on his own terms, and Oliver ultimately decided to commit to Texas last month.

So what does Oliver plan on doing now that his commitment is out of the way? Get Familiar with the standout pass-catcher.

ESPNHS: What’s the most important thing you learned from your father about playing wide receiver?
Oliver: You can have all the athletic talent in the world, but if you can’t get open, it will all go to waste. Practice makes you better all the time. Even going out for 30 minutes helps you a lot. I always catch and throw with my dad. I turn to my left and my right, over-the-shoulder catches — every situation I could be in during a game, he throws me that pass. Every possible catch I can think of, we’ve worked on it. We also work with tennis balls. It teaches you reflexes and hand-eye coordination.

ESPNHS: What’s an underrated aspect of your game?
Oliver: I take a lot of pride in my blocking. I’m a big receiver, and blocking has to be a big part of my game. If you block for your teammates, it can set up big plays. I also like to get after the DBs just to let ‘em know that I’ll be there all night and they better be ready. I love contact and love knocking people down.

ESPNHS: How do you deal with all the attention on the field?
Oliver: Almost every game I see double coverage. You’ve got to fight through it. But I could get zero catches and be happy as long as we got the win. Coach (Brandon) Hickman puts me in good position to run the right routes and break these coverages. You’ve got adjust. It’s usually the corner pressing me and then the safety coming over the top (to help).

ESPNHS: How relieved were you after you committed to Texas?
Oliver: It was a big weight lifted off my shoulders. There were a lot of things to think about leading up to the decision. Everybody trying to sway you, just thinking about what would be the best place to be — it was kind of overwhelming. Texas was always up there with my favorite schools, but since they didn’t offer until their junior day, I wasn’t sure. Once they offered, it was really cool. Not too many people can say that’s happened to them, and I feel blessed it happened to me.

I can’t imagine being anywhere else. My grandparents come to all my games and I’d love for them to come see my college games. It’s got a great tradition, great family atmosphere and great academics. Those are just some of the many reasons why I picked Texas.

ESPNHS: How did your family deal with your recruitment?
Oliver: My dad loves A&M, but he said, “It’s your decision. It’s not up to me. I’ll support you no matter what." My mom and my brother said the same thing.

JAKE OLIVER
School: Jesuit (Dallas)
Class: 2013
Position: Wide receiver
HT: 6-4
WT: 200
College: Texas

FAVORITES
TV Show: “How I Met Your Mother”
Movie: “Dumb and Dumber” and “Friday Night Lights”
Musical Artists: Blake Shelton and Lil Wayne
Athletes: Calvin Johnson and Justin Blackmon
Team: Dallas Cowboys
School Subject: World history
Food: Chicken

Dallas Skyline just keeps cranking out linebackers who can play at the next level.

Since 2006, 10 linebackers from Skyline have signed with FBS programs, including two from the class of 2012 -- Peter Jinkens (Texas) and Domenic Spencer (Central Florida).

Junior Isaiah Williams has been inspired by the linebackers who preceded him at Skyline and looks to keep up the tradition.

"When I first got here, it was pressure, but growing up and seeing what the great linebackers did, I see that this is easy if I do what they did," Williams told ESPN.com Midlands Recruiting writer Damon Sayles. "I see guys like Corey Nelson, Anthony Wallace and Nigel Robertson, and being next in line, I feel I can fill those shoes -- maybe even bust them."

Click here to read Sayles' story on Williams and Skyline's linebacker tradition.

Lake Highlands offensive lineman Kent Perkins committed to Texas on Monday after visiting Austin on Saturday, HornsNation's William Wilkerson reports.

Perkins, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound right tackle, also had offers from LSU, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas A&M.

Read the full story from HornsNation here.

DALLAS – The Dallas school district holds an annual signing day ceremony on the first day of the NCAA football signing period in which they showcase all of the football and basketball recruits -- from FBS signees to junior college signees. Linebacker Domenic Spencer (Dallas Skyline) wasn’t a part of that ceremony.

On Thursday, Spencer had his own ceremony, as the 5-foot-11, 215-pound outside linebacker proudly wore his Central Florida ball cap in front of family, friends, coaches and teachers. Spencer is Skyline’s 13th college signee of the 2012 recruiting class. He’s also the 11th Skyline linebacker to sign an FBS scholarship in the last seven years.

“It feels real good to finally take this load off my back,” Spencer said. “My brother’s in college, and my mom and dad are paying for him. It feels good that they don’t have to pay for me and that I have guaranteed four more years to play football, Big East football at that.

“It was hard for me not being able to sign on signing day. My mom and dad just told me to keep praying. They’re prayer warriors, and everything worked out.”

Spencer had offers from Navy and FCS national runner-up Sam Houston State, which is where his older brother, Desmond, attends college. Spencer also received interest from UTEP, SMU, UNLV, North Texas, Texas State and Nevada. Recruited by UCF director of player personnel Drew Hughes and linebackers coach Tyson Summers, Spencer is expected to play outside linebacker for the Knights, and he is expected to be the only Texan on the roster.

Spencer committed to UCF on Feb. 13, 12 days after national signing day. Prior to committing, Spencer visited Orlando, Fla., and the UCF campus. He was hosted by freshman linebacker Troy Gray, and Spencer said Gray and the rest of the players were a big reason why he chose to play for the Knights.

“Their players are a family. They really bond down there,” Spencer said. “When I went down there, we were all one big group. They didn’t think about partying; they think about how they can help each other on and off the field. We played video games all night talking about what we can do to get better.”

Spencer had 145 tackles and five sacks during his senior year. Spencer is expected to play outside linebacker but can also play middle linebacker if needed. As a junior, he lined up at defensive end and recorded 13 sacks. Spencer additionally was a defensive captain for this year’s team, which went 14-1 and advanced to the Texas Class 5A Division I state semifinals.

“He was a leader, and he was not afraid to redirect his players … but it was OK, because it was never in a way that was negative,” Skyline coach Reginald Samples said. “Sometimes, it’s good for the team, because there were some who didn’t have the courage to speak up.”

Spencer said he plans on majoring in education and hopes to be a college football coach after finishing college – if a professional football career isn’t in the plans.

Damon Sayles covers Midlands recruiting for ESPN Recruiting. He can be reached at dsaylesespn@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DamonSayles