Vernon Hargreaves Interview: Not A USF Lock, Will Visit Schools Over Summer

Vernon Hargreaves III is the son of a college coach, probably the best defensive back recruit in the country, and he happens to play just down the road from my house. So, of course the Tampa (Fla.) Wharton High School got a visit during SB Nation's spring recruiting coverage. Hargreaves stands 5'11 and weighs in at 180 pounds. He is a consensus five-star recruit with offers from all over the country including Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford, South Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Washington, Wisconsin and USC.

"Spring has been going good. Everybody is working hard, learning the playbook with our defensive coordinator, coach Thomas, our DB coach. We're learning and getting better," Hargreaves said. "And as far as how we're going to do this season, well, not everybody is out here yet. I think our strengths will be our offensive and defensive line. We are going to need some work with the DBs and linebackers," he added.

There haven't been many new offers for Hargreaves this spring because he already held offers from pretty much every school in the country, though Michigan State did swing through to extend an offer.

With his dad coaching at USF, many believe Hargreaves is a strong lean to the Bulls.

"I can't really comment on that. They can think whatever they want, but just because he coaches there doesn't mean I'm going to go there. I mean, he could leave. A lot of people don't think about that. But I don't really care about what people think," Hargreaves said.

Hargreaves doesn't have an official top list of schools yet because he hasn't been out of the state to see other schools. But that will soon change,

"I'll be taking trips this summer. I'll start up north at Michigan and Ohio State, and some of the Big Ten schools. And I'll make my way back down to see Auburn, Georgia, Alabama and the SEC," Hargreaves said. He also plans to visit Stanford, USC, Cal and Oregon for the Opening over the summer.

As for the type of defense he is looking to play in, Hargreaves said it doesn't really matter to him. "I am looking for a defense that plays with high energy. I want a defense that, even if they're losing, they're not giving up," Hargreaves said.

And he wants to play in the NFL, but that a school has put a lot of players into the NFL is not a big factor to him.

"Football could end, I could get hurt, so the school matters," Hargreaves said. Hargreaves also cited the environment and the education.

With his dad in coaching, Hargreaves moved around a lot growing up. He talked about the factor that distance will play in his decision. "Not that much. I mean, it matters to my mom. But it doesn't bother me that much, and I know my family is going to have my back. And regardless of where I go, my friends are going to be there for me," Hargreaves said.

As for the one thing he'll be working on this summer, it's his speed. "I want to get faster. I ran track this year, my first year running track. I did pretty good and felt like I got a little bit faster," Hargreaves said.

SB Nation Recruiting will check back with Hargreaves later this summer.

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