The aftershocks of Pete Carroll's departure from USC to coach the Seattle Seahawks have reached Nevada.
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) senior tight end Xavier Grimble, who gave a non-binding verbal commitment to the Trojans back in April, said he is reconsidering his options now that Carroll has officially left the school for the NFL.
"I’m still committed (to USC), but I’m still open,” Grimble told Nevadapreps.com. “With Pete Carroll leaving and the rumors about them going on probation, you’ve got to have a backup plan.”
Grimble said that he is hoping to visit UCLA this weekend and is considering scholarship offers from several of the nation's top programs.
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Grimble is ranked as the No. 2 tight end in the country and the No. 26 player overall in Tom Lemming's Top 100. He caught 39 passes for 709 yards and nine touchdowns to help the Gaels go 15-0 and capture their second Class 4A state championship in three years.
In addition to UCLA, Grimble said he is looking at Miami, Florida, Oklahoma and LSU.
But Grimble added that he could still end up a Trojan on national signing day (Feb. 3), depending on who the school hires to replace Carroll.
“USC is USC, a great school,” Grimble told Nevadapreps.com. “I want to make sure the tight end is featured in the offense. That will help.”
Should Grimble decide to sign elsewhere, he would not be the only southern Nevada player to make a late switch. Palo Verde (Las Vegas) defensive end/linebacker Daniel Godkin committed to Navy after originally pledging to Nevada in November.
Godkin made 103 tackles, two sacks and one interception as Palo Verde finished 10-2 and advanced to the Sunset Region semifinals. Godkin played middle linebacker this past season for the Panthers, but will move to defensive end at Navy, a position he played as a junior.
Godkin will be the fourth player from the Las Vegas area on the Midshipmen's roster, joining former Faith Lutheran (Las Vegas) athletes Garrett Sherwood and David Sperry along with former Bishop Gorman offensive lineman Sam Womack.
In addition, Palo Verde safety Tyrone Blake has reopened his recruitment after originally pledging to Northern Arizona.
UNLV SNAGS LOCALS
Speaking of having a change of heart, Bishop Gorman defensive lineman Ian Bobak made a verbal commitment to UNLV after committing to Nevada less than a month ago. He is one of five local players to give new Rebels coach Bobby Hauck a verbal commitment, joining Bishop Gorman wide receiver/defensive back Taylor Spencer, Desert Pines (Las Vegas) wide receiver/safety Eric Tuiloma, Green Valley (Henderson) kicker Nolan Kohorst and Calvary Chapel (Las Vegas) defensive lineman Desmond Tautofi.
Spencer had offers from Utah, Idaho and Northern Arizona after intercepting seven passes as a senior, while Tuiloma also had an offer from Northern Arizona. Kohorst, who made four field goals of more than 50 yards as a junior, picked the Rebels over Air Force and Wyoming.
Tautofi has the most interesting story as he was ineligible to play this season after moving from Hawaii, where he was an all-state performer and garnered interest from Pacific-10 Conference schools.
BROWN BOLTS FINDLAY PREP
Junior guard Jabari Brown left Findlay Prep (Henderson) and enrolled at Oakland (Calif.) High last week.
Brown was averaging 16.4 points per game for the Pilots, who are No. 7 in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25 boys rankings and the top-ranked team in Nevada.
"It wasn't really working out," the 6-foot-3 Brown told the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. "I just decided it would be a good decision for me and the team and I decided to come home."
Brown is one of the top shooting guards in the nation in the Class of 2011, but he reportedly lost his spot in the starting lineup to Marko Petrovic and was pulled from the second half of a recent game for not hustling back on defense.
Findlay Prep (20-1) meets Benedictine (Cleveland, Ohio) on Saturday before a showdown with No. 1 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) next Monday at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.
GORMAN IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
Bishop Gorman's victory at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina has vaulted the defending 4A state champions into the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings at No. 22.
Gorman (13-1), whose only loss came in its season opener to Findlay Prep, won four games in as many days to capture the tournament title in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Gaels topped Columbia (Decatur, Ga.) 54-52 in the championship game after wins over North Carolina signee Kendall Marshall and Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) and Virginia signee Will Regan and the Nichols School (Buffalo, N.Y.) to open.
Senior guard Johnathan Loyd was named the tournament MVP.
ELKO FIRES FOOTBALL COACH
Elko football coach Mike Tournahu was fired last week, more than two months after he finished his third season with the Indians.
Tournahu was 5-23 overall, including a 2-7 mark in 2009. Still, many of his returning players circulated a petition in favor of retaining Tournahu.
Elko will be looking for its third football coach since the school let go of longtime coach Bob Milligan in 2004. Dan Chappuis went 3-15 in his two years before Tournahu took over.
The new coach might find himself in a more competitive situation, however, as Elko could move down to Class 3A as part of the NIAA's realignment plan.
David Schoen works at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and is a former Associate Sports Editor and Turn2 columnist for the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. You can reach him at ByDavid1@aol.com.