Prestwood commits to Florida State football, other Tampa area players sign

Jordan Prestwood's recruiting odyssey went from Plant City, Fla., to South Bend, Ind. And seemed destined to end in Gainesville, Fla.

But on Monday, it ended with Prestwood, one of the nation's most sought-after offensive linemen, committing to Florida State.

After verbally committing to Notre Dame originally, the 6-foot-6, 270-pound tackle, de-committed in October. He visited Florida State and Florida in the following weeks with the Gators appearing to be in the lead. At the time of his decommitment from Notre Dame, Prestwood said he was looking to play closer to home.

Prestwood and his Plant City teammates open the Class 5A playoffs Friday at defending state champ Plant (Tampa).

Meanwhile, the first official week recruits can sign with their college choices began with numerous other signings across the Tampa Bay area. Among the signings and commitments:

Countryside (Clearwater) senior cornerback Alex Dixon committed to North Carolina. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Dixon, who has two interceptions this season, picked the Tar Heels over South Florida, Auburn and Tennessee.

Also, Osceola (Seminole) baseball pitcher Taylor Layner has signed with Florida State. During the past two seasons, the left-handed Layner has gone 16-2 with 203 strikeouts. Seminole baseball player Joey Krehbiel has signed with South Florida. Krehbiel hit .476 with six home runs and 20 RBIs last season.

Jefferson (Tampa) girls basketball players Laurie Beaty and Bene'e Glanton have signed with Division I college squads. Beaty, a guard, scored 15 points a game last season. She has signed with University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

Glanton, a 6-foot-3 forward, was a defensive presence with two blocks and five rebounds a game last year. Glanton has signed with Hampton University. Beaty and Glanton are two of four returning starters for the Dragons team that won 28 games last season and advanced to the state final four.

Chamberlain (Tampa) golfer Gary Buffington will attend the University of West Florida. Buffington won a district title as a junior and lost out on the district crown this season in a sudden death playoff.

Other baseball commitments included Tampa Catholic shortstop Nick Alfonso to South Florida, Wesley Chapel shortstop Geoff DeGroot to Umass-Lowell and Bishop McLaughlin (Spring Hill) catcher T.J. Wharton became the private school's first Division I baseball product as he signed with UNC-Greensboro.