Prominent multi-sport stars honing in on football

High school sports specialization is an undeniable trend, but the multi-sport star is far from extinct.

Many top football prospects expected to sign next week have more on their plate at the moment than finalizing their college plans in advance of National Signing Day.

While looming college decisions are dominating the headlines, prospects like Jacoby Brissett, Jay Rome and Bubba Starling are also managing commitments to their high school basketball teams.

Here's a look at the off-the-gridiron exploits of several big names on the verge of making a college football program happy with their signature next week;

Jacoby Brissett, Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
Status: Weighing offers and interest from LSU, Miami, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin
Football: With the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Brissett under center, Dwyer went 38-5 over the past three years with a Class 4A state title in 2009. Last fall, he threw for 2,473 yards and 32 touchdowns against just one interception.
Basketball: Brissett has stated in the past that basketball is his first love, so it's shocking that more college programs haven't pursued the Palm Beach County star for his hardwood skills. Despite missing time while participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and taking recruiting trips, the bulky guard is posting 17.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He was among the standouts at December's City of Palms Classic and will be included in MaxPreps.com's final 2011 Top 100 regardless of his decision next week.

DaVaris Daniels, Vernon Hills (Ill.)
Status: Committed to Notre Dame
Football: A participant in the Under Armour All-American Game, Daniels piled up over 1,100 rushing and receiving yards as a senior along with 16 touchdowns for 10-2 Vernon Hills. But he was even more valuable on the other side of the ball, where he was named the Lake County News-Sun's Defensive Player of the Year. He is rated the No. 75 prospect nationally by CBS/MaxPreps analyst Tom Lemming.
Basketball: The son of Washington Redskins defensive end Phillip Daniels, DaVaris' talent on the basketball court is making some wonder if he could double up for the Fighting Irish. The 6-3, 185-pound guard is averaging over 20 points per game.

Christian French, Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Status: Committed to Oregon
Football: The 6-6, 230-pound Iowan played linebacker, safety and defensive end for Kennedy last fall, registering 67 tackles and seven tackles for loss. He is expected to play tight end for the Ducks.
Basketball: Pegged as a hoops prospect early on in his high school career, French is a big reason why the Kennedy is 11-2 and No. 8 in Iowa's 4A classification, according to MaxPreps.com's computerized Freeman Rankings.

Jay Rome, Valdosta (Ga.)
Status: Committed to Georgia
Football: The future Bulldog caught 30 passes for 586 yards and four touchdowns as a senior. More importantly, he helped storied Valdosta win 11 games after combining for just 12 victories in 2008 and 2009. Rome is rated the No. 26 prospect in MaxPreps.com's 2011 Top 100.
Basketball: As good as Rome is on the gridiron, he has arguably been even more dominant on the court. Last week he scored 28 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to help the Wildcats do something they were unable to do during his high school football career – beat archrival Lowndes.

Brennan Scarlett, Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.)
Status: Committed to California
Football: The 6-5, 255-pound defensive end is pegged as the No. 84 prospect in the 2011 class, but injuries limited him to just two full games as a senior and caused him to miss large chunks of his sophomore and junior years as well.
Basketball: Scarlett got a late start to his final basketball season, but provides size in the paint for one of Oregon's top 6A programs. He was assigned the task of guarding Kentucky-bound big man Kyle Wiltjer in a recent game against rival Jesuit (Portland).

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Gig Harbor (Wash.)
Status: Committed to Washington
Football: The 27th-best senior prospect in America according to CBS/MaxPreps analyst Tom Lemming, the 6-6, 270-pound Seferian-Jenkins hauled in a school-record 126 passes in his career at Gig Harbor.
Basketball: Even with an early enrollment at UW looming, Seferian-Jenkins has been a force for the Tides this winter, averaging 13.4 points per game.

Dreamius Smith, Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kan.)
Status: Committed to Kansas
Football: Smith led Heights to an unbeaten season and Class 6A state title by rushing for 1,837 yards and 34 touchdowns, including a season-high 286 yards and four scores in the title game.
Basketball: Continuing a dream senior year, Smith is playing a big role for the undefeated (11-0) and nationally-ranked Falcons. Alongside 6-8 star junior Perry Ellis, Smith is posting 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Heights is ranked No. 14 in this week's Xcellent 25.

Bubba Starling, Gardner-Edgerton (Gardner, Kan.)
Status: Committed to Nebraska
Football: No. 30 in MaxPreps.com's 2011 Top 100, Starling earned Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year honors last fall after accounting for 3,229 yards and 39 touchdowns at quarterback for the 11-1 Trailblazers.
Basketball: The 6-5, 200-pound Starling is a standout for the Gardner-Edgerton hoops team (he reportedly dunked 70 times in game action as a junior), but his best sport may be baseball. Starling's plans for Nebraska could be complicated by June's MLB Draft.

Kasen Williams, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
Status: Committed to Washington
Football: One of the most accomplished three-sport athletes in Washington history, Williams started his senior sports marathon by hauling in 86 passes for 1,579 yards and 21 touchdowns. Defensively, he piled up 89 tackles and four interceptions in leading the Spartans to the Class 4A state championship game for the third-straight year.
Basketball: No. 38 nationally among senior football prospects, Williams puts his physical gifts to use on the court, averaging 11.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. The future Husky also owns a pair of track and field state championships and competed in eight different events as a junior.

The future

Four members of MaxPreps' 2012 football watch list have also distinguished themselves beyond the gridiron.

At the top of the list is Dorial Green-Beckham of Hillcrest (Springfield, Mo.), who earned MaxPreps.com's National Athlete of the Year honor as a sophomore. The 6-6, 220-pound football-basketball-track star is already Missouri's career receiving leader with 4,154 yards and 51 touchdowns. He led the Hornets to a basketball state championship as a sophomore.

Reggie Ragland of Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) is already committed to Alabama as a linebacker, but also played a part on the Patriots' 2010 state championship basketball team and is back with the defending champs this season.

Then there are plus-sized athletes Zach Banner (6-8, 295, Lakes/Lakewood, Wash.) and Freddie Tagaloa (6-8, 305, Salesian/Richmond, Calif.). Both are seen as prototype offensive tackles, but have flashed enough basketball skill to gain attention in that sport as well.