Florida star looking at Big Ten
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Posted by Bill Kurelic
Defensive back Vlad Emilien (Plantation, Fla.) was a hot commodity after an excellent junior season. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound, hard-hitting safety made 93 tackles, including eight for loss, intercepted two passes and forced three fumbles in 2007. Emilien had close to a dozen scholarships on the table by early in the summer, including offers from Ohio State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Purdue, Tennessee, Stanford, South Carolina, South Florida and Kentucky.
Emilien seemed close to committing to Ohio State, especially after attending the Buckeyes' spring game, but held off on a decision. While he waited, Ohio State landed commitments from several other defensive backs.
Then Emilien tore the ACL in his right knee in the summer and had surgery on June 25. He missed his senior football season, but that hasn't quieted the interest in him. Emilien made official visits to Michigan and Wisconsin. He will make an official visit to Stanford this weekend and watch the Cardinal take on USC. And Emilien is still looking at Ohio State, though he won't take an official visit to Columbus.
"I'm going to announce my decision on Nov. 23," Emilien said. "It's between Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State and Stanford. I'll have a press conference at my school to announce my decision."