In the business of high school football recruiting, players are ranked with stars by national scouting services.

Before, a player was either a blue-chip recruit or not. Now, players are either a five-star (the highest rank), four-star, three-star or, heavens, something much less.

Area talents who are labeled five-star include Grant High School safety Shaq Thompson, who has narrowed his college choices to Cal, Washington and Oregon, and Pleasant Grove lineman Arik Armstead, who has the following coaches coming by for home visits in the coming days and week: Nick Saban, Alabama; Lane Kiffin, USC; Chip Kelly, Oregon; Jeff Tedford, Cal; Gene Chizik, Auburn; and Jim Mora, UCLA.

Sheldon tight end/defensive end Nate Iese is listed as a three-star recruit because he entered the season as a relative unknown and didn't frequent any of the preseason combines. In our book, he's five-star material with his 6-foot-5, 250-pound body, his ferocity at defensive end and his speed downfield.

And when Mora saw him in a basketball workout last month, he stood agape and muttered, "Incredible, just incredible."

Iese is a UCLA verbal commitment.

Hicks flashback

The first local major prep talent that impressed me during the blue-chip era was Marc Hicks of Davis in 1984.

The late Joe Paterno once said Hicks was the best prep runner he'd seen in five years, since Herschel Walker. Hicks went to Cal, then transferred to Ohio State.

Kudos for Keeney

A superb talent still seeking a football scholarship is Brendan Keeney of Granite Bay. The quarterback has taken unofficial visits to UC Davis and San Jose State and has drawn interest from UCLA, but no school has pulled the trigger on a scholarship offer. What's not to like about Keeney? He has size (6-3, 215), poise and skill.

Coach Pete-speak

Whenever a big-name college job opens, such as at USC, UCLA or Stanford in the recent past, Chris Petersen's name comes up. This is all flattering for the former Yuba City/UC Davis football star, but he's deeply rooted at Boise State. In a lengthy one-on-one chat in his office last year, Petersen said he absolutely could see himself at Boise State long term, and he reminds recruits of that.

Twitter mania

It's awful how some fans take things so personally and spew venom and hate. Be it 49ers return man Kyle Williams, suffering enough with the fumbles Sunday, or local prep football stars who have been savaged in social media for no real reason except spite.

Oak Ridge wide receiver Dylan Collie, headed to BYU, had Twitter posts from Utah fans hoping he suffers multiple concussions. Other recruits such as Thompson of Grant and Armstead of Pleasant Grove have been blasted by fans for not picking their schools, including being pelted with racial epithets.

Hoops heaven

The conventional thinking that the Bay Area is superior to Sacramento in boys basketball took a major hit this winter. Regional powers such as Sheldon, Foothill, Jesuit, Franklin and others have beaten Bay heavies, including Sheldon using its defense to top Bishop O'Dowd on Saturday.

"The Bay Area always thinks they're better than us, and it's not true," Foothill coach Drew Hibbs said.

Eddie's star rising

Next season's top area football recruit could be Placer defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes, who we like to call "Floor Safe" since he's about as wide and unyielding as one. The 6-4, 295-pound junior has been offered scholarships by UCLA, Washington and others.

He had 59 tackles and eight sacks for the Hillmen last season.

Oh, he's currently ranked as a four-star recruit who should blossom into a five-star after summer camp sessions. He's also a terrific personality, so does that qualify him for a six-star?

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