When it comes to college recruitment, the upcoming high school football season already is shaping up to be much stronger than 2008.

Two area athletes – Burbank's Terrance Mitchell, a senior defensive back, and Del Campo's Eddie Plantaric, a senior defensive end – already have verbally committed to Oregon and Stanford, respectively.

The area's lone Pacific-10 Conference recruits from last season – Grant's Kipeli Koniseti (Arizona State) and Jordan Wallace (Washington) – were late recruits.

In addition to Mitchell and Plantaric, El Dorado 6-foot-6, 310-pound senior tackle Ian Joseph was getting interest from UCLA and Washington before deciding to stay closer to home by verbally committing to UC Davis last week.

Aggressive Cardinal – Plantaric is one of 21 players from the class of 2010 that Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh has reeled in with verbal commitments, more than any other college program, according to Stephen Spiewak of MaxPreps.com.

That's a huge change from tradition at a school that usually waits to make sure athletes can meet the rigorous entrance requirements.

"He intends to weed out those who don't cut it academically down the road," Spiewak reports. "This has allowed Stanford to build name recognition and get valuable exposure in an effort to beat traditional recruiting powers to the proverbial punch."

Del Campo coach Mike Dimino thinks the 6-5, 235-pound Plantaric will have no trouble making it in the classroom and on the field at Stanford.

"Eddie's very talented and very smart," Dimino said. "He's worked hard for this."

Plantaric, who also received offers from Fresno State and Nevada, is coming off an All-Capital Athletic League junior season in which he had 141 tackles, five forced fumbles and 4 1/2 sacks. Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 2 2010 strong-side defensive end prospect in California.

Emerging talent – The Aggies got a steal by "striking while the iron was hot" in offering Joseph a full-ride scholarship, El Dorado coach Rick Redding said.

But UCD appeals to Joseph for more than just football. He is interested in following in the footsteps of his mother, Kathryn Locatell, a Placerville physician.

"He's just a brilliant kid and has a dream of being a doctor," Redding said. "I really admire him making the choice because he's already looking beyond football."

But Redding said Joseph, a three-year varsity player, has amazing potential.

"With his size, ability and strength, if a few breaks go his way, he's a guy we could someday be watching play on Sundays (in the NFL)," Redding said.

Honker heads to Berkeley – Yuba City pitcher Michael Lowden, who went 20-0 during his varsity career, has signed a national letter of intent with Cal.

The 6-2, 173-pound right-hander was 11-0 with a 1.17 ERA and set a season record for strikeouts with 102 in leading the Honkers to their third consecutive D-III section championship this season.

A capital move – The California Interscholastic Federation state office has relocated to Sacramento, ending a four-year stint in Alameda. The new 7,000-square-foot building is just west of Interstate 5 and Arco Arena in Natomas.

The move provides CIF officials more access and visibility with the state Legislature and its Sacramento-based allied organizations, according to Quwan Spears, the CIF's sports information officer.

Call The Bee's Bill Paterson (916) 326-5506.