One thing we would like to improve on at WRAL.com is our coverage of high school recruiting. I have covered the competition side of things, but I am going to start covering the high school recruiting side as well. Eventually, we hope to make this a weekly recruiting post.

I have talked to some people who I consider "in-the-know" of high school football recruiting, and several rumors and bits of news have surfaced.

Duke Lands First '08 In-State Recruit, Looks For More
Jay Hollingsworth, a running back from Lee County Senior High School, became Duke's first in-state commit from the class of 2008. Hollingsworth, a 3-star recruit at 5-11, 180-pounds, is sure to pack a punch for the Blue Devil offense. Hollingsworth rushed for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns on 126 attempts last season.

Hollingsworth isn't the only in-state player Duke is targeting, though. There has been growing buzz over Quan Jones in Durham. Jones is a senior athlete at Pamlico County High School, and stands 5-10, 165-pounds. Obviously, size is going to be a concern for Jones, but Duke has shown a lot of interest. The Blue Devils recently offered Jones a scholarship. Greg Peele, Pamlico Head Coach, told Rivals.com that Duke is the only school that has offered him a full scholarship.

Coples Getting Attention From Buckeyes
Quinton Coples, a defensive end at Kinston High  School, is booked for the month of July. According to sources at Rivals.com and Scout.com, Coples has over 30 formal offers on the table and has not indicated when he may make his decision. According to another source, the Ohio State Buckeyes have recruited Coples harder than any other school and that may be where he is leaning towards attending in 2008.

Charest Visits Illinois
Jacob Charest, one of the state's top quarterbacks, recently made the trip to Champaign to check out the Illini football facility and campus. Published reports have stated that Charest's visit took place on June 28th and 29th. Illinois may be the favorite for Charest since California, NC State, and Louisville have all received quarterback commitments. Charest told Rivals.com that he expects to make his decision soon, "It probably won't be next week or anything, but it shouldn't be too long."

Other considerations for Charest include Boston College, Oregon, and Iowa.

Vols To The Top for Wallace
Several reports and sources have stated that lineman Andrew Wallace has put the Tennessee Volunteers at the top of his list. According to Wallace himself, his top five include Tennessee, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Maryland - but he also added that Tennessee was on top at the moment. Wallace is expected to make a decision by the end of the summer.

Stay with WRAL.com for more recruiting and prep sports coverage you can count on.