DV's Kennard whittles list of schools to five

Desert Vista defensive end Devon Kennard, a top prospect nationally in the Class of 2009, has narrowed his list of potential colleges to five schools.

Among the top five, in no particular order, Kennard said, are USC, Arizona State, Cal, UCLA and Texas.

"All five schools are good opportunities, they're good environments with good education and they're not far," Kennard said Monday.

Kennard first made the announcement on 3TV's "The Sports Show" Sunday night.

"The main reason why I did it is because I wanted to be honest with all the colleges and with myself," Kennard said. "I have a pretty sure idea of the schools I'm interested in.

"I just wanted to be up front and honest, so I can concentrate on my school and my training."

Kennard said a partial factor was that all five schools were in the western part of the country.

"When I thought about making my decision ... I didn't want to be somewhere far when I didn't have to," Kennard said.

Kennard is the top-ranked defensive end in the country according to the recruiting service Rivals.com. He finished last season with 24.5 sacks, best in the state.

There had been upwards of 20 schools pursuing him.

Contact writer: (480) 898-4906 or rcasey@ahwatukee.com.