Jalen Flowers’ top 10 is in focus and a source says the frontrunners may be surprising

Jalen Flowers is still working from his top-10 list and no programs have been eliminated yet but a source close to his recruitment had some surprising things to say about the standouts heading into the tail end of his junior season.

The very talented and very versatile four-star safety from Palos Verdes who also shined as a receiver against Inglewood on Friday has Texas, UCLA, Oregon, Ohio State, Miami, USC, Notre Dame, LSU, Oklahoma and Washington as his frontrunners.

But this source said that Oregon, Ohio State, MIami, Notre Dame, USC, UCLA and LSU are really the standouts in his recruitment at this point which is somewhat surprising considering so much talk has centered around the Longhorns and the Sooners recently.

Flowers’ mom is originally from the state of Oklahoma – and his grandparents still live there -and has discussed returning there or to the Dallas area after the four-star safety is finished with high school.

That has led some to believe Texas and Oklahoma are looking stronger in his recruitment because a potential decision about staying closer to each other had been made. But that does not seem like the case.

Flowers has talked highly of the Longhorns and some believe they’re still a major contender in his recruitment but the word is that while Texas is still being heavily considered it’s probably more likely than not that the Palos Verdes standout ends up elsewhere.

Right after his game on Friday afternoon, Flowers rushed to LAX to catch a flight up to Oregon for its game against UCLA over the weekend.

The Ducks continue to push hard and while they lost to the Bruins on Saturday afternoon, the message was that it helps UCLA in his recruitment but doesn’t necessarily hurt Oregon at all as the Ducks have been high on his list for so much time.

This weekend, Flowers is expected at Miami’s game against Florida State with a bunch of other California prospects and many recruits from across the country. The Hurricanes remain a serious contender and a great visit there this weekend could push Miami even higher.

A visit to LSU early this season definitely stood out and the defensive back history is worth watching plus Flowers knows Lane Kiffin and his son, Knox, from their time at Palos Verdes together. USC and UCLA are the hometown favorites and will remain on the list until the end.

Oregon has been around for so long and remains a contender even after the loss. Ohio State has elite defensive back history as well and a visit there recently could not have been better. Miami is coming up this weekend and while Notre Dame seems like a long shot, it’s not, and Flowers has a tremendous amount of respect for that program.

Are Texas and Oklahoma eliminated? Not even close. But a source said others have moved higher and that will be something to watch as his junior season gets closer to wrapping up.