CB East's Mike Carroll is a top college football recruit. Inside his journey to decide

Mike Carroll is a wanted man. And decision time is coming.

"My phone never stops with the texts and a lot of calls," Carroll said. "And even different coaches from the same school reach out a lot to say hello or ask how I'm doing. It's really just text after text, all the time."

That's the way it goes when you're one of the nation's top football recruits. Carroll, a Central Bucks East junior, has been heavily recruited by some of the best in college football for the last few years. He's ranked as the No. 2 interior offensive lineman and the No. 27 recruit overall in the country by the On3 recruiting service.

"It's been a parade of coaches coming to see him," CB East head coach John Donnelly said. "From all of the big-time programs."

A typical day for the 6-foot-6, 310-pounder includes school starting around 7:30 a.m.; a college coach, or several college coaches, popping into the school to meet him during a break in his school day; weight lifting or film watching after school; followed by homework before bed.

"My days are really full," said Carroll with a laugh. "It will be a relief when I pick a school. I have a stack of mail with stuff from different schools that I don't really have the time to look at. With school, and getting ready for next season, there's only so much time in the day. It can be kind over overwhelming honestly.

"I'm coming close to making my decision on a college choice. I just want to make the right decision and it will feel good when I do."

Top recruit Mike Carroll narrows college choices to Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Penn State

Crunch time has begun for the Doylestown native after making numerous "unofficial" visits to big-time football programs over the past year. Carroll has trimmed his list down to four schools and will take an "official" visit to each one over the next month, spending a few days at each school.

That final four includes Georgia, Alabama, Penn State and Michigan.

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With official visits, colleges can pay for transportation to and from campus, lodging, three meals a day for the recruit and his/her parents, and entertainment expenses, including three tickets to a home sporting event.

A recruit can make as many unofficial visits as he/she likes, but the cost falls on the recruit, not the school.

"I did some unofficial visits last season so I could see what the atmosphere was like during games and the season," Carroll said.

CB East's Carroll has big-time offers: CB East's Carroll, a four-star recruit, has offers from Alabama, Penn State and many more

"The official visits coming up will be more of a chance to see the schools, meet the coaches and get a feel for each place. I know it will be a relief when I make my decision.

"I hope to make it probably in early July."

Meeting Alabama legend Nick Saban

On an unofficial visit to Alabama a little over a month ago, Carroll met one of his idols in former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, who won six national titles at Alabama before stepping down after last season.

"That was really cool," said Carroll, who will likely play both ways on the line for the Patriots in the fall.

"There was a group of recruits in a room, and they came in and pulled a couple of us out and took us to meet him. That was a lot of fun. I didn't expect that to happen, and he was pretty cool."

Penn State makes offer to Mike Carroll's younger brother

There has been speculation on social media that the Nittany Lions have the inside track on receiving a commitment from Carroll.

CB East standout Carroll trims list: Football recruiting: CB East's Carroll trims college list to 12, including Penn State

Yes, Carroll's father, Michael, Sr., played linebacker for the Nits in the mid-1990s, but a recent new twist has heightened the hype even more as Carroll's younger brother, Liam, a freshman wide receiver/defensive back at East, just received an offer from Penn State.

"That's great for Liam," Carroll said. "My first offer came from Temple at the end of my freshman year, and it was really exciting.

"He's going to be a really good player and he's going to get more offers, for sure. I'm really excited to see him start his (recruiting) journey. For me, it's two separate things with him getting an offer from Penn State, too. I'll just try and help him anyway I can."

One thing that has helped Carroll is that the decision is his and his alone. His dad (Mike Sr.), as mentioned, played football at Penn State and his mom (Letitia) is in the Michigan State Basketball Hall of Fame. The Spartans, not surprisingly, also made an offer to try and land Carroll.

"My mom and dad have been great throughout the whole process," Carroll said. "They're letting me make the decision.

"They'll be happy for me wherever I end up going."

College choice getting harder for CB East's Mike Carroll

In early April, Carroll trimmed his list of schools down from a dozen to the current four.

And telling coaches from powerhouses like Clemson, Florida, Texas and Wisconsin, among others, wasn't easy.

"I've been so fortunate to be recruited by so many great programs," Carroll said.

"And having to tell all of these great coaches thank you, but I'm looking at other schools was hard. I want to go to a school that competes for national titles and hopefully gets me ready to play in the NFL, if I'm that lucky. All the schools left on my list can do that. I just need to pick the right one."

Drew Markol covers local sports for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: CB East's Mike Carroll nears college football decision as top recruit