By Mike Loveday

There are 36 Maryland football players who have already made their college decision -- they are just waiting for Feb. 4, national signing day, to make it official. But for Jelani Jenkins, Tavon Austin and Jason Ankrah, the recruiting process has been more about getting it right than getting it over.

	Michael D Kurec for ESPNRISE
	Jelani Jenkins isn't rushing into making a college decision.

"It was a conscious decision for me. It's a big opportunity with a lot of colleges offering, and I just wanted to wait as long as I can. Learn as much as I can about the colleges," Jenkins said. "I just wanted to wait until after football season, take all my visits and take my time, once I'm done with the football season."

Good Counsel's Jenkins has been dealing with the recruiting process since his sophomore season. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Jenkins is the ESPNU 150 No. 2 rated linebacker and has more than 30 offers. He has conducted interviews and answered questions about his recruiting, but has yet to hint as to where or when he will commit. There was speculation that he would commit during the Jan. 4 broadcast of the Under Armour high school all-star game on ESPN.

"I will probably not have my decision by then, but if I do, I will probably do it during the Under Armour game," Jenkins said. "I would have to get all my five officials by that time. Right now it will probably be Feb. 4."

While Jenkins has been dealing with recruiting since his sophomore season, Quince Orchard's Ankrah has been gaining interest since the summer before his senior season.

"In the beginning [of the summer] it started off with two schools. Then it grew to five, then seven then 10," Ankrah said. "I just put it off to see which one gives me the best opportunity. I'm still waiting to see. I don't really want to rush into anything because I don't want to regret it later."

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end held more than 10 offers before narrowing his list to Penn State, Michigan, Maryland, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Nebraska, but has held off from making a decision until he can take his official visits.

Austin's college choice is as difficult to figure out as he is to tackle on the football field. For the 5-foot-8, 160-pound athlete, it has been an internal debate.

"The reason I waited so long is because I don't know if I want to play in a pro-style offense or a spread offense. That's what's really keeping me," Austin said. "I wanted to take all my visits and see what place I felt comfortable at. It just falls back on what type of offense I'm going to play in. A lot of colleges say I'm going to play the slot, but a lot say I can play both. I'm really leaning toward both, but it's a family decision too. Every coach asks me what I'm waiting for."

Ankrah said he learned a lot about how to choose a college -- information he is passing on to teammates.

"I would tell them to keep their grades up so they don't have to worry about eligibility later. Find out which schools are real and which schools really want you for you and not just for your talent," Ankrah said. "I talk to the players from the school and ask them if they regret their decision. Coach Mac [Quince Orchard head coach Dave Mencarini] has relationships with a lot of college coaches so he lets me know. I listen to the coaches and what they say and I can tell if they're telling the truth or not."

These three athletes have a wealth advice for the next class after years in the spotlight.

"I'm going to tell my juniors to make sure they feel out the coaches and ask the right questions," Austin said. "One question they should ask coaches is about looking past football. I want to know which coach is going to look out for me after football."

Jenkins and Ankrah's seasons ended this past weekend as both teams lost -- Good Counsel in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship game and Quince Orchard in the Class 4A West region final. Austin, Jenkins and Ankrah will play in the Maryland Crab Bowl - a state-wide all-star game on Dec. 20. Austin can be seen next when his Dunbar team plays Catoctin in the Class 1A state semifinals Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.