BROOMFIELD -- This might be the toughest fight yet for Dan Hawkins.

In his first two years at Colorado, the effusive philosopher/football coach has won recruiting battles for the best talent in the state with the likes of Notre Dame, Nebraska, Michigan and Oklahoma.

Those victories have brought players such as offensive lineman Ryan Miller and Bryce Givens and linebacker Jon Major to the program. All are serious upgrades at their positions.

The first impulse of in-state, blue-chip prospects no longer is to flee for greener gridirons elsewhere around the nation. After signing one of the top-20 recruiting classes in Division I last month, Hawkins and his staff are already mapping out plans to fill the 2009 class, which Hawkins said will probably number about 18.

When identifying targets each year, the best players in the state are right at the top of the list.

CU was badly in need of offensive linemen in 2006, and Hawkins nabbed Miller from Columbine High School in Littleton. He was among the best linemen in the country. This year the team is badly in need of defensive line depth, particularly at defensive end. And a player likely to be rated as the best in the state in this cycle just happens to play that position.

Nick Kasa is a 6-foot-7, 250-pound, fun-loving speedster from Legacy High School about 15 miles from the CU campus. He has two full walls in his bedroom wallpapered with a recruiting letter from each different school he has heard from so far. Kasa said he considers himself a fan of both CU and the University of Florida, and those two programs are among his top-five 11 months before he must settle on one. The others are Notre Dame, Southern Cal and Boston College.

Kasa said he attends the Colorado-Colorado State game every year and always roots for the Buffs even though his older brother Sean is a CSU student and art major. Kasa liked CU long before Hawkins arrived, but the coach has added an element to the program to which Kasa and other young men seem to be drawn.

"I really like coach Hawkins. I think he's one the best coaches I've ever seen so far," Kasa said. "He's turning around Colorado a ton, obviously with all the recruiting he's done and stuff like that. He's just a really cool guy.

"He's really charismatic just like everyone says."

It might sound like a slam dunk to borrow from basketball parlance, but Kasa remains a Brett Favre Hail Mary throw from making his decision.

He is equally enamored with USC coach Pete Carroll, who brought most of his staff to Legacy High School earlier this year to talk with football coach Wayne Voorhees. Kasa and just about everyone else in the school knew Carroll was there and they knew why.

"That was a cool day," Kasa said.

In many ways Kasa is just like any other 17-year-old heading into his senior year of high school. He has a variety of music on his iPod but his favorites are in the rock genre, including the band Incubus. He loves Will Farrell movies, just about any sport and spending time with his friends.

But Kasa caught the attention of Hawkins and Carroll, Florida coach Urban Meyer and Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis because he has remarkable athletic ability. He is running track this spring competing in the 100-meter dash and the 200 meters. He hopes to better his personal best time of 11 seconds-flat in the 100, despite adding about 25 pounds since he ran that time a year ago.

Speed also is his best asset on the football field.

"He's tough to run at, but it might be tougher to run away from him," Voorhees said. "He makes plays chasing kids down from behind that a lot of guys can't make."

Kasa said he plans to use all five of his official visits next fall and he hopes to attend summer football camps at Florida, USC and CU, though he doesn't know if getting to all three is realistic. He said he already has spent plenty of time at CU on unofficial visits on game weekends last fall. He is familiar with the coaching staff, the program and what the school has to offer.

The chance to play early isn't a big concern to him, but it is appealing. There are dozens of factors he will consider in making his decision. He said he will know the right fit when he finds it.

"I really like the coasts just because of beaches and stuff, but I'm not really sure," he said. "I really like Notre Dame, too, because it's a great education besides football. If I don't go to the NFL, and there is a good chance I won't go to the NFL, I want to have a good education behind it, which USC is good for that, too."

Voorhees said Kasa is a humble and quiet kid who is fun to be around. His parents, who are Florida fans and came to the Denver area from Tampa 15 years ago, have done a good job raising a son who has everything in perspective, Voorhees said.

Kasa said he the best advice he has received about the recruiting process came from his parents and Voorhees.

"I'm a pretty modest guy I like to think," Kasa said. "Like, I'm not too hot-headed or anything like that. I just try and keep my cool. I know I'm not the best. I've gone to the Army combines and stuff, and there are kids there better than me that aren't getting as much (attention) as I am because they live in California or Florida or something like that and everyone there is good.

"I don't think highly of myself because I play good football. I just play good football."