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Four-star Kaleb Elarms-Orr breaks down top seven schools

Four-star outside linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr released his top seven schools on Monday and he broke them down for BuffsCountry.

Kaleb Elarms-Orr is one of the top CU targets on the board for the 2021 class. 

He is rated as a four-star outside linebacker on 247Sports and just outside the top 200 regardless of position. 

Outside linebackers coach Brian Michalowski has worked hard to build a strong relationship with Elarms-Orr and it's starting to pay off. 

The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder recently released his top seven schools and the CU Buffs made the cut. Although he has indicated his recruitment remains open. 

The California native broke down his top six for BuffsCountry.

Arizona: "Good Pac-12 school, good college town. I like the environment."

Boise State: "They have a really good winning tradition in the Mountain West. They usually finish first or second in the Mountain West every single year. And they have a great coaching staff too."

Cal: "Really close to home. I think it’s about 30 minutes away from home. And I would be playing a really versatile spot in their defense."

Colorado: "Same thing (a versatile spot in their defense). Coach B-Mike is doing a really great job recruiting me. He has a lot of knowledge about the game, I can tell he really likes the game a lot. I really like talking with him and building that relationship with him."

Fresno State: "They are a really good school in the Mountain West, too. Kind of underrated. But I feel like I would be able to make a really immediate impact at that school. And I’ll be playing a very versatile spot as well. That’s really big for me is playing all over the field."

Kansas: "Same thing. A great coaching staff with Coach Diribe and Coach Les Miles of course. They have a great winning tradition and they know a lot about the game as well. And I’d be playing in a very versatile spot in that defense as well."

San Diego State: "They play in the 3-3-5. I’d be in a versatile role in that defense as well. And San Diego is a really nice place, it can’t really get better than that."

The role that he will play in a defense is something Elarms-Orr has made a priority throughout his recruitment.

He is not your average linebacker. He can play all over the field and he wants to play for a defense that can get the best out of him. 

"I definitely like the 3-4 for sure," Elarms-Orr said. "The 4-3, I don’t really see myself as that 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive end... Standing up, blitizing, coming off of the edge, that’s the main thing I hear from most of the schools."

As far as his role with the Buffs, he can be an outside linebacker but the STAR position is something that he is really interested in playing. 

"I had a call with (Michalowski) the other day and we were talking about the scheme and how I would fit in that defense... I would be playing like Davion Taylor," Elarms-Orr said. "That kind of do-it-all outside ‘backer that can drop back in coverage, rush the edge, rush up the middle and do a lot of stuff in their defense. I really like that spot because like I keep saying it can show off my versatility which I can use to my advantage."

'Coach Mike' was playing video games with Elarms-Orr throughout the quarantine but Elarms-Orr said Michalowski isn't as willing to play as he once was. 

"Not really," Elarms-Orr said when asked if they still play video games. "I think he got tired of me beating him or whatever so he kind of stopped texting me."

But they do talk about football quite often and Elarms-Orr is involved in a group chat with some of the defensive coaches including Chris Wilson and Tyson Summers. 

He's also been talking with head coach Karl Dorrell and loves his style. 

"The thing that stands out to me the most is he's really relaxed, really a chill guy, really easy to get along with and to talk to and stuff," Elarms-Orr said on Dorrell. "And he knows a lot about the game, he's obviously coached at the NFL level. He sounds like a really good coach."

The linebacker wants to wait to make a commitment until he's visited some schools so it's likely to come sometime in the fall or during the early signing period.

He's hearing from a couple of schools that have yet to offer including Utah, Notre Dame and USC which could throw a wrinkle in his recruitment.