Recruiting taking off for 2011's Degner and Phillips
posted by Marlin Lee at 11/16/2009
-There must be something special about the No. 77 jersey at Catholic Memorial High School. A couple of years ago the number belonged to class of 2008 offensive lineman/defensive lineman Jake Reynolds, who garnered a scholarship offer from Hawaii and a preferred walk-on invitation from the University of Wisconsin, and now class of 2011 offensive lineman/defensive lineman
Zack Degner (6-2, 275) wears the jersey and he too is a Division I prospect.
As the old saying goes though, clothes don't make the man.
Degner has done plenty of work on his own to help grab the attention of college coaches with offseason stops at the National Underclassmen Combine in Minneapolis, National Underclassmen Combine in Des Moines and Football University in Minneapolis during the spring months.
In the summer, he attended one-day camps at Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Ball State and Northern Iowa.
All that offseason work combined with a successful junior season seem to be paying off with over 20 Division I schools having already made contact with Degner.
The list includes weekly letters and e-mails from Northwestern, Indiana, Louisville, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Maryland, Oregon and Illinois State.
Northwestern even invited Degner to attend their game against Miami (Ohio).
In addition, contact and film requests have been made by Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa State, Duke, Ball State, Akron, Hawaii, Wyoming, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and North Dakota.
Look for Degner to build upon that early recruiting interest this offseason before heading into his final season in that No. 77 jersey.
Degner recorded a 5.28-second 40-yard dash, 5.05-second shuttle, 25-inch vertical jump, 91-inch broad jump and bench pressed 185-pounds 17 times at the NUC in Des Moines.
He also recorded a 5.27-second 40-yard dash, 5.63-second shuttle, 22.5-inch vertical jump, 89-inch broad jump and bench pressed 185-pounds 22 times at the NUC in Minneapolis.
-Another class of 2011 prospect getting a lot of attention early on in the recruiting process is Homestead defensive end
Donte' Phillips (6-3, 250).
Recruiting interest has already come from the likes of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, Iowa State, Syracuse, Virginia, Washington State, Maryland, Duke, Louisville, Western Michigan, North Dakota State, North Dakota and Winona State.
It seems the early favorite in all of this is the University of Michigan, whom Phillips grew up idolizing.
“Last weekend I took an unofficial visit to Michigan for the Purdue game. The next weekend, I visited Wisconsin for their game versus Michigan. Both visits went very well,” Phillips said. “On November 21st, I plan on visiting Ann Arbor again for the Ohio State rivalry game.”
While looks from Division I programs are certainly newsworthy events, they aren't the only honors Phillips has received as of late.
“I have been invited to the U.S. Army National Combine in San Antonio which I will attend,” Phillips said. “I have also been invited by 365 Sports to represent the USA by being a member of the team when they compete in the Trans Pacific Australia Cup Tournament in Sydney, which is being held this summer. I will not attend this, but it is an honor to be considered for it.”
It's still early, but Phillips has all the makings of a top 10 prospect from the state's class of 2011. Stay tuned to see if he's the next great college prospect out of Homestead.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to post comments.