Inside recruiting/Off. linemen

Sporting News, The, Oct 30, 2000 by Bobby Burton

Recruiting analyst Bobby Burton ranks the top 25 senior prospects.

Rk.   Name                  Ht./Wt.   40 Yd.

 1.   Jamie Hightower       6-4/302    5.2

 2.   Blake Larsen          6-7/295    5.01
 3.   Jonathan Scott        6-7/286    5.0
 4.   Ben Wilkerson         6-4/265    4.8
 5.   Ron Lunford           6-5/320    5.2
 6.   Mark LeVoir           6-7/305    5.0
 7.   Andrew Whitworth      6-7/300    4.9
 8.   Robert Cleary         6-7/275    5.2
 9.   Chris Spencer         6-4/305    5.2
10.   Shawn Andrews         6-4/320    5.1
11.   Robert Bergman        6-5/280    5.15
12.   Eric Broe             6-6/275    5.0
13.   Zachary Giles         6-4/275    5.0
14.   Dan Simelis           6-6/285    5.25
15.   Rudy Niswanger        6-6/265    5.05
16.   Abe Robinson          6-7/280    5.1
17.   E.Z. Smith            6-3/285    5.2
18.   Andrew Henry-Kennon   6-5/285    5.2
19.   Mike Garcia           6-3/285    5.2
20.   Drew Shader           6-4/275    5.1
21.   William Winston       6-7/348    5.4
22.   Robin Meadow          6-4/294    5.1
23.   Von Ewing             6-5/297    5.3
24.   Adam Stenavich        6-6/270    5.54
25.   Jeremy Trueblood      6-9/280    5.0

Rk.   Name                  Town/High school (schools
                            player is considering)

 1.   Jamie Hightower       Jacksonville, Texas/Jacksonville
                            (Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M)

 2.   Blake Larsen          Atlantic, Iowa/Atlantic (Neb., Va.,
                            Miami, Colo., Iowa, Mich. St., N.D.)

 3.   Jonathan Scott        Dallas/Carter (committed to Texas)

 4.   Ben Wilkerson         Hemphill, Texas/Hemphill (La. St.,
                            Mich., Purdue, UCLA, Tenn., Okla.,
                            Texas A&M)

 5.   Ron Lunford           Jacksonville, Fla./Ed White (Fla. St.,
                            Ga. Tech, Miami, Ohio St., Wis.,
                            Fla., Tenn.)

 6.   Mark LeVoir           Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie
                            (committed to Notre Dame)

 7.   Andrew Whitworth      West Monroe, La./West Monroe
                            (committed to Lousiana State)

 8.   Robert Cleary         Lake Elsinore, Calif./Temescal
                            Canyon (committed to UCLA)

 9.   Chris Spencer         Madison, Miss./Madison Central (Fla.
                            St., Fla., Tenn., Ala., La. St.,
                            Miss., Miss. St.)

10.   Shawn Andrews         Camden, Ark./Camden (committed to
                            Arkansas)

11.   Robert Bergman        Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield
                            (Mich. St., Ohio St., Ariz. St.,
                            Ore., Wash,, N.D.)

12.   Eric Broe             Norcross, Ga./Wesleyan School
                            (Fla. St., Clemson, Ga. Tech,
                            Ga., Va. Tech, Va.)

13.   Zachary Giles         Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield
                            (committed to Notre Dame)

14.   Dan Simelis           Rocks, Pa./Montour (committed
                            to Michigan)

15.   Rudy Niswanger        Monroe, La./Ouachita Christian
                            (committed to Louisiana State)

16.   Abe Robinson          Jersey Village, Texas/Jersey Village
                            (committed to Texas)

17.   E.Z. Smith            Concord, N.C./Concord
                            (committed to Penn State)

18.   Andrew Henry-Kennon   Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln
                            (committed to Florida State)

19.   Mike Garcia           Galena Park, Texas/Galena
                            Park (committed to Texas)

20.   Drew Shader           Denver/Mullen (committed to Colorado)

21.   William Winston       Houston/Madison (UCLA, Texas, Texas
                            A&M, Miami, Wisconsin, Tennessee)

22.   Robin Meadow          Concord, Calif./De La Salle
                            (committed to Washington)

23.   Von Ewing             Troy, Ala./Henderson (Michigan,
                            Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson,
                            Georgia)

24.   Adam Stenavich        Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield
                            (committed to Michigan)

25.   Jeremy Trueblood      Indianapolis/Cathedral (Fla. St., B.C.,
                            Wis., N.D., Mich. St., Duke,)

Hightower is a strong drive-blocker, and because of his athleticism and extremely wide wingspan, he may mature into a tremendous pass blocker as well. Texas A&M may be the front-runner--its starting RB, Richard Whitaker, is from the same town as Hightower.

recruiting dish

How tough is it for a top recruit to pick a school? Ask Blake Larsen, who in the summer pledged to Iowa only to renege and throw his recruitment wide-open again. "Coach (Frank) Solich called my house, and I basically felt like committing," Larsen said of his current leaning toward Nebraska. "But then I thought about what happened with Iowa, and I want to make sure I check out all my options before I jump the gun." He has visits to Notre Dame, Miami and Colorado scheduled for December.... In the last two years, Minnesota coach Glen Mason stemmed the tide of players leaving the state to play college ball elsewhere. With the Gophers having a good year, Mason hopes he can continue that run. Unfortunately for him, the state's top player in 2000, Mark LeVoir, already has committed to Notre Dame.... Shawn Andrews is so athletic that he played at tight end as a junior, even though he tipped at scales at more than 300 pounds.