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football Edit

Carolina Prep OL Making Name For Himself

It's hard to drive by a high school in the Palmetto State this year  without
finding a slew of college coaches drooling over a prospect two.  South Carolina is
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loaded in the '07 class. While the 5 Rivals 100 members,  and perhaps as many as
12 Rivals 250 members get the most attention, the depth in this class goes well beyond
that level.
In many years, a player such as Dutch Forks Stephen St. John would be on  the tip
of everyone's tongue. To date he hasn't received the recruiting  board hype
of others, but college coaches are noticing him. With a long frame, very strong academics,
and a very good showing at the recent Gainesville Nike camp, expect Stephen to become
mentioned as a target by numerous schools along the eastern seaboard. We go in depth with
Stephen today.
Stephen, what are your current vitals?
· Height - 6'6 ½
· Weight – 285
· 40-yard - 5.8 (electronic timed at Gainesville NIKE camp) I have
been timed at 5.3 by Josh Ortegon handheld.
· Pro shuttle – 5.31
Have you participated in any of the strength testing, bench, squat, etc and if
so what are your numbers?
· No, lately I have been concentrating on my explosiveness and foot
work.
Stephen, what is your personal and team goals for the 2006 year?
· My personal goal is to be the best offensive tackle in the state.  As for the
team it is the same as last year. I want to help lead Dutch Fork  to a State
Championship.
Can you update me on your academics and what your desired major, and profession
some day is?
· I received a 24 on my ACT. This years grades aren't posted yet,  but I
ended my sophomore year with an overall GPA of 3.1. Thanks to Algebra III and Chemistry it
probably will not be quite as high this year. I would like to major in either education or
criminology.
What position did you play last year on the line and do you know how you graded
out?
· Right Tackle
· Not sure of my overall grade.
What do you perceive are you strengths and what do you need to really work on
getting better at?
· Strengths include my height, long arms, and my work ethic
· Things I am working to continue to improve include my speed and my
overall strength. Can never be too strong or too fast.
Are there any other players on your team that we should keep an eye on?
Dutch Fork has several rising seniors that we should keep an eye on
· Joey Scribner-Howard – punter
· Zach Cornet – quarterback
· Rashaad Counts – running back
· Aaron Providence – defensive lineman
· Jeff Dimrey – defensive back/wide-receiver
· Brandon Davis – defensive back
· Shaun Jones – defensive lineman
· Paul Walton – tight end
Who were the best players in your eyes, that you played against?
· I was very impressed this passed year with Adam Patterson and the  entire RNE
team. Coach Frye obviously does a fantastic job over there. They  played a very hard
game against us.
You had the recent experience of attending the Gainesville Nike Camp.  There
was a lot of talent there, how do you think you performed?
· I was selected as the best offensive lineman at the camp
Who were some of the players you can recall lining up against?
· Quinton Richardson
· Cliff Mathews
· I did about 10-12 one-on-ones against whichever defensive lineman
lined up against me so there were several I didn't know.
Of those, how do you feel you did against each?
· I felt I did very well on the one-on-ones and the drills.
Apparently the NIKE coaches agreed since they rated me so high among some
very good offensive linemen who were at Gainesville
Who were the best players you observed at the camp?
· At Gainesville NIKE camp there were three other players who work  out with me
at Athletes Arena with Josh Ortega (Mark Barnes-WR, Gary Gray- DB, and Quinton Richardson
– DL). The four of us were selected as the best  players at camp in our
respective positions. Also Stephen Garcia was impressive.
Stephen, who are you hearing the most from at this point?
· Maryland
· Middle Tennessee
· Marshall
Stephen, could you name a top 5 or 7 at this point?
· Maryland
· Marshall
· NC State
· UNC
· Middle Tennessee
· Georgia
· West Virginia
· Clemson
All these schools have shown interest or are close by. This list could  change
based on interest I receive
Are you planning on camping anywhere this summer?
· Maryland
· Middle Tennessee
· I've already been to Marshall's Junior day and want to try to make  some
more unofficial visits this summer
· I may go to other camps depending on interest from my showing at the NIKE camp
What would be an estimated timeframe for a commitment should you receive an
offer you desire?
· I'd like to have an idea of where I want to go by the start of the football
season. I'm hoping to receive offers from my top 7 schools along with several other
schools that I have in mind, make some official visits and then make a final decision
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