Destination - Next Level

We're halfway through the summer already and Oakland County has had a number of big time recruits verbally commit to college programs - four to be exact since school let out in June. The first was the most surprising. Just a week into his summer vacation, 6-3 250 pound defensive end/linebacker Tyler Calero from D-8 Southfield Christian got the local recruiting frenzy kicked off by accepting a scholarship offer from Michigan State. This signing really came out of nowhere. Calero plays at a school that is going into only its fourth year of existence and has never sent any players to a major program. Not a lot of people, even some hard core recruiting gurus, knew who this guy was before he committed. However, Calero, a sleeper who shot up recruiting board with his off-season performance at several camps and recruiting combines, could be a find for D'Antonio, who has faired quite well with players from this area in the past.

By the end of the month of the June, Orchard Lake St. Mary's QB, Robert Bolden, committed to Joe Pa at Penn State. Bolden is a McNabb/Vince Young combo-type player who can thread the needle through traffic like McNabb and be elusive in evading defenders with his feet like VY. When Michigan inked Inkster's Devin Gardner, a slightly-more refined version of Bolden, and MSU took Saline slinger Joe Boisture away from Boston College, the door was open for the 6-5 Eaglets signal caller to go out of the state to State College. I'm excited to see how all three field general size up against each other when they start facing off in BIG Ten battles over the next few years.

July then got started off with a boom when in the first week of the month, two more local guys made their choices for college. On July 2, Southfield-Lathrup 6-7 "point-forward" Roy Marble, Jr. committed to play hoops at Iowa. Marble, a silky smooth wing who as very good handles and a picture perfect "J", has some pretty big shoes to fill for the Hawkeyes - his pops, Roy Marble, Jr., is one of the programs best to ever suit up. I for one think he can do it!

To round out the early-summer recruiting rush, Orchard Lk. St. Mary's defensive stalwart, Earnest Thomas, made a commitment to UCLA. A linebacker/safety in the prep ranks, the Bruins coaching staff intends to make Thomas a fixture in the future defensive backfield. With Bolden running the "O" for the third season in a row and Thomas anchoring the "D", the Eaglets have a good shot at rebounding from an average year in '08 and making another run at the state title they lost out on in '07. 

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