2008 Houston TE emerging early

There never seems to be a shortage of Division I prospects at Houston (Texas) Lamar and the 2008 group won't be any different.

One of those prospects will be tight end/wide receiver Eric Lair, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, who has really watched his stock rise over the last few months. With his team just getting beat in the playoffs, he's already looking ahead to compete as a senior next fall.

"I'm still kind of settling into the tight end position," Lair said. "I've got the speed for tight end and the athleticism. As a sophomore though, I played a lot of wide receiver. I got kind of big, so they moved me to tight end and that's where I mostly played this year."

At the next level, Lair says he sees himself as a tight end for sure.

"I've got good hands, I'm just trying to get good at blocking right now," he said. "That's going to be my focus."

The mail is certainly coming in from all over, but the three that have caught his attention with a lot of letters are Florida State, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State.

"Those are my top three right now," Lair said. "I've been watching Florida State recently and I just like the way they use their tight end. I like Texas Tech's offense and they pass the ball a lot. I haven't seen as much of OSU but there just a team I like. It's a nice program."

The factors he's looking at for a school include not just athletics but academics as well.

"I'm really looking at the education part of these schools," Lair said. "I want to major in marketing, so I'm looking for a strong program in that type of stuff. I also of course want a good football program that has put players in the NFL. But, I want to see that they've graduated a lot of their students as well."