Another Dwyer star emerges

Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Dwyer was dominating last year on their run to the Class 4A state championship. Though the offense gets a lot of press, and for good reason with such prospects as quarterback Jacoby Brissett and tight end Nick O'Leary, the Panther defense only gave up 79 points in 15 games and posted an incredible seven shutouts.

Many of the standouts return on that side of the ball, including two top linemen. Defensive end Curt Maggitt has more than his fair share of offers, but now Keith Bowers has planted himself firmly on the radars of several colleges as well.

"Right now I have offers from Middle Tennessee, Marshall, Eastern Illinois, FAU, Bowling Green, Youngstown and Maryland," the 6-foot-2, 260-pound Bowers said.

"They didn't really come as a surprise. I take them as more of a blessing. I'm just blessed to have them. I've been working hard since my freshman year with this being my goal. Now it's come time to see what happens."

Bowers played on the outside last year, but made the move to the interior line this spring.

"They're all looking at me as a defensive tackle," he said of the schools recruiting him. "I played d-end my first three years but I'm playing d-tackle now. We play a 4-3 and I feel really comfortable at tackle. I love playing tackle."

In addition to the current offers, some other programs could join them soon.

"I talked to a lot of schools during the spring," Bowers said. "A few of them say like they really like me. Wisconsin, Texas Tech and Kansas State said they were interested in offering me. They said they're just waiting until I get my SAT and ACT scores. I'm going to take those when school starts. I should have already taken them, but I waited too long."

For the time being, Bowers says he talks often with the coaching staffs of two particular programs.

"I keep in contact with the Marshall coaches and Maryland coaches the most," he said. 'I talk to the defensive line coach and coach Don Brown from Maryland. I talk with the head coach at Marshall."

While the Terps and the Herd would seem to have the upper hand at the moment, Bowers says that would not necessarily be an accurate statement.

"It's hard to say," he said of having a group of top schools. "I want to see what kinds of offers come in during the season. A lot of schools want to see me play d-tackle and see my test scores, so I want to see what all my options are during the season. Until then, I really don't want to narrow it down to any favorite schools or anything."

As far as campus visits, Bowers says he has been too busy with practice this summer to make it to any of the schools currently recruiting him. However, that will change come September.

"I don't have any plans right now," he said. "I'm waiting until school starts and then I'll take some visits. I'm going to take all my official visits. I don't know which schools I plan to visit yet, though."