Buckeyes latest to offer S.C. lineman
Leon Hart of Columbia (S.C.) Spring Valley is not only one of the Palmetto State’s top prospects but one of the nation’s premier offensive linemen.
Hart (6-4, 290, 5.1) now has 18 scholarship offers, including the most recent from the reigning national champions.
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“Ohio State just offered me late last week,” he said. “And they’re one of the schools I’m definitely interested in. It’s a real good school, they just won a championship, and they have a great tradition there of developing linemen. Those are all the things that I’m interested in.”
In addition to the Buckeyes, Hart has offers from the following schools: South Carolina, Clemson, Florida, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Duke, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Michigan, Penn State, Maryland and Virginia.
With so much attention and new offers coming by the week, he says it’s been difficult to narrow down his list of favorites.
“I probably won’t do a top five or anything until sometime during the season,” Hart said. “I need to do some more research about the schools and take some visits. Plus, I don’t want to scare anybody off who may be interested but hasn’t offered yet.”
When asked if there are any schools he’s certain will be on his final list, he replied, “USC. I know they’ll be in there. It’s the school that’s right here at home. I’m only about 15 or 20 minutes from campus. I just feel real comfortable whenever I’m down there. I like the coaching staff a lot, too.”
Hart will attend the Gamecocks’ camp this weekend. He’ll also camp at Florida later this summer.
Regarding the Gators, he hinted that they may also be prominent in his list of favorites.
“I really like their program and the atmosphere down there,” he said. “I like the fact that they graduate a lot of their linemen. And there’s also the possibility of coming in and playing early. They told me they really need a bunch of linemen.”
Academically, Hart maintains a 3.1 GPA and scored a 940 on his first SAT attempt. He projects as a full-qualifier, but will take the test again in hopes of improving his standing. He said he’d like to study computer science or electrical engineering in college.
As a junior, Hart graded out at 91 percent and recorded 48 pancake blocks in earning all-state honors and his team's O-Line MVP award.