Byham considers three officials

Tight end Nate Byham out of Franklin (Pa.) Franklin Area has named three schools he's strongly considering for official visits. Who does the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder with 4.65-second speed plan to visit?

"So far I plan on going to Miami, Southern Cal and Michigan for official visits," he said. "I don't know exactly when I'll go, but sometime during the season. I think I'm looking to go to the USC game when they play Arkansas and the Michigan game at the end of the season against Ohio State."

How did the four-star prospect choose those three schools?

"All three of them are top programs and they are all recruiting me pretty hard," he said. "I keep in touch with them a lot and they are all pretty distant, so I'd rather take my official to see them because of where they are."

What will he be looking for on the official visits?

"One thing I'm looking for is the gameday atmosphere," he said. "I want somewhere there are a lot of fans and a lot of tradition. I also want to see if I enjoy the campus and if it's a place I feel comfortable living at."

Byham then discussed some of the schools that are in his top six he hasn't talked about as much.

"I like the coaches and atmosphere at West Virginia. They're all really nice down-to-earth people and I know some of the guys that have played down there," he said. "Tennessee has a really great winning tradition and a great gameday atmosphere. I like coach Stephens who's recruiting me, he's an awesome guy. Pitt is a home-state school and the new coaching staff is good there.

"Obviously Southern Cal is an awesome team right now. They are at their peak and crushing everybody. It's almost a rule that you have to go check out the school that is number one in the country. Brennan Carroll is an awesome guy and he's younger too. I click with him more."

Byham recently announced a top six, but mentioned that it really is a top seven as Michigan is also one of his favorites.

As for a decision, the No. 12 player in Pennsylvania is still not sure when it'll happen.

"I think I might wait until late in the season," he said. "I might not even need to take all five visits, but I plan on taking my visits during the season."

The Rivals 250 prospect's season is quickly approaching. His first game for Franklin Area is on September 2nd.

"I'm looking forward to us having a good year. Some people think last season was a fluke for me, but I plan on following up on it and having another big year. I'm also looking forward to being a senior and a leader on the team," he said. "This season I'm looking to work on my strength and weight because my hands and speed are fine.

"I need to put on more weight, but it's hard right now with a broken thumb. Right now, I'm only 220-pounds, while a lot of college tight ends are at least 240 and up. On the next level, I've got to be able to jam and block, so I definitely need to gain 20-pounds."

Byham hauled in 45 receptions for 883 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. He added 91 tackles, 15 for loss, nine sacks and three interceptions as he was named all-conference, all-district and all-region. Byham was also named third team AAA all-state by Pennsylvania Football News and second team all-state in basketball.

The Pennsylvania prospect is also a great student with an impressive 3.9 GPA and 1470 SAT.