Carroll rising up the charts

There is certainly something special that has been going on at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas High School. The alma mater of star NFL wide reciever Michael Irvin and several other top players over the year just keeps producing top talent in the Sunshine State. Senior-to-be quarterback Wesley Carroll is one of those players that is looking ahead to a bright future.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Carroll is a true dual-threat quarterback armed with 4.5-second 40-yard dash speed and quite an arm. Like previous players that have gone through hefty recruitnig processes, Carroll has the offers to prove that he's one of the best in the region.

"Yeah I've got a couple," Carroll said with a laugh. "Right now it's NC State, Mississippi State, Duke, and Central Florida. Purdue is a school that has verbally offered, but they're going to come down during spring to let us know fur sure. Stanford and South Carolina could be close too. Those are just a couple schools that have sent handwritten letters."

As a junior, Carroll threw for 1,701 yards and 29 touchdowns. He completed 90 of his 160 passes thrown. The off-season has allowed him and his teammates to get prepared for a big senior year.

"I think it's been great so far," Carroll said. "We've put together a workout program that involves the majority of the team. It helps in buidling chemistry and leadership. It's going to be real beneficial for us as we go into the spring."

Recruiting has started fast not only with offers. Carroll has taken a few visits to see what's out there.

"I went to the Miami junior day about a month ago," he said. "Last weekend I went to Mississippi State for an unofficial visit. It went really well. I finally got a chance to meet coach Croom and a lot of other people. It was a great experience.

"This spring break, Friday and probably during next week I'm going to go to NC State, Duke, and Wake Forest."

Even though he plays for a top program in the state of Florida with several famous alumni, Carroll says it's not about pressure.

"You've got great players coming back to help out the program," he said. "We just try to work harder and be like them every time we play."