Despite injury, Fla. LB has two BCS offers

Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas is one of the top teams in the country year in and year out. The Raiders play a national schedule, including Duncan (SC) Byrnes last year and Dallas (Texas) Skyline and Kingsland (Ga.) Camden County this season. It only makes sense, then, that the school would have more than its fair share of talent.

The Raiders have four players in the initial Rivals250 and several other top prospects as well. One player that has seemingly gotten lost in the shuffle, though, is linebacker Ken Hankerson. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound defender suffered an injury near the end of his junior season that has kept a lot of colleges waiting to see how he recovers.

"I'm just waiting because I want to get my size up and everything," Hankerson said of the recruiting process. "I had to sit out a long time with my injury. I actually broke a guy's collarbone. I tore my labrum, though. I had dropped down to like 180 (pounds), but I'm back to like 205 now."

Despite not being able to go through spring ball, two BCS programs still extended scholarship offers to Hankerson.

"I've been talking to a lot of schools," he said, "but the only schools that I have official offers from are Wisconsin and Wake Forest. My coach pulled me in his office and showed me those two offers. I don't know if there are more but I know I have those ones right now.

"I was talking to them before and then I sent them game film from last season. I guess they had conversations with my coach and decided they liked me enough to offer me."

In addition, he has been in contact with a few schools from the SEC.

"Tennessee, they've been recruiting me," Hankerson said. "Alabama, they've been sending me a lot of stuff. I keep up with their coaches by email. We email a lot."

Hankerson does not pay too much attention to the recruiting process, however, preferring to let things run their course naturally.

"I'm just ready to play ball," he said. "Getting a lot of offers doesn't mean a whole lot to me because you only get to choose one school in the end. I'm just ready to play. Any school that gives me an opportunity, I'm going to consider heavily. I'm just looking for the best opportunity."

Hankerson does admit that a few schools stand out at the moment, though.

"I'm hoping to get an offer from Alabama," he said. "I'd like to play somewhere closer to Florida if at all possible. I wouldn't mind my mom being able to go to every game. That's my biggest support - my mother. I want her to be able to watch me.

"UM came to me a long time ago. I've been keeping in contact with them a little bit. I wouldn't mind going there at all."