Early offers for Florida gem

Early scholarship offers have already started rolling in for one of the Sunshine State’s top junior prospects.

Naples (Fla.) linebacker/defensive end Spencer Adkins will be a familiar name on recruiting boards across the nation for the Class of 2005.

“He’s already been offered by Florida, Florida State, West Virginia and Pittsburgh,” Naples coach William Kramer said. “That’s just the beginning for him. He’ll have offers from all over the country by the time next season rolls around.”

So what makes Adkins (6-2, 225, 4.48) such a special player.

“Well, you start with those physical attributes,” Kramer said. “You’re talking about a big, strong kid who can really move. He runs below a 4.5 and he’s a 1,200-plus kid in our combined weight lifting – 340 bench, 530 squat and 330 power clean. He’s the strongest kid we’ve got. He had a 40-inch vertical last year at the Nike combine.

“Then you add the desire and work ethic to be a great player and the understanding of the game. He’s just a special kid. I could tell he was going to be special when he walked in here as a freshman. You just knew right away.”

Adkins has been a two-year starter for the Golden Eagles. As a sophomore, he recorded 59 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. He’s coming off a junior season which saw him rack up 70 tackles, more than 25 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.

“He led southwest Florida in sacks,” Kramer said. “He’s always getting into the backfield, making something happen. He caused quite a few fumbles. He’ll really hit you.”

Kramer said Adkins’ size and athleticism gives prospective colleges a lot of options when assessing how he might fit into their programs.

“He’s a kid who can play with his hand down and mix it up at defensive end or stand up and cover people at outside linebacker,” Kramer said. “I think he’s going to be a linebacker at the next level, but he’s real versatile.”

Asked if any particular school had a head start on his star player, Kramer said: “No. Not really. I think he’s pretty wide open at this point. I’d expect him to be one of those kids who takes his time, takes all his visits before making up his mind.”