Farris talks about his favorites
Glenshaw (Pa.) North Hills offensive lineman Mark Farris has narrowed his list down. So who are the lucky teams?
Farris, who is a four-star prospect, to Pitt, Penn State, Virginia, Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Florida and Notre Dame.
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“The [main question] is position,” he said. “The schools that continue to recruit me as an offensive lineman will become more solidified on my list.”
Right now, there is no consensus regarding how the 6-foot-6, 275 pound lineman will line up when he gets to college.
A majority of the schools on Farris’s short list are recruiting him as a guard, but Michigan State, Florida and Notre Dame envision him on the other side of the ball, where he can use his height to bat down passes and his superior agility to stuff opposing ball-carriers.
Farris is a suburban Pittsburgh kid, who relishes in his close knit circle of family and friends. Proximity to home could be another factor in his decision, and there is no question that Joe Paterno will reach up his sleeve for the location card.
“My family and friends come out to support me every week, which really motivates me. I go out and try to win the games for them,” Farris said.
Indeed, JoPa has used location as a pick axe to extract some of college football’s greatest players from the Keystone state’s rich talent mines, but Walt Harris looks like the first Pitt coach since Jackie Sherrill capable of planting a stake in his own backyard.
Harris would love to chip off another Western Pennsylvania gem and Farris has good things to say about the Panthers’ assistant head coach Bob Junko. Nevertheless, telephone calls won’t seal this deal.
“I like [Junko’s] personal approach, but that’s just one person,” Farris said.
“I’m not going to base my decision on a single person. Over the next couple of weeks, I’d like to schedule some official visits to make during the season. If one school stands out, I’d commit before the end of the season.”