Fitzgerald one of Kentuckys top DTs

Junior to Watch: Brandon Fitzgerald

School: Barlow (Ky.) Ballard Memorial HS

Position: Defensive Tackle/Offensive Guard

Size and speed: Fitzgerald is 6-foot-2, weighs 295 pounds, and runs the 40-yard dash in 5.0 seconds. He boasts a 325-pound bench press, a 485-pound squat and a 330-pound power clean.

Honors: Was named All-Western Kentucky Conference and honorable mention all-state as a junior.

Favorite Schools: Louisville, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Cincinnati, Marshall, Ohio.

Skinny: One of the Bluegrass State’s top defensive line prospects for the Class of 2004 is Ballard Memorial’s Brandon Fitzgerald.

Built in the classic nose tackle frame, Fitzgerald is a powerful player who has dominated the competition the last two years.

“He’s the best defensive lineman in this area and probably the state,” said Ballard Memorial coach Ben Dew. “I can’t imagine there are too many better than him. He just takes over ballgames by himself at times, making six or seven tackles in a row, getting in the backfield on tackles for loss or sacking the quarterback.

“He’s just so explosive off the ball, and then too strong for one guy to handle. He gets a lot of double-teams and still makes plays. He has great instincts and good feet. He gets to the ball like a linebacker.”

Dew said an example of Fitzgerald’s athleticism is he played tennis for Ballard Memorial two years ago.

“He’s played it all here,” Dew added. “Just about everything but golf. He’s a real all-around athlete, even at that size.”

Fitzgerald plays in far western Kentucky and doesn’t get as much media attention as some of the other top players in the state, but that could be changing as word spreads of his ability. Louisville and Kentucky are already showing heavy interest, as well as Illinois, Indiana, Cincinnati, Marshall and Ohio.

“I think he really likes Louisville right now,” Dew said. “They had him in for their junior day recently, and he really had a good time there. They’ve been the most consistent in staying in touch with him and making sure he knew that he was up high on their list.

“He likes Kentucky quite a bit, too. I think those two would have to be considered the leaders right now. We think there will be several offers coming his way if he gets qualified. He’s got some work to do in that area, but he’s a good kid, a kid who’s capable of getting it done.”