Florida FB/LB has new offers
One of the nation's top-rated
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fullbacks is taking his
recruitment with a heavy dose of patience as the scholarship offers continue
to roll in.
Tampa (Fla.) Jefferson's
Josh Balloon (6-0, 212, 4.45) is
now juggling 12 offers from a myriad of programs across the country. They
include: Auburn, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, South Florida, Central Florida,
Indiana, N.C. State, Wake Forest, San Diego State, Oregon State, Boston
College and Ole Miss.
He's received calls from Purdue, Ole Miss,
Northwestern, Wisconsin and UConn in the last two weeks.
"Purdue, Ole Miss and Northwestern are probably
showing the most interest," he said. "I like those because they have good
football programs and good academics.
"But I really don't have them sorted out into a top
five or anything yet. Right now, they're all on my list. I'm just trying to
play out my senior year and see what happens. I want to see all the teams
interested in offering me before I narrow it down."
Balloon, a member of the Rivals.com
Florida Top 100 team, indicated
he'd like to hear more from the Sunshine State's traditional powers.
"I was hearing a lot from Florida and Miami, but not
very much the last month or so," he said. "It would be nice if they got back
into the mix."
Is he partial to staying close to home? His list of
offers could potentially take him to all four corners of the country.
"No. Not at all," he said. "I don't mind going away
at all if that's where the best fit for me."
Balloon's versatility could help in his recruitment.
In addition to playing fullback, he's also a talented outside linebacker.
Some of the schools are projecting him on defense or for a look on both
sides of the ball.
"I've actually played more defense than fullback
this year," he said. "I've got about 30 tackles and three forced fumbles in
four games. I'm playing real well on that side of the ball. I know Florida
was looking at me as an outside linebacker or strong safety. Miami saw me as
a fullback. It's different depending on the teams. But most are for
fullback."