Florida LB a rising junior

Naples (Fla.) defensive coordinator Sam Dollar says you won’t find the name Cory Hogue on any of the Class 5A all-state lists from a year ago, but he’s willing to put up his star linebacker against any of the names you do find.

“I know for certain he was one of the top five linebackers in the state of Florida last year,” Dollar said. “He didn’t get as much attention during the course of the season for whatever reason, but he was as good as any of them. Miami Edison put all three of theirs on the all-state team, and anyone who saw us play head-to-head in the playoffs knows Cory was best guy on the field. I strongly believe that.”

Hogue (6-0, 210, 4.7) helped lead Naples to a 13-2 record and the state runner-up trophy. In the process, he tied the school record with 127 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, nine sacks and four interceptions.

“He’s an aggressive, physical kid with a great nose for the ball, great instincts,” Dollar said. “He’s always around the ball – a typical middle linebacker.

“A big part of his success is his intelligence and knowledge of the game. He’s got the highest GPA of all the guys. He’s a pleasure to coach.”

Hogue has yet to receive his first scholarship offer, but is drawing interest from the Florida schools. Dollar expects things to really heat up between spring practice and the start of the 2004 season.

“He’s going to be a high D-I kid,” he said.