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football Edit

Florida LB/DE likes Bucks, Canes

Junior to Watch: Javier Estopinan
School: Miami (Fla.) South Miami Senior High School
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Position: Outside Linebacker/Defensive End
Size and speed: Estopinan is 6-foot-3 and weighs 213 pounds. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.
Statistics: As a junior, he caught recorded 110 tackles, five sacks, three interceptions and returned one pickoff for a touchdown.
Honors: Was selected to the All-Dade County Team.
Favorite Schools: Ohio State, Miami, N.C. State, Oklahoma.
Skinny: Estopinan is a gifted two-sport athlete who not only won all-area honors for his work on the football field, but recently completed a 45-0 state championship season as a wrestler in the Class 3A, 215-pound division.
“I love both sports,” he said. “I find that wrestling really helps me with football, my footwork and leverage, and of course staying in top shape. They’re different sports, but there’s a lot in common. You’ve got to be aggressive.”
The competitive drive needed to excel at wrestling suits Estopinan well on the gridiron, where he recorded 110 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions as a junior while playing middle linebacker. He projects as an outside linebacker or defensive end at the college level, and already has a number of suitors lined up to recruit him.
“I’m getting a lot of stuff from N.C. State, Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers, Georgia, Oklahoma, Indiana and Mississippi State,” he said. “There are some others, but those are the main ones right now.”
Estopinan said he’d like to hear more from Ohio State and Miami.
“My top three are Ohio State, Miami and N.C. State,” he said. “Every summer, we go up and wrestle at Ohio State. I love the atmosphere there. They’ve got a great football program. I’d be real interested in going to school up there.
"I like Miami and N.C. State quite a bit, too. Miami is a great program here close to home and N.C. State has shown a lot of interest in me so far. I like that."
Estopinan will attend the Nike camp at Miami on April 5. He plans to attend summer camps at Miami and Oklahoma, as well as the Down & Dirty Camp in Florida.
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