Golden State DT one of the nations best

Junior to Watch: Sedric Ellis

School: Chino, Calif.

Position: Defensive Tackles/Defensive End

Size and Speed: Sedric stands 6-foot-3 and ½ inches, weighs 285 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds. Ellis benches 355 pounds and squats 495 pounds.

Statistics: Ellis accounted for 108 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a junior.

Honors: Sedric has been selected all-state for the last two years. He was also an all-CIF, all-area and all-league selection as a junior.

Favorite Schools: Ellis is a national recruit and will be able to name his school. He receives a ton of mail everyday and when this May comes around there will be a beeline of college coaches headed to Chino highs school. UCLA came out of the box early with an offer.

The Skinny: Sedric plays for one of southern California’s best programs. Chino high school has played in four out of the last five Division 2 Southern Section CIF championship games.

When you add super talent with good coaching you get a “can’t miss player” and Sedric is about as close to a “can’t miss player” as you can get. This dominating player is only 16 years. That means he’s still growing!

On the gridiron Sedric has the ability to take over a game. He had 16 tackles in the championship game of 2001. Now that is what we call showing up for crunch time. When we asked one opposing coach what he thought of Sedric he said, “I wish you didn’t mention him. We have no clue how to stop him. Ellis may be the best player we’ve played against the last couple of years. Thankfully we are no longer in his league, but we may still him in the playoffs. He’s the best.”

Sedric is so athletic and fast that he even plays fullback in some situations.

As good as Sedric is as a football player, he is just as good as a person. “Sedric is very modest and unassuming,” Chino head coach John Monger said. “He didn’t even tell me that UCLA offered him a scholarship. I had to find out from somebody else,” Monger said. Praise for Sedric isn’t limited with the head coach. “Sedric really turned himself around,” Chino defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Pete Merandi said. “I am more proud of him as a person than a football player,” Merandi said.

Sedric is scheduled to attend the Nike camp at Stanford and may attend the Nike camp at USC this coming Saturday.

Ellis will be one of the most sought after players in the nation this season and Rivals.com will keep you informed on Sedric’s recruitment all the way.

Stay tuned…