Hansens phone ringing off the hook

Sacramento (Calif.) Sheldon linebacker Tom Hansen was a second team all-state selection a year ago but it was his breakout performance at the NorCal Nike camp that really put his name on the map. Hansen smashed the *SPARQ Rating record and is now poised for a big senior season.

Hansen, 6-1, 230 pounds is getting looks at both outside linebacker and defensive end but most of the colleges have said they prefer him as a linebacker which is Hansen's preference as well. At the Nike camp, the athlete broke Oklahoma Sooner Ryan Reynolds' SPARQ Rating record with a 112.41 Rating. Hansen clocked a 4.62 in the 40, 4.48 in the shuttle, jumped 38 inches in the vertical and did 46 reps on the bench.

On the recruiting front, the linebacker received early offers from Northwestern, Nevada, San Jose State and Oregon State and it sounds like several more could be on the way.

"Since September 1, I've received over 20 phone calls," Hansen said. "All of the Pac 10 has called me plus Notre Dame. All the coaches I talked to said basically the same thing, they like me and want to offer me in the next few weeks. They just want to see me play my first couple of games.

"Even USC said my athleticism will be hard to pass on and they said I remind them of Brandon Hancock. Right now, I still have the trip to Northwestern set up for (Oct. 28) and I'll look to set up a few more visits in the coming weeks."

*Taking the standard measurements of the football combine, the SPARQ Rating weighs and combines the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump and bench press into a single number that measures an athlete's overall athleticism. Thus, football players can track the progress of their training, through occasional tests, and compare SPARQ Ratings with teammates, training partners and competitors. To learn more about the SPARQ Rating, go to www.sparqtraining.com.