Hendrick expands his horizons

The high school version of Torey Hendrick would be absolutely appalled by the list of schools his junior college counterpart is considering attending.

Years ago, Hendrick swore he wouldn't so much as consider a program west of the Mississippi River.. Now, just a few years later, the teams he says are at the forefront of his recruitment tell a much different story.

Four of the five schools the Brooklyn (N.Y.) ASA College defensive end rattled off as major players in the process would have been axed from his list based on location alone not so long ago.

"Iowa is really recruiting hard right now," Hendrick said. "Arizona State and Kansas State. N.C. State, too. There's one more, too. Oh, Kansas."

So much for the whole East-Coast-or-bust thing. Apparently, the year Hendrick spent at an Atlanta-based prep school 850 or so miles away from his New Jersey home helped change his perspective. Whatever the case, the three-star prospect has opened the map to include the west and the schools he once swore off of have become legitimate options. Call it a personal Manifest Destiny of sorts.

"My mind has changed completely," Hendrick said. "I guess I realized there are a lot of respectable schools west of the Mississippi. I thought being homesick would be a big problem until I lived far away from home during prep school. Now when I think about it, I'm not against going far away at all."

Armed with fresh outlook and a new view on the process, Hendrick will move forward. Because of an ASA College policy that prohibits players from taking in-season official visits, he'll wait until December to start exploring. And when that time comes, he'll head west without reservation.

"I think I might go to Iowa for an official visit," Hendrick said. "They are recruiting me the hardest. I think it's worth looking at it."

Hendrick is also looking at a trip to Kansas State, a program to which he has family ties. He doesn't know much about the Wildcats' program at this time, but he's been made aware of the basics.

"My uncle, John Hendrick, coached at Kansas State under Bill Snyder a long time ago," Hendrick said. "Bill Snyder is one of the old-school coaches. He's been there for so many years. He's been there since before I was born pretty much. He's a winning coach. He's a great coach."

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Hendrick claims seven total scholarship offers for the time being and expects other schools to get involved as the season progresses.