Idaho sleeper puts his name on the map
It's not always easy to get noticed when you play your high school ball in Idaho. Saying that, it doesn't take much to notice that Meridian (Idaho) Mountain View offensive lineman Hugh Thornton has the look of one of the top players in the NW region for the class of 2009.
At the recent NIKE Combine in Oakland two weeks ago, Thornton was one of the most physically impressive looking players we saw, in a group that numbered almost 950 for the day.
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Thornton measured in at a rock solid 6-5, 285 pounds and showed some remarkable agility for a man his size. The lineman clocked a 5.13-40, 4.65 shuttle, jumped 26 inches in the vertical and threw the power ball 38'10" for a SPARQ Rating of 85.56, best among all lineman.
"I wanted to come out to increase my stock, let the colleges know who I was a little," Thornton said. "I wanted to get better as well and learn some things and overall, I thought it went really well."
Thornton didn't allow a sack all year and also played on the defensive side of the ball. He projects best as an offensive lineman and has the size and athleticism to be a prototype tackle in college. Thornton also won a state title in wrestling this past year in the 285 pound class.
"Recruiting wise, I'm currently hearing from Stanford, Cal, Idaho, Boise State and Illinois. All of those schools are sending me letters right now and I really like Stanford a lot right now because of their Marketing program, which is what I want to major in when I get to college.
"I also like Boise State, Oregon and Cal a lot. Boise State is the local school, has a great program and has a good recruiting class coming in this year."