Indianapolis junior holds two offers

The state of Indiana has put forth a strong offering of talent in the class of 2013, and one of their top prospects in the junior class is Indianapolis (Ind.) North Central two-way lineman Darius Latham.

The 6-5, 275-pound Latham started at both offensive tackle and defensive end this past fall for North Central. He has the potential to play on either side of the football in college, and is being recruited for both positions.

"I'm just open and don't know what I am going to play [in college]," Latham said. "The defensive side of the ball is my favorite, but I am still working on both."

Latham picked up his first two offers of the process last month from Indiana and Ole Miss. Indiana projects Latham on the defensive side of the football, while Ole Miss is talking offense.

"One came in one day and the other came in the next day, but I want to say Ole Miss was first," Latham said. "It was hyped and I felt really good about getting them. I have been in contact with both of the coaching staffs since and I'm going to look into both schools more."

Ole Miss has been recruiting the Hoosier State heavily in the last year, and Latham is one of the recent prospects they are courting to the SEC.

"They were saying they liked my motor and how good my footwork is for my size," Latham said. "I just know a lot of the famous players that have played there and it is a good school in the SEC."

Although Indiana is the in-state school, Latham has been unable to make a trip down to Bloomington to check out their campus. At this stage, his impression of the Hoosier's program is derived more from their basketball program and what they have accomplished this season.

Latham himself is a standout basketball player for North Central and he plays AAU ball in the off-season. Wednesday night he helped his team knock off Lawrence Central, and went for seven points and 11 rebounds in the contest. Latham feels his time spent on the hardcourt has benefits on the football field.

"It definitely has helped me with footwork and conditioning," Latham said. "This past year I played both sides of the ball every snap of the game, and [basketball] definitely helped with that."

Being involved in basketball during the winter means Latham will have trouble making it to junior days over the next couple months. He has been invited to junior days at Michigan State and Iowa that he will have to miss, but is hoping to see those schools in the spring.

This past fall, Latham attended several home games at Notre Dame and one at Michigan State. He is also receiving regular mail from Wisconsin.