Interest grows for NJ TE

One of the hidden gems at the Rivals/VTO Camp in New Jersey was tight end Matt Flanagan of Mendham, N.J. At 6-foot-6 and 228-pounds, Flanagan impressed throughout the event, and now has begun to see increased interest from a number of programs.

"Things are going pretty well," said Flanagan. "I've sent emails to a lot of coaches and I'm sending my film out. I've gotten responses from N.C. State, Maryland and Kentucky. I'm still waiting on the others. The Pitt coach came to talk to me in school the other day and he seems really interested in me."

Another school is currently leading the charge with Flanagan, and overall the entire process is picking up.

"Of course Rutgers is showing the most interest, but out of those new schools, Pitt has shown the most just because I got to physically talk to the coach," said Flanagan. "He seemed like he liked me as a player. N.C. State, Kentucky and Maryland said they liked my tape and wanted me to try to make it out to one of their camps. I just have to figure out a good time when I can visit, because June is already going to be a busy month. I have to prioritize the camps I attend."

As he mentioned, his summer camp schedule is slowly coming together.

"Rutgers and UPenn are two definites right now," said Flanagan. "I would like to make it out to California to attend Stanford, USC and UCLA's camps too. If I get more interest in the SEC and southern schools, then I will make a road trip to schools down there, but it depends on who seems interested."

Playing for a high school team that hardly ever passes the ball has slowed down Flanagan's recruiting process, but he has been busy making sure that he is constantly improving his game.

"I'm practicing everyday after track practice with our quarterbacks catching balls to keep my hands and my routes sharp," said Flanagan. "I would like to improve on my ability to get open against any type of coverage. Being 6-foot-6 helps that a lot, but I want to be able to take over our passing game. I've been told that I'm going to be coached against and put up against some tough coverages, so I would like to still make as big of an impact even when I'm coached against. That's recognizing coverages and knowing my reads for routes."

While recruiting is definitely picking up for Flanagan, he is keeping an open mind about his process.

"I like to keep my options open," he said. "There are no clear cut favorites as of now, but I enjoy all of the schools that are contacting me."