Irish turning up heat for Spider-Man
Hoover (Ala.) defensive back
Advertisement
Labrose Hedgeman hopes a few trips to schools he's
considering will help him narrow down what continues to be a long list.
"I know that's still a lot of schools, but I haven't
really had anything yet to help me separate any of them from the next," said
Alabama Top 25 team and the No.
25 cornerback in the nation.
"I went to Auburn this past weekend to see them play
Arkansas. Both of them are on my list. I liked watching their corners play
and their defense in general, but the final score (Arkansas 38, Auburn 17)
really wasn't any big deal for me. I wasn't judging them on that game or
anything."
Hedgeman, widely known around recruiting circles as
"Spider-Man," says he's thinking about three more unofficial visits before
he starts narrowing down the final list for officials.
"Notre Dame has been showing the most interest here
lately," he said. "They really want me to come up and make an official
visit, and I'm seriously considering that right now.
"I'll be at Auburn again this weekend for the LSU
game. That's going to be a big one, two more teams that I'm looking at. Then
I'm probably going to try and catch a Georgia game."
Is it safe to assume all over those are going to
make his final cut?
"Not really," Hedgeman said. "It's still seven or
eight teams right now."
Auburn, Clemson, North Carolina, Arkansas, Florida,
Georgia Tech, LSU and Notre Dame are all in the hunt.
"I'm just looking at what each team has to offer,"
he said. "Most of them say I could come in and play right away, so that's
not in anyone's favor right now. That's my big thing, so they're all even on
that. Then I'm going to look at the overall atmosphere -- the fan support,
how large the stadium is, the tradition, how the team responds in big games
-- and their education program. It might come down to who has the best
academics and a great business school."
As a junior, Hedgeman established himself as one of
the South's top defensive backs by recording 32 tackles, 19 pass break-ups
and eight interceptions. Through six games of his senior season he says
teams aren't challenging him as much, but he has managed to pick off two
passes.
"It's kind of frustrating, but at the same time,
that shows you respect," he said. "The main thing is I'm doing my job and
the team is winning."