Juco DT has top two, visit set

One of the nation’s top junior college defensive tackles has a top two in mind and has even lined up his first official visit. So what teams top Dodge City (Kan.) Community College standout Antonio Searcy’s list? And what team is for sure getting a visit?

”My top two teams are Florida and Kansas State,” Searcy, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound all-conference defensive tackle, said. “Florida is at the top of the list, but I’m from Florida, so you can understand why I would want to go back home and be down there. But K-State is also right up there. Kansas has kind of turned out to be home, too, so I have no problem playing at either place.”

Searcy said he’s scheduled his first official visit to Kansas State on November 22 for when K-State plays host to the Missouri Tigers. He’s also talking regularly with East Carolina, South Florida, South Carolina and Rutgers. He also has offers from Kansas and Texas Tech, but didn’t mention them.

This season, Searcy has had to battle the injury bug. He missed the season’s first four games because of an injury to his right hip.

“I strained a muscle in my right hip,” he said. “I’m good now and back at 100 percent. I’ve been tearing it up since.”

Searcy and his Dodge City teammates will battle Hutch C.C. in the first round of the Jayhawk Conference playoffs this weekend. DCCC is on a two-game losing streak but finally all the pieces seem to be in place.

“We’ve not been healthy for a long time,” Searcy said. “But we’re all back now and we’re ready to get after it.”