Kicker to keep an eye on
Kicker isn't the most glamorous position on the football field but each year there are several that come out of high school with a chance to make an early impact in the college ranks.
Noah Ackerman of Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep may be one such specialist from the Class of 2011.
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Like many kickers, Ackerman is also a soccer player, but he only plans on trying to play football in college. He has been kicking since seventh grade, so he has more experience than most at the position. He handles Cathedral Prep's kickoffs and field goals and has done an excellent job thus far.
Ackerman's kickoffs routinely reach the endzone, and that has drawn the attention of college coaches.
"I've gotten one letter from Syracuse," he explained. "Well, one that was directly addressed to me. Another was an informational letter."
In addition to that, Ackerman has been invited to a Ray Guy camp in New Jersey, as well as a specialist camp at Penn State. For the past three years he has attended kicking camps over the summer at Pitt.
"My biggest moment was on a short kick," Ackerman laughed. "It was a 26-yard field goal, but it was the eighth I made on the season, which was a school record. It broke the record that was held by my mentor's brother.
"The longest field goal I've made practicing was a 52-yarder at our practice field. The longest I've made in a game was 43 yards."
Ackerman said he would be interested in Pitt, West Virginia and Penn State, though he noted that eventually he would have to choose sides between those schools.