Linebacker a true scholar-athlete

Junior to Watch: Andy Darkins

High School: Lake Oswego, Oregon

Position: Inside Linebacker and Fullback

Size and Speed: Darkins is : 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds. He runs a 4.71 second 40-yard dash and has a vertical leap of 28 inches.

Statistics: "I had 127 tackles and eight sacks last season," Darkins said. "I also had one touchdown on a fumble recovery, three forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered."

Honors: Darkins was named first team all-league and third team all-state. He also was named a Gridiron Greats Rising Star.

Strong Points: "I'm good at making plays and getting in on every play. I have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Speed is my biggest asset."

Favorite Schools: "I have heard from all of the PAC 10, Colorado, Nebraska, Hawaii, Texas, all the service academies and others. I'm most interested in the Ivy League. I would choose an Ivy League school over a Division I scholarship."

He has no offers yet.

As to who is recruiting him the hardest he said, "Probably UCLA, Princeton, Harvard, Oregon and Oregon State."

Skinny: His camp plans for the summer are, "I'm not sure yet. I'm looking at track camps over football camps because I want to work on my speed. Speed is really important to me. My camp plans are still up in the air right now."

UCLA, Oregon State and Navy have recently visited him in school.

When asked about his priorities on his college choice he said, "Of course academics are number one. I also want it to be a competitive situation. The team should be competitive and not be a slouch in their conference. I want to contribute right away if I'm good enough to make an immediate contribution."

He plans to major in business.