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Machens stock is red hot

Looking for one of the hottest recruits in the Midwest? Then look no further than Hilliard (Ohio) Darby linebacker B.J. Machen.
At the recent Rivals.com Junior Day in Akron, Machen measured in at a very impressive 6-foot and 221 pounds. He also has been clocked at 4.67 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has a 300-pound bench press and a 500-pound squat.
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Some schools see him as a safety prospect and some see him as an outside linebacker, while that might be in question, there is no question that he's picked up a tremendous amount of steam with the college recruiters.
"I've got five offers now," Machen said. "Maryland, Duke, West Virginia, Miami of Ohio, and Central Michigan have offered. West Virginia and Maryland offered me last week and then Duke just offered me the other day."
Machen said he's been talking a lot to college coaches on the phone since the spring evaluation period started.
"I've been on the phone lately with Duke, Michigan State, Syracuse a lot," he said. "I like Syracuse a lot. I've also talked Harvard, Cornell, a lot of the Ivy leagues. Then I've been getting mail a lot from Oklahoma, Iowa, Georgia Tech and Kent State."
"Syracuse has been showing a lot of interest. I was supposed to try and get up there last week, but something came up and the weather was real bad so we couldn't make it. My top teams other than the teams that have offered would have to be Syracuse, Kent State, Michigan State, Stanford, and Oklahoma. I've also been hearing from Nebraska."
So does he care what position he plays in college?
"No, I just want to play," he said. "I don't care. I just like to hit people and get things done on the field. It's whatever it takes to help my team be successful."
Machen has one thing that will be important when it comes time to make the final decision.
"I want a strong academic background as well as athletics," he said. "It would be nice to make a decision before the season, but I'm not pressed to rush into anything."
Machen has big goals for the 2007 season.
"I definitely want to make the playoffs for my senior season," he said. "Winning state would be great. I'd like to be all-state and all-conference, but that stuff isn't as important to me as the success of the team. It feels a lot better for you if your best friends win it with you. I feel better when my friends are successful and not just me. I'm a team guy."
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