Michigan, West Virginia move on DE
One of the South’s top-rated defensive linemen has three schools in mind for official visits later this season.
“Right now, I’m thinking about setting up visits to Michigan, Miami and West Virginia,” said LaPlace (La.) JFK defensive end Dion Gales. “The other two, those are still up in the air. I really couldn’t tell you right now.”
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Gales (6-5, 255, 4.9) has a lengthy offer sheet that includes the likes of LSU, Michigan, Miami, Alabama, Colorado, Florida and Ohio State. Last month, he said he was leaning heavily toward LSU and Miami, but it now sounds like there’s an opening for other schools.
“I’m kind of looking forward to leaving Louisiana and experiencing somewhere different,” he said. “I’d like to go see something new.”
But when asked if that meant LSU is fading from his list, Gales was quick to amend his statement.
“No, not at all,” he said. “They’re still in there. I could never forget about LSU. They were there before all the rest. I still like them. They’ve got a great program and real nice coaches. I just want to look at some other places. I really wouldn’t mind getting away from here.”
Asked to comment on Michigan, Miami and West Virginia, he offered the following:
“Michigan is a big program that’s always winning, and I love their style. It’s smashmouth football all the way. That’s how I like to play.
“Miami is Miami, you know. They’re always great, especially on defense. I also like their education program they’ve been telling me about.
“West Virginia is a team I started watching close this season. I saw them play Miami. They should have won that game, but they showed me a lot anyhow. I like their aggressiveness. They took the game to Miami. I think I’d have a real good opportunity to go in there and help their defense right away.”
Gales said he’s waiting until the end of his season to take official visits.
Through seven games this year, he’s recorded 28 tackles and nine sacks. “I’ve set a goal of 20 (sacks), and I’m going to get it,” he added. “Nobody can stop me. I just hope the teams we play from now on try to throw the ball a lot.”
As a junior, Gales recorded 77 tackles and 15 sacks to earn District 9-5A defensive MVP honors.
Academically, he carries a 2.9 GPA and has scored a 16 on the ACT. He’s awaiting his new scores.