Monroe has five leaders

Offensive tackle Eugene Monroe will be recruited as hard as any other player in the nation in the coming months. He already has at least fifteen offers, and now he has a list of five early leaders.

The 6-foot-7, 320-pound offensive tackle from Plainfield, N.J. already has an NFL body, and his strength and potential are why he's considered by many to be among the top players in America. Who leads for his services?

"I'm not ruling anyone out, but there are a few schools that I really like a little more than the others right now. Tennessee, Miami, Maryland, Rutgers and Virginia Tech are probably my five favorites, but that's not in any order. Four of those have coaches that do a great job of putting guys into the NFL, and Rutgers is close to home and I think they're about to turn the corner."

All those schools have offered Monroe, in addition to schools like Florida State, Iowa, Nebraska, Penn State, Boston College and others.

"I know it's still early, but I'm already getting a ton of mail and attention. My favorites could change at any time, so the schools I listed shouldn't get too comfortable up there," he laughed. "A lot of guys get real excited when they get their first offers and they think they have to move quickly, but I'm not like that. I've got months and months before I have to make a decision, and I plan on taking my time.

"I'll camp and take visits and all that, so I know I'm making the right decision. Some of these schools tell you the same thing as some others, so I think I need to see them up close to see what's different about them."