New Englands top player names leaders
Worcester (Mass.) St. John's defensive tackle James McGillicuddy solidified his status as the No. 1 player in New England with a great performance at the Elite College Combine in May. So who leads for the 6-foot-3, 285-pounder?
"BC and Duke are my two leaders right now," said McGillicuddy. "They are the two best schools football-wise and academically that have offered me so far. I want that mix, academics are very important."
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McGillicuddy also lists Notre Dame, Harvard, Maryland and Virginia to round out his top six and also has offers from Syracuse and others. He likes something different about each of his favorites.
"Boston College has great coaches, offers a great education, is a high class program and has great tradition. They're also getting a new football complex that will look great and the move to the ACC is huge.
"Notre Dame has great football, academics, tradition and is also a high class program. Duke is a team on the rise and the academics are excellent. Harvard would give me a great mix of 1AA football and awesome academics.
"Maryland and Virginia are both in the ACC, which is a great conference, and they offer good football and a good education."
McGillicuddy is in no hurry when it comes to making a decision.
"I'll probably wait until after my senior season," he said. "I am camping at Notre Dame, BC and Harvard and perhaps a few other places this summer and would like a few more options."
As far as coaches go, McGillicuddy has enjoyed the contact this past month.
"I haven't met a coach I haven't liked, they've all been really nice to me," he said. "Coach Petercuskie (BC) is a good guy and very friendly, coach Prince (UVA) treated me really well when I visited there and made me feel at home. The others have all been cool as well."
As a junior, McGillicuddy made 80 tackles (12 for a loss), had six sacks and recovered two fumbles.