NJ CB quietly gaining more interest

Cornerback Eric Church of Sicklerville (N.J.) Timber Creek may be overshadowed by some of his more high publicity teammates, but he has quietly picked up a few offers of his own. There are also several other schools that may be close to add to his total.

"Recruiting has been good," said Church. "A lot of schools are starting to take more notice of me. A lot of them loved my film. They are now starting to come to a final decision of offering me. Buffalo, Temple, Iowa, West Virginia, UMass, Boston College, Tulane, Duke, Villanova and Old Dominion are all schools that like me a lot and are close to making their decision.

Church, 5-foot-10 and 180-pounds, already had offers from Colgate and Monmouth, and they were joined on Wednesday by Kent State.

"I think the Kent State offer was exciting," he said. "I knew they liked me a lot and when I found out they offered I was happy. I was actually at Rutgers for a camp when I found out and I was all smiles. I heard they have a great campus, program and academics, so I'm excited about taking the trip over there."

Church has already camped at Rutgers, Buffalo and Villanova, and has also taken visits to West Virginia and Temple.

"The camps have been good," he said. "I know my hard work is paying off because I have excelled at them. Besides the college amps I also participated in the U.S. Army All-American Combine, a VTO Camp, a Nike Camp, a NUC Five-Star Showcase and I was acknowledged as a top performer."

As he waits for more offers, Church has a general idea of what he is looking for in a program.

"Both academics and a good program," said Church. "Also a school with coaches that can bring the full potential out of me."

During the off-season, Church has spent the majority of his time improving his game.

"The pre-season is going great," said Church. "I've gotten bigger, stronger and faster since last year. I've been working out non stop with defensive back drills, speed drills and agility drills. I'm also studying the game from top corners in the NFL like Revis and Charles Woodson , and even Deion Sanders to steal certain moves or techniques that they use in a game. To be the best you have to learn from the best. I don't see myself just working on one part of my game because I want to get better at everything I do and perfect my craft, so I look to improve everything. I'm just trying to be the best and show that to everyone. I'm just so mentally focused right now."