NYC junior drawing interest

Basketball will always be king in the New York City area, so making a name for yourself on the football field can sometimes take a little longer than usual. For junior tight end Kalief Joyner of Middle Village (N.Y.) Christ the King this was definitely the case, but recently he has begun to receive increased interest.

"Recruiting is good," said Joyner, who is 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds. "It's a fun process, and I'm learning about different schools and what they could offer you."

Joyner has been receiving steady interest from Penn State, Nebraska, Rutgers, Syracuse, Connecticut, Duke, Purdue and Akron. The school he is most familiar with at this point is Rutgers, as he attended two games during the fall and the junior day last weekend.

"It was fun," said Joyner. "We toured the campuses and saw all of the football facilities. It was cool talking to Coach Flood again too."

While Joyner does not have any school visits planned at this point, he is hoping to stay busy later this year.

"I want to attend several college camps, a couple of combines and the NUC/Rivals.com Five-Star Showcase," said Joyner, who discussed the Showcase and what he hopes to prove there. "I hope to prove that I can compete with the best of the best. I also want to prove that New York City football is just as good as anywhere else, and hopefully I want to be ranked in the Class of 2012."

Lastly, Joyner gave his thoughts on the 2010 season.

"Well my teams record was 5-5 and we lost in the quarterfinals of the playoffs," said Joyner . "My junior year was ok. I should've did better, but my school is always run first. I finished with 14 receptions for 228 yards and two touchdowns."