Ohio lineman Hoebing sitting on offers

Changing positions when a player goes from the high school level to the collegiate level is something many prospects go through and that appears to be the case for Vermilion, Ohio's Derek Hoebing. The 6-6, 245-pound Hoebing played as an outside linebacker and tight end this past fall, but is garnering the majority of his interest for another position.

"Most are for offensive tackle, but there are two of them who are recruiting him for tight end," said Vermilion head coach Frank Horvath. "I think offensive line would be a great position for him because of his feet. He has great feet and long arms. As a tight end he'd be more of a blocker and shorter route runner. There are people looking at him as that traditional offense type tight end."

Playing basketball is one activity that helped Hoebing develop his strong footwork. This past winter he played post on Vermilion's basketball team that made it to the Regional Finals. The playing fields are not the only venues of success for Hoebing, however. He is also a top notch student who carries a 3.7 GPA.

"One of the things the recruiters like about him is he's a good student. He's got a solid GPA and he did do fairly well on his ACT," Coach Horvath added. "He's the type of person who will play any position. He's just one of those kids who has a good work ethic. He's been one of our best persons as far as attending weight lifting sessions and being a leader in the weight room."

This spring college recruiters from several different conferences have come through Vermilion to evaluate Hoebing and a few have even offered scholarships.

"The local MAC schools have been in and then Michigan State, Virginia and Central Florida, those teams area all looking for offensive linemen and have been in evaluating him," Horvath said. "There have been some offers, but I just don't want to let that out yet."

Hoebing and his coach have discussed those offers as well as the other schools showing interest and have a game plan about how they will approach his recruitment this summer.

"We've talked quite a bit about different schools and academics is really important to him," Horvath said. "We're going to wait until after this week when most of the recruiting is finished and then we'll sit down, talk about the offers and what schools he wants to visit. Right now he's still open-minded about the possibilities he has.

"I think he'll want to visit the schools and maybe meet the head coaches and look over their academics. Right now we're just trying to compile where he wants to fit in and whether that is MAC level or higher."

As a junior Hoebing earned second team all-conference honors after recording more than 40 tackles and four sacks on the defensive side of the football. He was used mostly as a blocker from the tight end position and could even make the move to offensive tackle as early as next fall.