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football Edit

OL already has impressive offers

Junior to Watch: Aubrey McPhadden
School: Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson
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Position: Offensive tackle
Size and speed: McPhadden is one of the biggest players in the nation. He is 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds. He said he has been timed at 5.15-seconds in the 40-yard dash – which is trucking for a prospect carrying that much weight. He also has a 22 inch vertical leap, 350-pound bench-press and a 2.8 grade-point average.
Honors: McPhadden earned second-team all-region honors as a junior.
Favorite Schools: McPhadden lists Florida as his early leader, along with Florida State, Miami, LSU, Maryland and South Carolina. He has scholarship offers from LSU, Maryland and South Carolina.
Skinny: Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson has become a football star factory. And the latest to roll off the assembly line is offensive tackle Aubrey McPhadden for the Class of 2003.
McPhadden is widely regarded as one of the elite offensive linemen in the Southeast and quite possible the entire nation. He also ready has an impressive list of scholarship offers and is already narrowing his list down to an elite few teams. So why are these guys after McPhadden?
“I think I can do a little bit of everything,” McPhadden said. “I think I have a good balance between pass and run blocking. We run a zone-blocking scheme here, so I know that’ll help me when I get to college.”
Along with his massive frame and good technique, McPhadden does also bring something to the table that many other linemen don’t. That’s confidence.
“Yeah, it’s true,” McPhadden said. “I think I’m one of the best linemen in the nation. I think I’m the best in Florida. I’m not cocky. I just go out there and work harder than the other guy. I spend a lot of time in the weight room.”
And it’s in that weight room where he often takes on a leadership role, a position that he’s beginning to relish more and more.
“I didn’t know that I was going to be a good player when I got here to high school,” McPhadden said.
“But the coaches and the older players took me under their wings. That helped me a lot. And now I’m doing the same thing for the younger guys that all look up to me. I can teach them all the different skills and lead by example.”
When it comes to a college decision, McPhadden said he received some advice from his good friend and former blue-chip recruit Leon Washington.
“He just said to chill and do it on your own terms,” McPhadden said.
“He told me to watch how the coaches talk to you and take notes. He said I shouldn’t commit early and take all the trips and weigh things out. I think I’m going to do that and wait until December and take my visits.”
Even though he said he’s in no rush, McPhadden said he did grow up cheering for Florid and his sister is a senior there in Gainesville.
“I might follow in her footsteps,” he said.
“I rooted for Florida, but there are a lot of other good teams that I’m looking at.”
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