ONeill seeing increased interest

Tight end Brian O'Neill of Wilmington (Del.) Salesianum School had to wait until May for his first offer, but his patience has paid off as a few more offers have followed. Now the big junior is planning a few visits with the hope of getting better acquainted with these programs.

"Recruiting has picked up vastly in the last couple of weeks," said O'Neill. "More and more coaches from all different levels and conferences have been calling and coming into school. Also, now I'm starting to see which schools want me to play tight end and which are recruiting me for defense."

After receiving his first offer from Pittsburgh, additional offers have come in from Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina and Youngstown State. O'Neill is obviously elated about his recent success.

"It always feels great and very rewarding to get an offer, but it just shows me how close I am to playing at an even higher level and sort of motivates me to keep getting better and to outwork everyone so that I can achieve my goal of playing at a major Division 1 program," said O'Neill, who is 6-foot-6 and 242 pounds.

Aside from the four offers he already has, a few other schools are also showing serious interest.

"Tulane has been in a lot of contact recently, and the defensive coordinator is coming into school for the second time. I have a feeling they might offer," said O'Neill. "Also, Richmond, James Madison and Villanova have shown a very good amount of interest."

At this point, one school seems to be standing out above the others.

"I am very high on Pitt right now, not only because it is a very good academic school and in the ACC, but they are one of the few schools who are recruiting me as a tight end, which is my preference," said O'Neill.

Next up for O'Neill are a few possible visits and camps.

"I will be up at Pitt June 6th and 7th, as well I plan on visiting Old Dominion and Tulane. I will also take the quick 15 minute ride to Delaware," said O'Neill, who explained his camp schedule. "Pitt has a one-day camp on the 7th, which I will be going to get a feel for how they run things. I will probably hit a camp at Villanova, and two, maybe three other schools I plan on going to camp at are Duke, Virginia and North Carolina."

Finally, O'Neill discussed what he hopes to find in his future school.

"I'm looking to find a high level academic school, as well as a place that values football and where football is a big part of who they are as a university," said O'Neill. "I want a chance to play at a highly competitive level with a chance to win whatever conference, bowl and championship each year."