Padilla playing the waiting game
Though private schools in the state of Texas do not receive quite the attention as their public counterparts, plenty of prospects still come through their ranks each year. One member of the class of 2012 is Dallas Parish Episcopal defensive tackle Niko Padilla.
The 6-foot-1, 272-pound defender has long had a handful of offers. While no new schools have thrown their hats in the ring, that could change relatively soon.
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"I don't have any new offers so far," Padilla said. "It's just the same four - Air Force, Central Arkansas, Yale and Army. I'm still receiving a lot of interest from other schools though."
One in-state program and two ACC schools have been in the most contact with Padilla as of late.
"I talk to North Carolina and Duke so that's looking pretty good," he said. "I also talk to Baylor. They mostly want to see me this fall.
"They invited me out to all their camps but I suffered a groin injury early in the summer so I couldn't attend any of them. They're definitely on the lookout for me though."
Padilla has yet to set up any official visits for the season so far but one school will make the cut for sure.
"The ones that have offered me have talked about setting up visits," he said. "I'm definitely going to visit Yale. They're at the top of the list right now. I'm completely open to everything though."
In addition to the programs that have offered Padilla, he is intrigued by a couple of others as well.
"I'm definitely really interested in Baylor," he said. "I'd say I'm pretty interested in North Carolina as well. I'd like to see what they have to offer, school wise and everything."