Patchan one of the countrys top linemen

SEFFNER, Fla.- This one could be one of the best in the country. Armwood two-way line prospect Matt Patchan already is one of the most highly-recruited prospects in the state of Florida for the Class of 2008.

He holds more than 40 scholarship offers and often gets multiple additional offers within a given week. Rivals.com caught up with Patchan for a short interview before his afternoon workout at A.H.S. last week.

"The most recent school to offer me is Virginia Tech," Patchan said.

The Hokies join Florida, Clemson, Boston College, Ole Miss, Auburn, Alabama, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska and others in offering the talented jumbo athlete, who recently transferred to Armwood from Freedom High in Tampa.

Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Southern California and Texas are among the programs who have not yet offered Patchan, but that he would like to hear more from.

"I got one text message from (Notre Dame) awhile back, but haven't heard anything since," he said.

During Armwood's spring break, Patchan is hopeful that he will make several unofficial visits.

"If my dad can take me, we are hoping to visit several schools during spring break," Patchan said. "We are thinking about hitting several schools that are close by, but also out-of-state. Alabama, Auburn and Georgia are three schools we want to visit for sure and then if we have time, we could check out some others."

Patchan graduates high school in December and will enroll at the college he picks in January. He plans to narrow his list to five colleges during the forthcoming football season.

Patchan measures almost 6-7 (6-6.5 officially) and weighs in at 265 pounds. He is as good on the offensive side of the ball as on defense and has made it a point to say he wants to play both ways in college, unheard of for a lineman.

Patchan has been timed as fast as 4.5-seconds (typically he runs between 4.5 and 4.81) in the 40-yard dash and 4.10 (typical range is 4.1-4.47) in the pro shuttle, outstanding movement numbers for a prospect his size. On film and in person, he had advanced quickness and speed.

Patchan is a Rivals100 to watch member for the Class of 2008.