Pendland leads sleeper Texas team
It may not be the biggest school in the highly recruited landscape of Texas, but 2A program Newton (Texas) High School packs a pretty big punch with some very impressive prospects.
Starting things off is a tremendous athlete in running back/safety prospect Toddrick Pendland who was flying under the radar but took in quite the summer full of camps and has come out of the last few months with offers from Houston, Memphis, Tulane, and UTEP along with several other smaller schools.
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"He's been getting a bunch of stuff ever since last season," said coach Randall Reich, who handles Newton recruiting. "There were a couple of places he stopped this summer and went to the U.S. Army All-American combine, so it's been really picking up since then."
Reich said that Pendland is one player not tipping his hat to any program and really doesn't have a long list of characteristics he's looking for in a school.
"He's wide open," Reich said about Pendland. "He's a team guy who's really not worried about setting up visits right now. Hopefully as a team we go far and it will be well into December before he starts thinking about that part of the recruiting process."
One school that may be at a little bit of an advantage in the recruitment of Pendland is Houston.
"His father lives down there, so maybe logistically it would be good for the young man to be close to his father," Reich said. "But at the same time he's open to anything. In fact, Baylor called the other day to see if they had a chance in recruiting him."
"I'll tell you I could see him going anywhere because he's just so level headed and not afraid to leave the area or the state."
Pendland is not the only star in the making. Memphis has also sent an offer to Newton's sleeper defensive end, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Terrence Freeman who is regarded as undervalued defender.
"Not only is he on defense but also plays tight end for us," Reich said about Freeman. "I think he'll carry a lot more weight at the next level. He's a guy that a lot of coaches are projecting with a ton of potential."
Both players are not expected to make any early decisions and have yet to set up any trips yet. Pendland rushed for 2,380 yards and 32 touchdowns during his junior season and was named a first-team all-state pick along with the MVP award for 2004.