Plato shows hes ready

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Tight end Nicholas Plato is back and he showed that on Saturday at the NIKE Training Camp at the University of Missouri.

Plato, the 6-foot-6, 228-pounder from Edwardsville (Ill.) High School, has had quite the ride. After breaking his arm last year, he was granted a medical redshirt at Edwardsville and will be able to finish up school this fall before graduating in December. Coming down to the camp, Plato says he's added around seven scholarship offers so far.

This camp trip for him was about making sure everyone knew that he was healthy and ready to go.

"I came here basically so everyone knew that my arm was alright," Plato said. "I'm back, nothing is wrong with it. I think that's what I did. I left my mark here. I broke my arm, they put a plate into it, and my dad and I had the idea to just red shirt. So I'm going back first semester next year and will graduate in December."

Plato says that the offers that have come in so far include Boston College, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State. Two teams stand out early.

"Well, Illinois, it's my home state school," Plato said. "It's two hours away, my parents can come see me, and they're on the rise. Boston College is also a team that I really like. They're a great program and a top 25 team each year."

The NIKE Camp will certainly not be the last stop for Plato. He says that between the months of June and July he may stop at Florida, Notre Dame, USC, UCLA and Wisconsin for camps.

However, the camp trip was certainly one that Plato didn't want to miss.

"I worked out at tight end and I think I was one of the top guys out here," he said. "It went well for me today."