Price now listing double digit offers

The defensive line class in Ohio for 2012 has been heralded as a once in a decade type group, but the position is also strong in the state for 2013. Austintown Fitch's Billy Price is one of the headliners of that group and he has garnered double digit offers already.

The 11 schools that have offered the 6-4, 280-pound Price are Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pitt, SMU, Tennessee, UCLA and West Virginia. His most recent offers came in from Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska.

"Nebraska I don't really know a lot about. I know Bo Pelini is their coach and I'm friends with his niece," Price said. "I don't really know much about Michigan State besides they are a tough-nosed football team, always successful and a good program. Mark Dantonio came down to our school and he seems real nice.

"Michigan, I know they want me to play d-line. The d-line coach there is a real nice guy and the staff up there seems like they are real nice, down-to-earth and know what they are talking about. I'm going up there to see the Ohio State-Michigan game."

This coming weekend, Price will be in Columbus for the Penn State-Ohio State game. Earlier in the year he had a chance to check out Notre Dame when the Irish hosted USC.

"Notre Dame is a special place," Price said. "It is unique and one of those places where you have to be able to feel for it."

With close to a dozen opportunities on the table already, and more sure to come, Price is taking an open stance to his recruitment early in the process.

"I still have a lot to learn about each place, so as far as interest level with everybody it is kind of neutral," Price said.

Austintown Fitch finished their 2011 campaign with a 6-4 record. Price was counted on heavily by his team this fall, and saw definite improvement in his game from the season before.

"For me, the improvement was my maturity in the game," he said. "I got that year of experience under my belt and now can handle different situations and deal with adversity better. Playing both ways this year developed me as a person and made me mentally sharp and mentally tough in the fourth quarter."

Price is most often projected to the defensive line in college, but his ability to line up on either side of the football has teams considering offense as well.

"There are teams that are talking offense," Price confirmed. "Notre Dame offered me to play offensive line, but I know Tennessee wants me for d-line, I know Pitt wants me for d-line. I guess I am going to go to the right school and play what they need me to play. I like to play defense and I like to play offense, so at this point it really doesn't matter to me."