S.C. OT gets national attention

Junior to Watch: Corey Lambert

School: Greenville, S.C.

Position: Offensive Tackle

Size and speed: Lambert is 6-foot-7, weighs 308 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds. He boasts a 340-pound bench press and a 450-pound squat.

Statistics: As a junior, he graded out at 89 percent and recorded 38 knockdown blocks in helping lead Greenville to an 11-1 record.

Honors: Was selected all-region and All-Greenville County as a junior.

Favorite Schools: South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, Penn State.

Skinny: Greenville coach Larry Frost always got a kick out of college coaches' reactions when they visited his practice field last season to scout high-profile wide receiver Noah Whiteside.

“We had a bunch of people in here to see Noah, and inevitably they’d look out there and get distracted,” he said. “They’d say, ‘Who in the world is that?’ and I’d always tell them, ‘Sorry, coach, but you’ll have to come back next year and recruit that one.’”

“That one” was junior right tackle Corey Lambert – all 6-foot-7, 320 pounds of him. The mammoth offensive tackle figures to be bringing many college coaches back to the Greenville campus between now and signing day 2004.

“Corey’s got an opportunity to be a great one,” Frost said. “He just turned 17 two weeks ago, and they say he’s still growing. His mother took him to a growth specialist and asked what’s wrong, if there was any way they could slow him down. They’re projecting him to be about 6-9, and there’s very little fat on this kid. He had some baby fat still left on him last year, but he’s down to about 308 pounds now and is really agile.

“We went to a state strength meet recently, and he ran a 5.08 forty. He also won the vertical jump, so that gives you a little idea of his athleticism.”

On the field, Lambert graded out near 90 percent last season. “And we are real stringent on that,” Frost added. He also recorded 38 knockdown blocks playing right tackle, protecting the left-handed quarterback’s backside with flying colors. He did not allow a sack all season despite Greenville running a spread offense that utilized the shotgun formation 95 percent of the time.

“He’s got such long arms, he’s perfect for pass protection,” Frost said. “And he’s got great ‘punch.’ When he hits you, you know you’ve been hit. We played against one defensive end that was really good at coming off the corner and rushing the quarterback, and Corey dropped him about eight times.”

Not surprisingly, interest has been exceptionally high in Lambert.

“I told him I’m going to take my name off the mailbox and put his on it,” Frost said with a laugh. “We sent film just today to Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame. We’ve heard from the whole ACC and most of the SEC – South Carolina, of course, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU. We’ve also got stuff from Nebraska, Colorado and just about everyone else you can think of. I really think Corey’s going to have an opportunity to go anywhere.”

To Frost’s knowledge, South Carolina was the first to offer a scholarship, that coming at the Gamecocks’ junior day this winter.

Are there any favorites at this point?

“I don’t think so,” Frost said. “He doesn’t talk much about them, if there are. I told him he probably needed to try and come up with a list of five that he can focus on, both for football and academics. I know academics will be important to him. He’s a good student, comes from a nice family. That’s another good thing about Corey. As good a football player as he is, he’s an even better kid. He’s got a great personality and is well-liked by his teammates, students and faculty alike.”

Lambert has yet to determine his summer camp plans, but Frost said he’s been invited to South Carolina, Clemson and Wake Forest for spring games.