SoCal LB up to three offers

A player we first started to hear about leading up the Nike Camp at Stanford last weekend was Clovis (Calif.) linebacker Zach Follett. The 6-2, 230 pound has some impressive scholarship offers on the table and justified that with a strong showing at the camp last Saturday.

To be honest, we didn't even know who Follett was until the week before the Nike Camp. We received a call from Clovis head coach Larry Kellom who said he had a linebacker who was the best player in the area.

"He has it all, great size, speed, hitting ability and he never stops playing," Kellom told us. "He was hurt for most of his junior season and only played in five games but is a dominating player and was all area as a sophomore. He's a natural inside linebacker and definitely deserves to be at the Nike Camp."

We took Coach Kellom at his word and sure enough, Follett did not disappoint. He measured in at a rock solid 6-1.5, 228 pounds, clocked a 4.59 in the 40, 4.44 in the shuttle, jumped 32 inches in the vertical and did 22 reps on the bench. He also looked very good in the position drills and should now be mentioned as one of the top five linebackers in the state next year, top 10 in the region in what is shaping up to be a very good year for 'backers in the West for the class of 2005.

"I have offers from Fresno State, Michigan and UCLA," Follett said. "USC is my top school followed by Michigan, Oregon and UCLA. I've received phone calls from all of those schools along with Oregon State and Nebraska. I went to USC's skills camp and had a good time, they've been showing a lot of interest in me ever since."

After watching film on Follett, we were even more impressed. He's a punishing hitter who plays with a reckless abandon. He runs well and makes plays sideline to sideline. He's also equally good dropping back in to coverage or blitzing off the edge. Follett has a very good natural feel for the game and seems to know where the ball is going before the play. He takes very good angles and never looks out of position on a play.

Academically, the linebacker is carrying a 3.3 GPA and will take the SAT later in the year.