Star DE Keeps Collecting Offers

Defensive end Claude "Turk" McBride from Camden (N.J.) Woodrow Wilson keeps adding two things – weight and offers. At 6-foot-4 and now 240 pounds, Turk is getting bigger, faster and stronger every day. He added 20 pounds of muscle since January; recently bench pressed 405 pounds and ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash. With more than 40 offers on the table, Turk is in no rush to make a decision.

"I'm just going to take my time regarding my choice. I can honestly say that I don't have a top five at this time. I like a lot of schools so I need to go on as many unofficial visits as I can."

Turk and head coach Mike McBride (his uncle) will try to visit three schools during the month of August.

"It looks like we will go and visit Boston College, Virginia and Michigan. For now I guess my top 10 schools would be Miami, West Virginia, Syracuse, Nebraska, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Clemson, UCLA, North Carolina and Boston College, but that might change. I had Rutgers in there as well, they’re up and coming. I know that my teammate Elijah Robinson likes them a lot, but I just want to go out of state to play."

Colleges are recruiting him as both a defensive end and outside linebacker, but Turk has his own preference.

"I like d-end better. I think that with my added weight I will make a better down lineman than a linebacker."

Last season Turk had 60 tackles with an impressive 16 sacks. He also caught 24 passes for 486 yards and nine touchdowns on offense.

Don't look for a commitment anytime soon. This is one blue-chipper that just might take until February to make his choice. Coach McBride had nothing but praises for his nephew and star player.

"He deserves everything that is happening to him. He works extremely hard and is very coachable. He is without a doubt one of the top players to ever come out of this area and I'm sure he will excel at the next level."