Star WR Will Wait Until February

When a talented high school football player is forced to choose a college program to play for and has received over 40 scholarship offers, his best tools during his senior season may not be size, speed, or statistics, but a well thought-out plan. Maurice Stovall of Radnor, Pa. is faced with such a dilemma.

He should have no problem performing on the field at Archbishop Carroll High School next season. Even though he is only 16, Stovall is already 6-foot-5, and weighs 210 pounds. Besides excellent size, he also possesses equally impressive speed, consistently running the 40-yard dash in 4.3-seconds or less. He has not amassed great receiving numbers because his high school executes a run-oriented style, but still managed to score nine touchdowns and average 25 yards-per-catch last season.

Schools across the nation have been licking their chops at the idea of Stovall suiting up for them, but he has decided to narrow down his massive list to a top-five already, and states that it is solid as of right now. All five have offered.

“I would say my solid top-five schools are Georgia Tech, Virginia, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Tennessee,” Stovall said. “As far as advice on how to choose what’s best for me, my parents have played a big part in that.”

Stovall has already mapped out a course of action that includes five main contributing factors for choosing a college to attend in the fall of 2002. He is looking at a school that will utilize a passing offense where he feels comfortable, good academics, a nice campus, a wide receiver depth chart that would allow him to play early and often, and a school that has immediate national championship potential.

“I want to go to a pass-oriented program where I could contribute right away,” Stovall said. “My high school currently runs a wing-t, which doesn’t allow me to play to my potential, although we may go more to the passing game this year since our running game may not be as strong as last year.”

He continued, “I am also considering academics where I can receive a good education, probably in business, at a nice campus, and not a program that is in a building or re-building phase.”

Stovall has already unofficially visited Virginia, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, and North Carolina. He will be scheduling official visits this fall, and plans on waiting until February to commit.