Symonette makes quick cut of the list

HOUSTON - It appears that the 6-foot-9, 320-pound giant offensive tackle Ian Symonette is finally narrowing things down from an offer list that included a glamorous selection of top notch of Division I schools.

Hailing from the Bahamas, Symonette has simply flourished at his new home at Houston (Texas) St. Pius X under the direction of trainer/guardian Frank Rutherford. With training, Symonette is now in the lean range and looks very athletic for a prospect of his size. Aside from increasing his already growing abilities, Symonette has taken the time to knock his list down to four teams.

"I've got things down to OU, LSU, Miami and Texas," Symonette said about his remaining schools. "The programs are some of the best in the country and each of them have little things about them that make them even better for me than other places."

Oklahoma and Miami are two schools that Symonette has not had the chance to visit. That will change this fall when he begins, along with Rutherford and coach Robin Kirk, to schedule official trips.

Symonette explained that though each school is different, they all have something about them that really stuck out early on.

"Oklahoma is a powerhouse program and they're always bringing in good players and then sending those players to the NFL level," Symonette said. "Texas has a home-built atmosphere about it. It just seems like family down there."

"Miami is good and I've known about them for some time and their winning records. The way they train there players is quite incredible. LSU has just great stuff to offer me as a student athlete both in the classroom and on the field."

The No. 25 rated offensive tackle prospect is expected to make a late decision and has no timeframe set at this moment. This young man will no doubt take his time.

After sustaining two injuries (MCL and broken leg) last season before taking one snap of high school football in the United States, Symonette learned that patience.

"Well I think it affected me to keep me more focus on the game at hand," Symonette said. "You never k now what can happen on that play or this series. During the injury time I used it to my benefit and worked out on my upper body. When my leg healed I did running and worked technique, so it worked out in the end."