TE would like to serve country

Queen Creek (Ariz.) Notre Dame Prep tight end Austin Briehl is a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder that already is starting to get some serious attention from the college coaches.

"Right now UNLV, West Point, NAU and Air Force are the schools most interested," Briehl said. "Army is the only one that has offered.

"This summer is really packed. I've got football lifting in the morning and then basketball. I'm going to a lot of different camps for football. Right now, I think I'm going to NAU this week. Then later I'm going to UNLV, Air Force, Arizona and UCLA."

Briehl doesn't plan to rush the recruiting process.

"I was planning on committing at the end of the summer but as of now I'm not too sure having only one option," he said. "I'm trying to keep my options open but I'd really like to play at Air Force. I'd like to serve our country and be a pilot. I just like the whole military aspect of it."

Briehl had six receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown as a junior. Those numbers would be much higher had it not been for an injury that caused him to miss almost all of his 2006 season.

"I'd like to just stay healthy this season," he said. "Injuries have held me out the last two years. My sophomore year I didn't play football at all because I broke something in my wrist. Then this past year I had appendicitis so I had my appendix taken out the night of the first game. I was out for the first half of the season."

Briehl feels this could be Notre Dame's season.

"We're looking really good," he said. "We've got a lot of offensive weapons. We've got a good quarterback and some good receivers. We just need our defense and our line on both sides of the ball to step up."