Thorton sheds sleeper tag

It's time to officially remove Oberlin, Ohio, offensive tackle Hugh Thornton from the sleeper category and call him what he is – a major high-level Division I recruit.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Thornton is originally from Meridian (Idaho) Mountain View, but he recently surfaced in Ohio and is quickly becoming a very highly-sought after recruit. He already had scholarship offers from Illinois, Washington State, Akron and Bowling Green on his resume, but late last week, he added two more Big Ten offers to the list.

"I was offered by Indiana and Michigan State," Thornton said. "I'm really excited about colleges checking me out. I never thought that I would have any offers this early."

Thornton didn't allow a sack as a junior and also played on the defensive side of the ball. He projects best as an offensive lineman and has the size and athleticism to be a prototype tackle in college. Thornton also won a state title in wrestling this past year in the 285 pound class.

At the recent NIKE Combine in Oakland, Thornton was one of the most physically impressive looking players at the event. Thornton measured in at a rock solid 6-5, 285 pounds and showed some remarkable agility for a man his size. The lineman clocked a 5.13-seocnd time in the 40-yard dash, 4.65-second time in the shuttle, jumped 26 inches in the vertical and threw the power ball 38 feet 10 inches for a SPARQ Rating of 85.56.

Along with the Big Ten teams showing interest, Michigan, Stanford, Cal, Idaho and Boise State are contacting him.