Vegas OL sees offers rise
Offensive tackle Arturo “A.J.” Rodriguez (6-5, 288, 5.3) from Las Vegas, Nev., is one of the top prospects out of the Silver State of Nevada. He currently has five offers on the table for his services. Rodriguez will be a three-year starter for his senior season.
Rodriguez was an all-region selection as a junior after recording 40 pancake blocks in 2003. Out of 14 games a year ago, Rodriguez rated out the highest out of the linemen, seven times.
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Rodriguez attended two camps and caught the eye of colleges at the adidas camp held at UCLA last May. He also performed well and stood out at the Health South combine held in his hometown of Las Vegas.
Because of his strong performances the word has got out about Rodriguez and he is no longer considered a secret in the desert.
On his table, Rodriguez has five offers. His first three offers were from UNLV, Colorado State and Oregon State.
Something to consider Oregon State has recruited and landed some of the best talent to come out of Vegas in years. That Rodriguez has an offer from Oregon State should open up his eyes.
The most recent offers have come from Utah and Nevada. Fresno State is also in the hunt and could be the next school to join the fray.
I like Oregon State, Washington State, Fresno State and UNLV stand out but I am pretty much open,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not even close to making a decision.”
In an earlier interview with Rivals.com Las Vegas coach Chris Faircloth said had this to say about his top-flight offensive lineman, “What separates A.J. from the rest is he has a real mean streak. He plays offense with a defensive linemen’s mentality.”
“A.J. is a great finisher of blocks,” Faircloth said. “He is relentless in finding another opponent once he knocks his first man is down.”
“A.J. is a monster on the line and can’t keep him out of the weight room,” Las Vegas offensive line coach Art Plunkett said. “He could be the best lineman we have had in my eight years as an assistant coach here.”
High praise indeed, the reason Plunkett’s statement is so powerful is that his own son Richie Plunkett was an all-state and all-region offensive tackle a year ago for Las Vegas high. Plunkett’s son signed with the Colorado Rams last February.
Plunkett should know about offensive linemen he played in a super bowl with the New England Patriots. He also played for the Los Angeles Rams and the St. Louis Cardinals after standing out for UNLV.