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football Edit

Western schools waking up to sleeper

Sleeper running back Derrick Coleman (6-0, 225, 4.6) from Fullerton (Calif.) Troy had a lot of western attention this past spring. Most of the schools from the Pac 10, Mountain West and WAC came by to check Coleman out during the spring evaluation period. With a closer look it is easy to see why.
Coleman earned League MVP and all-CIF honors after rushing for 2,464 yards and 38 touchdowns while averaging 11.1 yards per carry his junior season.
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"Derrick has great size and he's very athletic for the position," Troy coach Jim Burton said. "He's very tough and hard to bring down.
"To give you an idea how athletic Derrick is he's a three-sport letterman. Besides football, he also participates in basketball and track. His events are the sprint relay, the triple jump, and throws the shot.
"Derrick can do it all," Burton said. "He can throw, catch and run. Plus he's one of the strongest on our team.
"Derrick's clean and jerk is 295-pounds and that's a good lift. He works out with our linemen. He's a really good guy who wants to get better.
"All the schools on the West Coast are recruiting Derrick," Burton said. "We even had (USC coach) Pete Carroll on campus and that was a first for us. Derrick was the reason for his visit.
"Coach Carroll had a hard time moving around here without having to sign an autograph. His appearance was a big lift for our program.
"UCLA has been very active recruiting Derrick," Burton said. "(UCLA linebacker) Coach Chuck Bullough has been recruiting him.
"Derrick would love to play on the West Coast," Burton said. "He's going to camp with USC, UCLA and San Diego State. I'm not sure if he's going to camp at Arizona and Arizona State.
"Derrick's parents are very supportive and they will help him make the right decision."
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